Lead Planner

**About the role**:
**We are looking for Lead Planners to join our Customer Connections team based in our North region (North Wales, North West, North East, Yorkshire and Humber), Central region (Midlands and East Anglia) and South region (South Wales and Bristol, Oxfordshire, London, Kent). These roles require a hybrid working approach with a mix of home, site and office working.**

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in the UK’s transition to clean energy within our Customer Connections (CC) team as a Lead Planner, where you will provide development, tendering and construction planning expertise for our Construction Projects. You will be identifying and implementing continuous improvement process improvements on all planning related activities and ensuring that there is a consistent approach to enable data capture and performance reporting.

Our customers include everyone who uses electricity in England and Wales. Acting on behalf of these people, you’ll help ensure that we deliver our projects in the most commercially effective way.

The role could provide the right person with a fantastic stepping stone into management. You’ll enjoy great variety and the chance to work on some of the biggest, most exciting projects in green energy, being the link between management and more junior planners and you may also be responsible for the line management of a small team.

You’ll be welcomed into our diverse, inclusive organisation that has recently won an Institution of Engineering and Technology silver award for our Diversity, Equity and Inclusion programme. If this sounds like something you’d like to be part of, we look forward to talking to you very soon.

**What you'll be doing**:
This is not a project specific role, and you’ll be working with the Planning Manager to assist in the development and continuous improvement of robust Project Controls Functions.

You’ll ensure junior team members comply with contractual obligations to support the Project Manager in the acceptance or rejection of revised programme submissions, and to assist in procurement events and the programme assessment of tenders.

You’ll coordinate with the team to develop and manage project plans / programmes with key deliverables through all phases of the project (end to end), including, for example, the integrated programme(s), the critical paths, the National Grid programmes and the analysis and acceptance of the Contractor programmes to ensure all are accurate, realistic and practicable.

You’ll provide monthly contractor programme analysis and feedback to Project Managers and have the ability to lead all aspects of contractual management for programme related events. You’ll play a key role in ensuring project teams are compliant with National Grid governance processes, and ensure compliance with cost loading of programmes in line with the latest National Grid procedure and WBS structure, and to the appropriate level of cost and progress (for example, earned value) capture to enable unit cost reporting.

**What you'll need**:
Methodical and process driven, you are good at gathering data and information to accurately assess an issue or event. You have an advanced knowledge of NEC contracts, project and programme management, project controls and how these are applied, with demonstrable planning experience in construction or an engineering-based project environment through the tender, design and implementation phases.

You can deal positively with people at all levels of business, including management, succinctly presenting facts and providing advice. You can mentor others and develop their skills to build the overall capability of a team and are confident in making independent decisions using your own skill and judgement, and willing to challenge the decisions made by others.

We’d like you to already hold or be working towards attaining qualifications or membership of a professional organisation or institution such as APM or IET etc and be proficient in the use of National Grids chosen planning tool Primavera P6. Ideally you have experience on infrastructure projects, but this isn’t essential. You might have a contractor or consultant background, for example.

You also have a driving licence that permits you to drive in the UK. There is an expectation that you’ll be able to travel to site as and when required, but as part of our hybrid working model you’ll also have the flexibility to work from home, a National Grid office, or site.

**What you'll get**:
**Starting salary of £56,000 - £71,000 dependent on experience - plus an additional Market Supplement of £3,000**
- Salary, Market Supplement and Annual Performance Based Bonus.
- 26 days annual leave plus eight statutory days.
- A Job requirement Company Car.
- The option to buy additional or sell holiday days.
- Generous contributory pension scheme - we will double-match your contribution to a maximum company contribution of 12%.
- Financial