Planning Team Leader

Lanes Group is a leading nationwide utility services provider with c.5000 dedicated employees. Our diverse subsidiaries drive our success across various sectors, contributing to a remarkable turnover of over £700 million. We are committed to excellence and innovation, ensuring we provide industry leading services to our clients and stakeholders. Join us to be part of a dynamic and growing team that values diversity and fosters professional growth.

Sapphire Utility Solutions, a Lanes Group Company specialise in multiple divisions.
Yorkshire Water - WWSA provides essential wastewater services to millions of customers and businesses across Yorkshire. From managing sewerage networks to treating wastewater, protecting the environment, and maintaining reservoirs and catchments.

The Team play a vital role in supporting communities across the region and are committed to sustainability, innovation, and customer service, investing in infrastructure and environmental improvements to create a thriving Yorkshire for generations to come.

Working closely with the Planning Manager, you will lead and support a team of planners to ensure the right work reaches the right field team at the right time. You will balance customer needs, operational priorities and commercial targets, creating efficient schedules and helping the team deliver a consistently high-quality service.

Join Lanes Group, the UK’s leading provider of drainage and wastewater services, and help coordinate the people and resources that keep critical infrastructure and communities moving. Based in Bradford, you will lead a team of planners supporting one of our key clients, shape day-to-day service delivery and contribute to their AMP8 objectives. This is an opportunity to make a visible operational impact while developing your leadership career in a growing, safety-focused business.

• Location:
  
  Bradford, Yorkshire
• Hours:
  
  37.5 hours a week, Monday - Friday

• Lead, coach and develop the Planning team through regular one-to-ones, clear objectives and constructive feedback.
• Create efficient forward schedules, including planning work up to seven days ahead, to meet service, productivity and commercial targets.
• Monitor progress and non-completions throughout the day, adjusting plans and allocating top-up work to protect delivery targets.
• Promote a Right First Time approach across preventive, planned and reactive maintenance, meeting contractual SLAs while optimising routes and field productivity.
• Prioritise and coordinate workloads, assessing resource and duration requirements against agreed measures.
• Build strong working relationships with field operations, customers and key stakeholders to resolve issues quickly and improve service delivery.
• Track performance against KPIs, identify improvement opportunities and support the team with clear action plans.
• Improve scheduling data quality and maintain accurate, timely information in works management systems, escalating issues where required.
• Keep clients and managers informed during ongoing incidents or events, providing a professional and reassuring service.
• Maintain high standards in health, safety, environment, housekeeping, communication and continuous improvement.
• Contribute ideas, embrace change and lead ad hoc projects that strengthen planning and operational performance.

We are looking for a supportive, organised leader who enjoys solving problems, working with people and improving how services are delivered.

• Experience leading, coaching or supporting a planning, scheduling or operational team.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the confidence to make sound decisions in a time-sensitive…