Planning Assistant

**Planning Assistant**
**042161**

**Organisation**
- Head of PMO

**Job**
- Project Management

**Position Type**
- Full Time

**Position Type**: Full Time

**Contract Type**: Permanent

**Grade**: PB2

**Salary**:Circa £36,000 dependent upon experience plus excellent benefits

**Location**: TfL Offices London with a mixture of hybrid working

An exciting opportunity has arisen to recruit Planning Assistants within Transport for London. Applications encouraged from those looking to develop their career in Project Planning. On the job training and mentoring will be provided.

TfL is responsible for some of the highest profile, most complex and diverse infrastructure work in the UK. Our projects keep a world city moving for 8.6 million people and we do this through our teams of talented people.

TfL delivers critical portfolios of projects to make journeys better for our customers. Our projects vary from enhancing our stations, trains, tracks and roads to multi £billion programmes to invest in our infrastructure and the technology that supports it.

Our core values of delivering safely, sustainably, reliably and affordably are at the heart of every project. People are the key to our success and by making sure we share knowledge, skills and expertise across our programmes we enhance both your career and how we deliver for London.

We are now looking for talented Planning Assistants to join us to work on a wide variety of exciting and high-profile projects and programmes. You will assist with the day-to-day management of external contractors/suppliers and support the implementation of projects. This includes management of TfL obligations, contractors, Private Finance Initiative (PFI) suppliers, or other third-party partners, to ensure delivery of projects on behalf of TfL, meeting the needs of our customers.

TfL is an inclusive and flexible organisation, committed to developing you. We are looking for both experienced Planning Assistants and people with potential and the ability to demonstrate a passion for planning management.

Applications welcomed from any of: planners in rail and other sectors; project managers, project controls professionals (any discipline), engineers, construction managers, contract administrators, people working in rail / construction sector looking for career change; apprentices and graduates from engineering or project management disciplines. Full time roles available and part time roles will be considered.

**Overview of project/role**

Your role will be to support the Planning Manager and assist Project Managers or Project / Programme staff in the production of, and reporting against, budget loaded work programmes/schedules in the relevant format, for the purpose of co-ordinating works with Contractors and other third parties. You will also support the creation and updating of programme data in compliance with the PMO centralised requirements. You will support in the analysis of and assist with the interpretation of TfL reports.

**Key Accountabilities**
- Assist with the creation and updating of Project programmes.
- Assist with the analysis of project budget and cost.
- Support the communication and demonstration of project planning best practice.
- Supporting the timely submission of programme update information, providing guidance to those submitting data.
- Communicate and demonstrate the importance of the required input data, coding structures and output reports.
- Support training and orientation sessions for project team(s).
- Assist project team(s) with the interpretation of periodic reports.
- Support consultation regarding common issues within TfL for the purpose of resolving a common solution for all parties.
- Support the creation of Project programme reports for ad-hoc data queries.
- Contribute to driving and leading a positive safety culture within TfL projects and ensuring their team is invested in managing and improving HSE performance.
- Contribute to equality of opportunity, social inclusion, fair employment and environmental sustainability, creating open, inclusive and engaging environment within TfL and across stakeholders, customers and supply chain.

**Knowledge**

Required Knowledge
- Knowledge of project and programme methodology and techniques including awareness of Critical Path Method (CPM) planning techniques.
- Awareness of safety issues in an operational environment.

Desirable knowledge:

- Awareness of the planning, design and construction activities undertaken during at least one area of TfL projects. Namely track, signalling, stations, civils or surface projects.
- Knowledge of and understanding of capital projects and programmes with an emphasis on Planning and how this supports and integrates with a wider high functioning environment.
- Knowledge of relevant project planning software.
- Awareness of Earned Value Management methodology.

**Skills**

**Required Skills**:

- Good influencing skills to manage and embed Planning methodology and p