Senior Planner

About the role

John Sisk & Son is a family-owned construction business with international operations, focused on delivering excellence, trust, certainty, and value across its projects while continuing to innovate and influence the future of the industry.

The Senior Planner owns the planning and project controls activity across the business. The role sets the benchmark for planning standards and consistency across both pre-construction and delivery stages, helping ensure strong programme management, accurate progress tracking, effective risk control, and clear reporting to senior leaders and the Board.

Programme development and control

• Build detailed baseline contract schedules covering design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover, with clear logic links and a well-defined critical path.
• Create target construction programmes that identify opportunities to improve performance against the contract programme.
• Develop tender and subcontract procurement schedules that factor in design release timing and lead-in periods.
• Keep programme records accurate and up to date within a Common Data Environment.
• Prepare 4D visual models and/or 2D phasing plans to show construction sequence, logistics, and stage-by-stage delivery.
• Assess programme risks and opportunities, including mitigation actions and allowances for float and time risk.
• Work with project teams to shape construction methods that clearly demonstrate sequence and technique.
• Assist with preliminaries information, including staffing, logistics, and temporary works planning.
• Liaise with the supply chain to gather planning inputs such as design outputs, lead times, build durations, plant requirements, and labour resources.

Reporting, progress, and as-built information

• Create and maintain tracking schedules for subcontractor programme monitoring.
• Update as-built schedules and highlight where actual progress differs from the original baseline.
• Contribute to change submissions and explain the schedule impact to support approvals.
• Check progress using output rates and feed findings back into future tender planning.
• Review other planners’ programmes to maintain quality and consistency.
• Use 4D and 2D planning software to present live progress in a visual format.

Leadership and management

• Provide regular programme updates to Regional Planners and present schedule status at monthly contract reviews.
• Lead weekly and monthly programme reporting in partnership with project management teams.
• Supervise, coach, and develop assistant and graduate planners, including performance and development reviews.
• Ensure planning outputs from project and site teams are accurate and of a high standard.
• Benchmark programme durations using subcontractor input, historic project data, and consultation with delivery teams.
• Take ownership of planning and programme management duties during both pre-construction and live project phases.
• Support assessment of programme entitlement under contract conditions such as NEC and JCT.

Essential experience and skills

• Strong background in construction planning with a proven record of managing programmes on live projects.
• Advanced capability with planning software, preferably ASTA Powerproject, plus programme reporting tools.
• Good working knowledge of UK and EU contract frameworks, including NEC and JCT.
• Excellent IT ability and confidence working with planning data in a collaborative digital setting.
• Strong communication and people skills, with experience working alongside clients, contractors, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to manage, guide, and develop junior team members.
• Understanding of best practice in construction planning and programme management.

Desirable experience and skills

• Practical experience with Synchro and advanced 4D planning tools.
• Knowledge of BIM workflows and collaborative data environments.
• Experience creating or assessing 2D and 4D phasing models.
• Ability to carry out peer reviews and uphold programme quality across several projects.
• Evidence of ongoing professional development, such as participation in construction best-practice events.

Education and professional training

• Degree or diploma in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Project Management, or a similar discipline; equivalent professional experience may also be considered.
• Training or certification in planning and programme software such as ASTA Powerproject.

Desirable professional development

• Membership of, or progress toward membership in, a relevant professional body such as CIOB, ICE, or APM.
• Advanced ASTA Powerproject training, including progress analysis, S-curve reporting, and resource management.
• Training in contract management for NEC and JCT.
• Training in Synchro, BIM, and collaborative data environments.
• Training in people management and presentation skills.

Benefits

• Competitive salary
• 26 days of annual leave
• Pension and additional benefits
• Unlimited learning and development opportunities
• Additional company benefits

Recruitment and equal opportunities

The company manages vacancies directly through its internal recruitment team. Unsolicited approaches or speculative CVs from unapproved agencies will not be accepted, and no introductory fees will be paid.

The employer is committed to equal opportunities and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, disability, age, sexual orientation, religion, or other protected characteristics. Reasonable adjustments can be provided during recruitment.

Candidates are encouraged to apply even if they do not meet every requirement, as skills and potential are highly valued.

Recruitment materials are prepared in line with legal and regulatory requirements, including the EU Pay Transparency Directive and the Equality Acts in the UK and Ireland.