Senior Project Planner

Role: Senior Project Planner – Civil Engineering & Infrastructure
Location: Suffolk, East of England
Job Type: Contract Freelance Opportunity
Working Arrangements: 2–3 days per week site-based in the Suffolk area; 2-3 days remote
Start Date: Immediate or short notice preferred
The Opportunity:
We are recruiting an experienced Senior Project Planner to support a major UK infrastructure project for an established civil engineering contractor.
This is a hands-on planning role requiring someone with a strong civil engineering background, excellent commercial awareness and a thorough understanding of NEC contracts.
The successful candidate will be responsible for managing and interrogating complex construction programmes, assessing the impact of compensation events and early warnings, and ensuring that programme changes, key dates and available float are managed effectively.
Key Responsibilities:
* Develop, maintain and manage detailed construction programmes, ensuring they accurately reflect site progress, construction sequencing and project requirements.
* Undertake forensic planning and delay analysis, identifying critical-path impacts, programme risks and potential recovery measures.
* Assess NEC compensation events and early warnings, identifying their impact on planned completion, contractual key dates and programme activities.
* Manage programme float, logic, dependencies and critical-path activities to maintain accurate and commercially robust programmes.
* Work closely with Project Managers, Commercial Managers and site teams to assess programme changes and support contractual submissions.
* Analyse the time and programme implications of variations, delays and changes to the scope of works.
* Review construction methodologies and sequencing across civil engineering and infrastructure activities.
* Prepare clear, evidence-based planning reports to support commercial discussions and project decision-making.
Essential Requirements:
* Proven experience as a Senior Project Planner, Project Planner or Planning Engineer on major civil engineering or infrastructure projects.
* Strong practical understanding of civil engineering construction methodologies and sequencing.
* Demonstrable experience working with NEC3 or NEC4 contracts, including compensation events and early warnings.
* Commercially astute, with the ability to understand and assess the contractual and programme implications of changes and delays.
* Experience managing contractual key dates, critical-path activities and programme float.
* Strong forensic planning, delay analysis and programme management capabilities.
* Ability to work independently, challenge programme assumptions and engage confidently with construction and commercial teams.
* Availability to attend the project site 2–3 days per week in the Suffolk area.
Desirable Experience:
* Experience planning Horizontal Directional Drilling (HDD) works.
* Experience across utilities, drainage, cabling or major infrastructure construction.
* Primavera P6 experience.
* Experience preparing or supporting NEC compensation event assessments, extensions of time and contractual delay submissions.
* Previous experience on complex energy or power infrastructure projects.
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Only candidates based in UK and eligible to work in UK are allowed