Planning Manager

Location:

Flexible across the South East / London / Home Counties

Salary: £135k + bonus + car allowance + benefits

The Opportunity

A rare opportunity has arisen for an experienced Senior Planning Manager to join one of the UK's fastest-growing construction businesses and lead planning delivery across a portfolio of major data centre projects.

With annual turnover exceeding £1bn and a strong reputation for delivering complex projects across multiple sectors, the business combines the capability, financial strength and project pipeline of a major contractor with the agility and accessibility of a much smaller organisation.

This is not a business where decisions disappear into layers of management. You'll have direct access to senior leadership, genuine influence over project strategy, and the ability to make things happen without navigating unnecessary bureaucracy.

As the Data Centre division continues its expansion, you will play a key leadership role overseeing planning teams across multiple live and pre-construction schemes, helping shape project delivery from bid stage through to completion.

The Role

Reporting into the divisional leadership team, you will:

• Lead planning strategy across a portfolio of major data centre projects.
• Manage and mentor project planners and planning teams.
• Drive programme development, optimisation and reporting.
• Provide strategic planning support during pre-construction and tender stages.
• Challenge project teams to identify risks, opportunities and efficiencies.
• Work closely with operational, commercial and design teams to ensure successful project outcomes.
• Present programme information to senior stakeholders and clients.
• Establish planning best practice across the division.

About You

• Experience working for a principal contractor environment.
• Strong leadership and team management capabilities.
• Expertise in Primavera P6 and programme management.
• The ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Data centre, mission critical, life sciences, advanced manufacturing or similarly complex project experience would be advantageous.

Why Join?

This opportunity offers more than just project scale. You'll be joining a business that actively invests in its people and promotes from within. Career progression is based on capability and ambition rather than hierarchy, providing clear pathways into senior operational and divisional leadership positions.

The organisation has successfully maintained an entrepreneurial culture despite significant growth, creating an environment where individuals can genuinely influence outcomes, develop their careers and be recognised for their contribution.