Principal Project Planner

You will be part of the North West & Central Region (NW&C) which consist of three routes – North West, Central and West Coast South – and a regional team supporting Regional Major Programmes & Professional services.Brief Description To lead the planning function within project team, in delivering a £1.5b project. The project is to upgrade and enhance the railway infrastructure to support additional train services into central Birmingham from and to key cities and transport hubs within the East and West Midlands and the South. Responsible for checking the quality and consistency of all planning and associated reporting. To review and confirm that all involved parties are aware of there respective accountabilities and responsibilities and provide support and guidance to all the key stakeholders, as appropriate, in line with the production and management of the quality project delivery plans/schedules.About the role (External) 1. Responsible for developing and maintaining industry wide integrated programme, liaise regularly with all stakeholders to ensure various systems are effectively integrated. This involves coordinating among different disciplines and stakeholders to align objectives and processes. 2. Identify potential risks early in the programme development phase and develop strategies to mitigate them, by taking into consideration the complexities of the rail infrastructure and the implication of changes. 3. Develop, maintain, and progress quality project plans / schedules in line with the functional processes and project requirements. 4. Interrogate Contractor’s schedule independently and provide detailed report and recommendation on areas of improvement and the ability to assign the correct service level points (Incentivised KPI) to a contractor schedule based on their performance. 5. Support Tender exercise for large and medium size projects. 6. Maintain key interdependencies between projects and programmes confirming appropriate monitoring and action is undertaken as required in a timely manner. 7. Demonstrate through agreed performance indicators the efficiency and effectiveness of the project plans / schedules developed. 8. Provide updates on project status, highlighting any potential delays or issues that could impact the schedule. 9. Validate plans / schedules inline with the agreed functional Quality Management Plan for completeness and fitness for purpose. 10. Provide the key point of interface between the planning function and the project teams and interface between the other project support functions such as Risk & Value, Cost Management etc. 11. Oversee and confirm that the ‘contractor schedules’ comply with the Network Rail procedural and quality requirements. 12. Take a lead in facilitating lesson learnt session, collaborative planning meetings with the supply chain and deep dive reviews. 13. Provide technical expertise in the knowledge briefing of Planning processes and Business change. 14. Take the lead in documenting Planning processes and facilitating briefing sessions to educate Project teams 15. Support the continued personal and professional development of the planning resources within the project or programme.

· Membership of a relevant professional body and/or have a CPD established to attain membership. · Relevant successful experience in the management, planning and delivery of major construction/engineering projects. · Relevant successful experience of proprietary software planning including P6 Primavera and schedule integrity check tools · Previous knowledge and expertise within the field of project resource management · Good communication skills at all levels and a team player. · Good information technology user skills. We would also like but it isn’t crucial to have/to be: · Experience in planning and delivery of project under NEC4 contract framework · Knowledge of/experience in Network Rail’s processes and systems. · Knowledge of/experience in the UK rail industry. · Educated to “A” level standard in a mathematics or information technology-related topic.

Are you ready to make a difference in people's lives? At Network Rail, we connect passengers and freight customers, ensuring safe and efficient transportation across the country. We're an organisation where people truly matter, and when you join us, you matter to us and millions of others. Click here to watch our inspiring video to learn more about us! We're dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive organisation that reflects the passengers we serve. To achieve this, we're committed to becoming an open, diverse, and inclusive workplace, leveraging the skills and expertise of our talented workforce. Network Rail has been recognised as one of the Times Top 50 Employers for Gender Equity for the fourth consecutive year! You can find out more about this here: The Times Top 50 Listmakers 2024 - Business in the Community (bitc.org.uk) Together, we strive to create a safe and accessible railway for everyone. Discover more about the importance of Diversity and Inclusion at Network Rail by clicking here. Investing in our people is key to enhancing the safety, reliability, and efficiency of our railway system. If you're passionate about making a meaningful impact, then this opportunity is for you! About our people and the recruitment process - We're an inclusive employer of choice and we welcome applications from everyone! We encourage our colleagues to work flexibly, as we know traditional working patterns don't always fit. If you want to consider working flexibly, just let us know and we'll do our best to help and invest in your career with us, whilst you have a healthy work life balance.

• Access to a range of contributory pension schemes, and the potential to top up your competitive salary with a bonus
• A subsidy of up to 75% on rail and underground season tickets if you travel to work on the train
• Privileged staff travel – Leisure travel discount of 75%
• We can offer you a season ticket loan, annual season tickets are discounted.
• A 35-hour-per-week contract with flexible working options available to help support your work-life balance
• Hybrid working (2/3 days a week in the office/on site) and enhanced family-friendly support
• Take advantage of healthcare offers (including discounted healthcare club membership), discounted cycle hire, and online shopping sites
• 5 days of paid volunteering leave
• 2 weeks paid reserve leave for the Armed Forces community