Job Title: Principal Planner
Location: Warrington, Cheshire + Hybrid Working Arrangement
Compensation: Competitive Salary + Benefits
Role Type: Full time / Permanent
Role ID: SF
Drive Precision, Performance, and Progress
At Cavendish Nuclear we’re working to create a safe and secure world, together, and if you join us, you can play your part as a Principal Planner at our Warrington, Cheshire site.
The role
As a Principal Planner, you’ll have a role that’s out of the ordinary. You’ll be embedded within one of the UK’s most complex and high-value defence infrastructure programmes. Working on the PP&E project, you’ll be stepping in at a pivotal moment, where your expertise will help shape the long-term direction and success of the programme. As a visible leader, you’ll mentor fellow planners, promote consistency across planning outputs, and help define the strategic direction of the planning function. You’ll also have the opportunity to lead initiatives and drive improvements across a diverse and impactful portfolio.
Day-to-day, you’ll play a key role in influencing long-term outcomes across a major programme, with significant opportunities for leadership, innovation, and career progression.
1. Oversee planning governance across the PP&E programme
2. Provide leadership and coordination across Aurora and AFS sub-programmes
3. Support onboarding, mentoring, and development of planning professionals
4. Manage and develop a team of planners, working closely with Project Control Leads
5. Champion consistency and best practice across delivery teams
This is a full-time role (37 hours per week) with flexible and hybrid working arrangements, typically involving two days on-site at our Warrington (Cheshire) location and three days working remotely.
Essential experience of the Principal Planner:
6. Demonstrable leadership in a planning function within engineering or defence programmes
7. Strong understanding of planning governance, assurance and quality
8. Extensive experience using Primavera P6
Qualifications for the Principal Planner:
9. We value difference and don’t have a fixed idea when it comes to background or education, provided you can show the required level of experience and/or willingness to learn then we would like to hear from you
Security Clearance
The successful candidate must be able to achieve and maintain Standard (BPSS) security clearance for this role. Further details are available at
What we offer
10. Generous holiday allowance
11. Matched contribution pension scheme, with life assurance
12. Access to a Digital GP, annual health check, and nutritional consultations through Aviva DigiCare+
13. Employee share scheme
14. Employee shopping savings portal
15. Payment of Professional Fees
16. Reservists in the armed forces receive 10-days special paid leave
17. Holiday Trading is a benefit that allows UK Cavendish employees to buy additional leave or to sell up to one working week of annual leave from their annual entitlement. This Window opens February through to March annually.
18. ‘Be Kind Day’ enables employees to take one working day's paid leave a year (or equivalent hours) to undertake volunteering work with their chosen organisation or registered charity
19. Excellent development opportunities and benefits package including an employee assistance programme supporting physical, mental and financial wellbeing.
Cavendish Nuclear
As a leader within the UK nuclear industry, Cavendish Nuclear, part of