PMO Planning Consultant

Job Description

Portfolio, Programme & Project Planning Consultant – Empowering projects in a complex world.

Are you ready to start a vital role in shaping our exciting Portfolios, Programmes and Projects? Join our talented team where everyone has a voice and together we face our clients' problems head‑on.

As a Consultant Programme and Project Planner in Secure Government, you will be part of our Delivery Optimisation Practice. In this role you will work with clients, suppliers and Atkins

Réalis teams to enable and achieve maximum benefits from digital transformation and innovative operations.

We provide consulting services across the entire project lifecycle across key sectors: aviation; defence; security; critical national infrastructure; and local and central government. We collaborate with colleagues in other parts of the Atkins

Réalis business worldwide.

Flexible and remote working is a central part of our culture. Talk to us about what works best for you – from reduced weeks to buying more leave over school holidays or returning from a career break. Join a genuinely collaborative environment where everyone's voice is valued and treated equally.

You will provide consultancy advice on planning and scheduling best practice, facilitate workshops, and build, analyse, and maintain schedules on behalf of the schedule owner. At the Programme level you will provide quality assurance across the delivery landscape in line with the chosen methodology and approved planning standards. At the Portfolio level you will ensure alignment of critical milestones to strategic objectives.

You will also provide training and coaching to the wider Project Management community where appropriate to help upskill colleagues.

• Advise and support clients and colleagues on planning best practice and delivery methodology.
• Create, review, maintain and administer Portfolio/Programme/Project schedules.
• Identify and maintain dependencies across the delivery environment – often interacting with Agile delivery at Project level.
• Input to and review of management products relevant to the schedules.
• Support the schedule update process.
• Conduct analysis and assurance activities.
• Lead/facilitate planning workshops and training sessions.
• Proactively identify and progress opportunities to add value to strategic and tactical decision making.
• Use an understanding of both ‘traditional’ and Agile projects to advise on the most appropriate planning practices.
• Support resource utilisation and planning analysis where appropriate.

• Planning and scheduling experience in transformation and/or engineering/infrastructure markets such as defence, security, government and critical national infrastructure is essential.
• A solid understanding of one or more project and programme management methodologies.
• Practical and formal experience of both waterfall and Agile planning principles and methods.
• Consultancy and communication skills to ensure clarity in all situations and to effectively influence and advise.
• A current understanding and working knowledge of the latest trends in planning practices, including one or more planning methodologies.
• Primavera (P6) and / or Microsoft Project and / or Jira to an advanced level (formal and/or comparable experience).
• An understanding of Agile delivery tools.
• An analytical thinker with creative and innovative problem‑solving skills.
• Experience or knowledge of concepts such as resourcing and resource levelling, progress measurement, earned value analysis, completion forecasting and status reporting.
• Demonstrable report writing and presentation skills.
• Ability to develop effective communication channels with key stakeholders.
• Work as part of a team, sharing ideas and aiming for planning excellence.
• Ability to deliver effective training and coaching sessions to aid adoption and maturity of planning practices.

Explore the rewards and benefits that help you thrive at every stage of your life and career. Enjoy competitive salaries, employee rewards and a range of benefits you can tailor to your own health, wellbeing, financial and lifestyle choices. Take advantage of our hybrid working culture and flexible…