Senior Planner

The Opportunity

Wates Construction is seeking an experienced Senior Planner to join our London team, playing a pivotal role in the successful delivery of some of the capital's most complex and high-profile construction projects. This is an exciting opportunity for a planning professional with a strong track record across major new build, refurbishment and cut & carve schemes
, who thrives in a fast-paced environment and can influence project delivery from pre-construction through to completion. Working closely with operational, commercial and pre-construction teams, you will provide strategic planning expertise, develop robust programmes, drive programme certainty and support successful project outcomes across a diverse portfolio of projects ranging from £20m to £200m+.

As Senior Planner, you will be responsible for developing, managing and monitoring both tender and live construction programmes whilst supporting project teams in identifying opportunities, mitigating risks and enhancing delivery performance.

• Producing detailed tender and contract programmes using Primavera P6 and/or Asta Power project.
• Developing construction methodologies for complex new build and cut & carve projects.
• Working collaboratively with bid, design, commercial and operational teams during pre-construction.
• Establishing critical paths, programme logic, resource requirements and key project milestones.
• Monitoring progress against baseline programmes and producing regular updates and recovery plans where required.
• Identifying programme risks and opportunities, implementing mitigation strategies to maintain project objectives.
• Leading programme workshops and collaborating with project stakeholders to ensure planning assumptions are robust and aligned.
• Supporting project teams in the management of design, procurement, logistics and commissioning activities.
• Preparing delay analysis, programme narratives and progress reports for internal and external stakeholders.
• Providing strategic planning input on complex phased, occupied and constrained urban construction sites.
• Supporting the development and mentoring of Assistant and Project Planners across the business.
• Contributing to continuous improvement initiatives, planning best practice and innovation across the division.

We are looking for an accomplished construction planner who can demonstrate significant experience delivering challenging projects within a main contracting environment.

• Proven experience in a Senior Planner or Planner role with a recognised UK main contractor.
• Strong experience delivering large-scale new build projects across commercial, mixed-use, residential, life sciences, education, healthcare or public sector sectors.
• Extensive experience managing programmes for cut & carve, structural refurbishment and complex urban regeneration projects.
• Experience on projects typically valued between £20m and £200m+.
• Strong understanding of construction methodologies, sequencing and project controls.
• Experience supporting projects through both pre-construction and delivery phases.
• Ability to influence project teams and challenge programme assumptions constructively.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.

• Advanced proficiency in Primavera P6 and/or Asta Power project.
• Strong understanding of NEC and JCT forms of contract.
• Knowledge of critical path analysis, earned value techniques and programme risk management.
• Experience preparing programme narratives, resource-loaded programmes and delay analysis.
• Strong Microsoft Office capabilities, particularly Excel.