Project Planner

Overview

Expleo is seeking an experienced Project Planner / Project Controls Planner to support Expleo's Marine business unit. The successful candidate will provide planning, scheduling and project-controls expertise in support of a Naval Ship Programme, with responsibility for schedule development, baseline control, progress monitoring, critical-path analysis, earned-value reporting and programme reporting.

Working within a multi-disciplinary programme environment, the Project Planner / Project Controls Planner will support the Belfast Programme Management Office and contribute to the effective planning and control of current and upcoming programme activities.

The role is based in Belfast and will require attendance at the customer site in line with programme requirements. Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain the level of UK Security Clearance required for the assignment.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain and control integrated project schedules using Primavera P6, applying appropriate logic, dependencies, milestones, calendars and baselines.
• Use P6 to undertake schedule analysis, identify variance and support Critical Path Analysis.
• Develop detailed schedules and planning information within Safran.
• Maintain, update and control schedules, ensuring progress is collected accurately and incorporated in accordance with the agreed reporting cycle.
• Integrate relevant planning data extracted from SAP into the Safran planning environment, using the customer-approved process and controls.
• Analyse activity performance and produce weekly reporting of deviations against the programme global baseline.
• Undertake weekly Critical Path Analysis, identifying critical and near-critical activities, schedule drivers and emerging risks.
• Produce weekly planning and progress reports for Project Management and the customer.
• Prepare monthly Earned Value reports using the agreed programme baseline, progress and cost inputs.
• Work with project managers, work-package owners and other stakeholders to validate planning information, dependencies, milestones and progress.
• Maintain an auditable planning baseline and support schedule governance, change control and reporting assurance.
• Escalate schedule risks, data-quality issues and material variances through the agreed governance arrangements.

Qualifications

• Relevant professional qualification or demonstrable equivalent experience in project planning, scheduling or project controls.
• APM, PMI, Project Controls Institute or equivalent planning/project-controls qualification.

Essential skills

• Advanced-user proficiency in Primavera P6 is mandatory, with demonstrable experience of using P6 to develop, baseline, maintain, update and analyse complex project schedules.
• Strong practical capability in project planning, scheduling and schedule control.
• Baseline development and management, including schedule hierarchy, logic, dependencies, milestones, calendars and change control.
• Critical Path Analysis and the ability to identify schedule drivers, float erosion and emerging delivery risk.
• Progress collection, validation and incorporation into controlled schedules.
• Schedule variance analysis and clear reporting against an approved baseline.
• Earned Value Management and production of meaningful monthly performance reporting.
• Ability to work with SAP-derived planning information and reconcile data used within Safran.
• Clear written and verbal communication, with the ability to present planning information to project-management and customer stakeholders.
• Ability to work accurately with complex programme data and maintain an effective audit trail.
• Ideally candidates will be able to demonstrate one or more of the following:
• Understanding of integrated programme planning across multiple projects or work packages.
  • Competence in Safran for schedule maintenance, analysis and reporting.
  • Experience of schedule quality checks, recovery planning and scenario analysis.
  • Risk, cost-control, contract-administration or wider PMO capability.
  • Advanced reporting and data-analysis skills, including effective use of Microsoft Excel and Power BI.
  • Ability to support mobilisation and establish practical planning and reporting routines within a customer PMO.

Experience

• Delivering project planning or project-controls activities within a complex programme environment.
• Defence, maritime / shipbuilding programme experience.
• Building, baselining, maintaining and controlling detailed schedules.
• Using Safran to develop schedules and produce schedule-based analysis and reports.
• Producing Critical Path Analysis, variance reporting and progress updates.
• Producing or supporting Earned Value reporting using controlled programme data.
• Working with project managers, work-package owners and multi-disciplinary delivery teams.
• Programme Management Office delivery in a customer-facing environment.
• Integration or reconciliation of SAP-derived data with planning tools.
• Large or integrated programme schedules involving multiple stakeholders and dependencies.
• Experience of Schedule Risk Analysis (SRA), including the use of Monte Carlo simulation to assess schedule uncertainty, delivery confidence and the likelihood of achieving key programme milestones.

What do I need before I apply

• Candidates must be eligible to obtain and maintain the required level of UK Security Clearance.
• The assignment requires attendance at the customer site in Belfast in line with programme requirements, approximately 2 days a month.
• Candidates should be able to demonstrate practical P6 planning capability and experience across the core planning cycle, rather than experience limited to a single reporting activity.

Benefits

• Collaborative working environment – we stand shoulder to shoulder with our clients and our peers through good times and challenges  
• We empower all passionate technology loving professionals by allowing them to expand their skills and take part in inspiring projects   
• Expleo Academy - enables you to acquire and develop the right skills by delivering a suite of accredited training courses  
• Competitive company benefits
• Always working as one team, our people are not afraid to think big and challenge the status quo 

• As a Disability Confident Committed Employer we have committed to:
  • Ensure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible
  • Communicating and promoting vacancies
  • Offering an interview to disabled people who meet the minimum criteria for the job
  • Anticipating and providing reasonable adjustments as required
  • Supporting any existing employee who acquires a disability or long term health condition, enabling them to stay in work at least one activity that will make a difference for disabled people

“We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all suitably qualified persons regardless of their race, sex, disability, religion/belief, sexual orientation or age”. 

We treat everyone fairly and equitably across the organisation, including providing any additional support and adjustments needed for everyone to thrive