Planning Manager

Planning Manager

Location: Wolverhampton

Salary: £55,000-£60,000

Employment type: Permanent

Company Description

Operating for over 45 years, this company provides complete Mechanical and Electrical services across all sectors of the construction industry including Industrial, Logistics, Food, Pharmaceutical, Data Centre, Mining, Healthcare, Commercial, Hotel & Leisure, High-End Residential, Public, and Energy.

From design stage to the installation and ongoing maintenance of facilities, the highly skilled workforce provides clients with an efficient, reliable, and best-in-class service.

A Deloitte Best Managed Company Award winner for eight years running, the company prides itself on being a full building services solutions provider and has successfully delivered multiple large-scale projects in Ireland, the UK & mainland Europe.

Job Description

The Planning Manager is responsible for the strategic and operational planning of complex construction projects, with a particular emphasis on Mechanical & Electrical (M&E) installations.

This individual will lead programme development, resource planning, progress tracking, and reporting across the full project lifecycle—from pre-construction to commissioning and close-out.

Main Duties & Responsibilities

• Develop, manage, and maintain detailed master construction programmes using Primavera P6, ASTA Powerproject, Microsoft Project, and other scheduling tools.
• Produce Level 1–4 programmes as required, in line with contract and client expectations.
• Accurately resource-load programmes and link to cost and procurement schedules.
• Incorporate subcontractor and supplier input into the overall programme.
• Track and update programmes regularly, measuring actual progress against baseline.
• Generate and interpret a full suite of planning outputs.
• Proactively identify schedule-related risks and develop time-based mitigation strategies.
• Maintain a live risk register for planning-related risks and provide inputs into broader project risk management efforts.
• Lead “what-if” and recovery scenario modelling.
• Support acceleration efforts by developing programme crash strategies without compromising safety or quality.
• Align programmes with commercial strategy and contractual requirements (e.g., NEC, FIDIC, JCT).
• Present planning information confidently and clearly to clients, senior leadership, and project stakeholders.
• Support pre-construction teams in the development of tender and bid-stage programmes.
• Lead and mentor junior planners and scheduling engineers across multiple projects.
• Help develop and standardise planning best practices and templates across the organisation.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in construction planning, with a successful track record in a senior planning role.
• Proficiency in Primavera P6, ASTA Powerproject, and Microsoft Project.
• Demonstrated experience of delivering fully resourced and logically linked programmes.
• Proven ability to produce and interpret outputs such as critical path analysis, float calculations, histograms, and earned value metrics.
• Experience across large-scale, multi-disciplinary construction projects, ideally with M&E focus.

Additional Information

Having an inclusive and flexible culture helps the business continue to grow as a strong, dynamic, and innovative organisation.

The company also offers:

• Competitive salary
• Professional development support
• Employee Assistance Program
• Health and Wellness programs