Area Planner

Colas Ltd are a UK subsidiary of the global Colas Group, which operates in over 50 countries worldwide and employs over 55,000 people including over 1500 in the UK across multiple sites. We are specialists in highways construction and have been involved in large-scale UK and international construction projects within the highways, airfields, and marine sectors as well as offering highways maintenance services and manufacturing our own innovative surfacing products. We hold a 'Gold Investor in People' award for continuously developing and rewarding our employees, offering excellent career potential.

**Purpose of the role**:
Colas are responsible for the eight-year Maintenance & Response contract for National Highways Area 9. The contract covers around 2,300 miles of Strategic Road Network within Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire, and Shropshire, as well as parts of Gloucestershire, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire. We deliver cyclical maintenance, reactive maintenance, incident response, severe weather response and minor works in a region that has five strategically critical motorway interchange junctions, as well as being at the heart of the new HS2 network. Area 9 is a critical transport hub enabling customer journeys across the UK.

Colas Ltd are looking for an Area Planner to join the Area 9 team in Bescot, Walsall WS1 4NL. Reporting to the Lead Planner, you will have overall accountability in the development, monitoring, and reporting of multi discipline of localised area programmes in line with client service level agreement and internal commercial requirements. The Area Planner will support the design and implementation of commercial planning strategies and plan and manage the work and workforce of both internal and external operations, oversee the day-to-day functions of the routine and reactive maintenance works, ensuring productivity and utilization are maximized across all operational tams.

**Main Responsibilities**:
As an Area Planner you will communicate across multiple mediums with key stakeholders to ensure we actively promote road works and maximise collaboration. You will be accountable for ensuring the corporate procedures are complied with, job packs are relevant and properly prepared, programmes of work are clear and adequate, all relevant records are maintained. This role will heavily be involved with coordinating and delivering cyclical and reactive, electrical or technology maintenance within the Area 9 strategic network, in line with contractual targets outlined in the CPF. You will be responsible for the line management of planning staff for respective area and disciplines. You wukk be required to communicate regularly with Area Managers and all key stakeholders to maximise efficiencies and opportunities on the strategic network and ensure programmes contain correct information and are of sufficient detail to allow the project delivery teams to successfully complete works to achieve the project goals. A key part to this role as an Area Planner is to liaise with National Highways Roadspace booking team, to book and maximise network utilisation and to identify possible conflicts of interest and clashes on the strategic network and take corrective action as necessary. You will assist the Lead Planner in the proactive monitoring and maintenance of all programmes on a regular basis to ensure that the programme remains achievable and identify areas where corrective action may be required. You will liaise with traffic management teams to identify areas where traffic management would necessitate bespoke TM drawings and liaise with traffic management teams to produce designs fit for purpose. Preparing periodic reports, statistics, and answers to enquiries concerning the programmes will be required from you. You will be required to assist the National Highways Road Space Team, ROC, Contractors, Local Authorities and Police in the administration of works on the network to alleviate congestion due to road works. To communicate with external stakeholders necessary to complete delivery outcomes. Comply with all relevant HSEA compliance and legislative requirements. Actively promote Health and Safety in the workplace by setting a good example to others by ensuring compliance with the H&S responsibilities as out in the HSMS. All programmes will adhere to the Colas processes and procedures to ensure that a consistent quality approach is maintained by all member of the project team. You will be required to perform other duties from time to time as instructed by the Lead Planner.

**Package Description**:
Here at Colas, we offer a great total compensation package, including:

- A salary between £36,000 and £40,000 (dependent on experience) PLUS Company Car/Car allowance
- Our Colas Pension Scheme has combined contributions of up to 10%
- Life Assurance Scheme which is x4 basic salary
- 25 days annual leave per year + Public Holidays
- Holiday Purchase & Selling Scheme
- Hybri