Job description for Planning and Scheduling Manager

Are you a Planning and Scheduling Manager with a desire to work on some of the largest and technically advanced defence programmes in world today? If so, we have exciting opportunities for you to join our Schedule Management Group (SMG) in Bristol.

As Planning and Scheduling Manager, you will form part of a multi-disciplinary team responsible for delivering valuable projects and services to scope, on budget, on time and aligned with organisational vision. You will undertake, manage, and coach planning and scheduling activities, supervising a small team of junior planners and schedulers to ensure key deliverables are met across a range of business contexts. Due to the nature of this work, working with stakeholders is critical to success. Therefore, you will be required to uphold strong relationships and provide subject matter expertise to SDA teams, our contractors, and the wider nuclear enterprise.

In the SDA, continuous professional development is actively encouraged. You will have access to defined upskilling policies, training, and support to prosper.

At the SDA, we champion flexible ways of working. Regular in-person attendance is required (this is expected to be a minimum of 60% of your working week) to promote the benefits of face-to-face collaboration alongside flexibility of hours to support work-life balance and business need. Initially, you may be expected to attend more frequently to familiarise yourselves with the site, the team, and your role.

What you’ll be doing

• Provide and influence leadership, supervision, and direction to support junior planners and schedulers; setting and assuring SDA standards are complied with including supplier integration or integration of dependencies with other OBIs or Stakeholder schedules
• Lead planning / scheduling effort for new baselines, ensuring they are maintained under change control; running workshops, co-ordinating and managing efforts of others, supporting the development of scheduling standards and procedures, including the delivery of training
• Interrogate supplier data to understand status and forecast for remaining work and provide analysis and insight to support the assessment of the supplier’s performance. You will be expected to conduct analysis of the suppliers’ schedules and scheduling processes to enable the integration of appropriate activities into the SDA baseline
• Conduct schedule risk analysis, schedule health checks and audits across the Portfolio to ensure maturity and standards are maintained to SDA policy
• Provide monthly reporting and analysis and communicate key project schedule performance data to key member of the project, programme, and DE&S leadership

Person specification

To be successful with your application, you’ll need to show that you meet the following essential criteria:

• Competent with extensive experience in a similar role that includes project schedule development and maintenance on complex projects across different CADMID phases
• Willingness to undertake APM PQ qualification

In addition to the responsibilities above, the following technical competences and behaviours will be assessed at interview:

• Controlling a Project – Practitioner
• Planning and Scheduling – Practitioner
• Leadership
• Delivering at Pace

Benefits

Alongside your salary of £44,500, Ministry of Defence contributes £12,015 towards you being a member of the Civil Service Defined Benefit Pension scheme. Find out what benefits a Civil Service Pension provides.

• 25 days’ annual leave +1 day a year up to 30 days, 8 bank holidays and a day off for the King’s birthday
• Flexible and hybrid working options
• Market-leading average employer pension contribution of 27%
• Annual performance-based bonus and recognition awards
• Access to specialist training and funded qualifications
• Support for progression
• Huge range of discounts
• Volunteering days
• Enhanced parental leave schemes

Improving innovation and enriching our culture, diversity of thought is vital to our success. So whether you’re looking for a new opportunity, a next step, or a helping hand as you return from a career break, bring your experiences and help deliver for the defence of tomorrow. Here you’ll find a supportive, family-friendly organisation to be a part of – and if you need any assistance with your application, just let us know.

Further Information

• Candidate Information Pack: https://bit.ly/SDA-Candidate-Information-Pack
• Terms and Conditions: https://bit.ly/DES-SDA-Terms-and-Conditions

Selection process details

Your application will go through the following stages of assessment:

1. Pre-sift – We will check that you meet any essential or eligibility criteria that are listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. On your CV, please clearly show how you meet the essential criteria.
2. Sift – Your CV will be assessed against the following categories, using a simple numerical scoring system: Key Achievements; Relevant Experience; Applied Knowledge and Skills

Please follow our guidance on CV writing for best chance of success.

1. Interview – If you’re invited to interview, you’ll be assessed against the Sift categories listed above, as well as the Technical Competences and Behaviours listed in the Person Specification section of this advert. When two (or more) candidates are on equal interview scores, positions will be offered based on the scores assessed at interview, in this order – 1st) Technical competence, 2nd) CV Review, 3rd) Behaviour one, 4th) Behaviour two.

Feedback will only be provided if you attend an interview or assessment.