Project Planner

Company Description

By 2050, the planet could be using twice as much electricity compared to today. Are you interested in contributing and helping to shape the future of the world’s energy? If so, read on.

Fusion, the process that powers the Sun and Stars, is one of the most promising options for generating the cleaner, carbon-free energy that our world badly needs.

UKAEA leads the way in realizing fusion energy, partnering with industry and research for ground-breaking advancements. Our goal is to bring fusion electricity to the grid, supported by tomorrow’s power stations. In pursuit of our mission, UKAEA embraces core values: Innovative, Committed, Trusted, and Collaborative.

As an employee of UKAEA you will benefit from:

• Outstanding defined benefit pension scheme, details of which can be found at the end of this advert.
• Corporate bonus scheme up to 7% and a Relocation allowance (if eligible).
• Flexible working options including family friendly policies and the right to request flexible working from the start of your employment. 
• Employee Assistance Programme and trained Mental Health First Aiders.
• Generous annual leave allowance starting with 25 days, plus 3 days Christmas closure and 2.5 privilege days, in addition to UK bank holidays.
• Wide range of career development opportunities.
• A vibrant culture committed to equality and being fully inclusive.

Job Description

The salary for this role is £54,376 (inclusive of a Market Premium Payment (MPP). Onsite working is expected for 3 days each week, however, we actively support requests for flexible working. 

This role is to be based at the following site; Culham, Oxfordshire.

This role requires employees to complete an online Baseline Personnel Security Standard (BPSS), including The Disclosure & Barring Service (DBS) checks for criminal convictions and possibly a search of open source data.

The Role

Are you looking for an exciting opportunity to make a difference? Join our team and contribute to the future of fusion energy. As Project Planner, you will play a pivotal role in working with stakeholders to ensure all aspects of the project are defined, planned and managed. You will provide clarity on key milestones to define what, when, and how activities will be organised to ensure the outcomes of a project can be achieved with the resources available. You will lead on all aspects of project planning, which will include the development, updating, and monitoring of schedules. In addition, you will also identify tasks, activities, interdependencies, and outputs for the project and work with the project team to track and monitor progress against the plan throughout the lifecycle of the project. Working at this level, you will lead planning of medium and high complexity projects within a programme.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide specialist advice and support to ensure successful delivery of projects.
• Provide guidance and advice to the Project Manager during project initiation on selection of planning approach, tools, processes and proportionality.
• Lead planning activities with project teams to produce robust resource loaded schedules over the full project lifecycle, using Primavera P6 showing a clear critical path.
• Work with the project manager to deliver the business case benefits and objectives. Develop clear vision and standards, championing the use of best practice project planning standards, tools and processes.
• Analyse performance data, looking at trends to identify areas for improvement and collaboration, and selecting appropriate methods and tools to resolve them.
• Ensure that stakeholder responsibilities and needs are understood and addressed in reporting arrangements.
• Apply advanced knowledge in the discipline of planning for the analysis and successful resolution of risks and issues and identification of opportunities.
• Management and analysis of resource within P6 to identify future capacity and capability needs of the project planning function, and put in place strategies to meet them.
• Build and maintain internal and external networks to access technical and professional best practice.
• As a member of the PM Working Group, working with other planners in the FT division to contribute to the continual improvement of schedule management approach.
• Coach and mentor junior members of the planning team. Recruiting and line managing contractors, framework suppliers and UKAEA internal staff.

Qualifications

Qualifications

Essential:

• Demonstrable capability to plan using Primavera P6 to an advanced leve
• Experience of leading planning for progressively larger and more complex projects.
• In-depth experience in the implementation and thorough execution of project management processes and project planning in the context of large and complex projects.
• Approachable person with excellent inter-personal skills able to interact with a range of people across the project.
• Ability to lead people at all levels of the project to build effective project plans, WBS structures and critical paths.
• In-depth understanding of project planning and associated controls
• Highly experienced in the use of Primavera P6 Project Planning software
• Qualification in Project Management or Controls such as APM-PMQ, APMG, PRINCE2 or equivalent
• Degree in physical sciences, economics, business studies, project management or other relevant subject or equivalent qualification/experience.

Desirable:

• Experience in use of MS Project or other planning software
• Membership of APM or related organisation

Additional Information

A full list of our benefits can be found here https://careers.ukaea.uk/life-at-ukaea/employee-benefits/. 

We welcome talented people from all backgrounds who want to help us achieve our mission. We encourage applications from under-represented groups, particularly from women in STEM, people from Black British Caribbean and African, Pakistani and Bangladeshi British, and other ethnic minority backgrounds, people with disabilities, and neurotypical individuals. Our Executive team, supported by our ‘Head of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion’ (EDI) and Wellbeing and our EDI Networks actively promote Inclusion and takes steps to increase diversity within our organisation. We reinforce best practices in recruitment and selection and evaluate approaches to remove barriers to success.

Please note that vacancies are generally advertised for 4 weeks but may close earlier if we receive a large number of applications. 

For applicants applying from outside the United Kingdom or those who have spent time outside the UK in the last five years, please visit the following link for information on criminal records checks: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/criminal-records-checks-for-overseas-applicants If your country of residence or previous residence is not listed on the website or if the UK Government does not have information on obtaining a criminal records check from that state, we regret to inform you that we cannot process your application. 

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