Lead Estimator and Senior Planner

We’re hiring: a Senior Planner and a Lead Estimator

We’re growing our Project Controls capability and are looking for two talented professionals to join our team: a Senior Planner and a Lead Estimator
. If you’re passionate about delivering high‑quality project outcomes and want to play a key role in shaping how we plan, forecast, and deliver, we’d love to hear from you.

Location: NWS Offices (Cumbria, Warrington or Harwell)

Contract Type: Permanent

What You’ll Do:

• Own the integrated programme schedule — develop, maintain and baseline the fully resource‑ and cost‑loaded master schedule, integrating all project plans with consistent logic, coding and dependencies.
• Manage dependencies and governance — identify and control internal/external interfaces, milestones and constraints, ensuring schedule change, actuals and forecasts follow NWS governance.
• Provide expert planning leadership — act as SME for Primavera P6 and programme planning, assuring planning standards, data structures, quality and alignment with NDA IPC, IPA and APM best practice.
• Deliver high‑quality analysis and insight — produce robust schedules, critical path and scenario analysis, and clear planning insight for governance, regulators, government and performance reporting.
• Lead and develop the planning team — line manage planners, oversee outputs, mentor capability, and ensure consistent, high‑quality planning products across the programme.

Extensive planning leadership — significant experience leading planning and scheduling on large, complex or regulated programmes, with strong dependency and critical‑path management capability.

Advanced Primavera expertise — deep practical knowledge of P6 (PPM & EPPM), including administration, Deltek Fuse 360 and DCMA 14‑point schedule assessment.

Integrated programme controls — proven ability to build and manage integrated programme schedules across multiple projects, with strong understanding of cost, risk, change and performance reporting.

Strong communication & reporting — able to present complex schedule insights clearly to senior stakeholders, including metrics such as critical path, float erosion and earned value.

Team leadership & professional development — experience line managing planners and developing capability, supported by relevant project/programme management qualifications (e.g., PMQ, MSP, PRINCE2).

Location: NWS Offices (Cumbria, Warrington or Harwell)

Contract Type: Permanent

Location: NWS Offices (Cumbria, Warrington or Harwell)

Contract Type: Permanent

What You’ll Do:

• Provide estimating leadership — represent NWS as the Estimating Lead, role‑model company values, support the estimating community, and champion an inclusive culture.
• Lead and develop the function — manage and grow the Estimating & Cost Modelling team, oversee performance and capability development, and act as design authority for estimating training.
• Own estimating processes — develop, implement, and continuously improve estimating methodologies, governance, tools, and frameworks aligned with best practice and regulatory expectations.
• Deliver high‑quality estimates — produce transparent, auditable baseline and scenario estimates across GDF & NWS projects, supporting business cases, risk analysis, and decision‑making.
• Integrate and assure cost intelligence — integrate estimating with planning, risk, and change control; lead assurance, validation, and bid evaluation; and ensure value for money through strong commercial challenge.

• Major programme experience — proven background delivering cost estimating within large, complex projects or programme‑level project controls environments.
• Professional competence — professionally qualified or equivalent experience, with membership or progression toward bodies such as ACostE or APM.
• Advanced analytical capability — skilled in analysing complex cost models, challenging assumptions, and identifying key cost drivers, risks, and opportunities.
• Strong communication & collaboration — able to interpret complex data and communicate insights effectively while building strong relationships across multidisciplinary teams.
• Technical estimating expertise — advanced proficiency in estimating software, cost methodologies, and integration with scheduling, risk, and change management, including strong Microsoft Office skills.

You’ll be part of a collaborative, forward‑thinking team working on complex and meaningful projects. We offer opportunities to innovate, influence, and develop your career in a supportive environment. We also offer a competitive benefits package.