Overview
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Planning Coordinator (also known in the industry as Flow Control Coordinator) at Lanes Group. Location: Tonbridge Depot (Tonbridge, Kent). Job Type: permanent, full time. Hours: Monday to Friday, 37.5 hours. Salary: £28,000 to £30,000 — depending upon experience. Benefits: 24 days holiday (plus bank holidays); personal learning; workplace pension; parking; free access to wellbeing support; friendly working environment.
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About the Role
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We are recruiting for a Planning Coordinator to manage and plan jobs for our engineers as part of our Utility Division on the Southern Water contract. Planning is central to maintaining workflow accuracy and timely job completion, acting as a liaison between contractors, internal teams, and customers. The Flow Control Coordinator plays a vital role in daily job dispatch, communication and reporting to support operational excellence across Lanes Group service areas, ensuring the efficient coordination, processing, scheduling, and closure of jobs.
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Responsibilities
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* Job Management & Scheduling\
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o Assess the Big Change system daily for new job requests.
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o Allocate and dispatch jobs to the appropriate crews based on scope, location, and availability.
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o Schedule jobs (P1/2/2a/3), ensuring timely follow-up.
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o Liaise with internal contacts and third-parties to identify responsible units
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o Update contractor assignments in Big Change and notify external teams where applicable.
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o Plan jobs for crews daily and book appointments directly with customers via calls or texts.
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o Maintain clear and professional communication with customers to confirm appointment scheduling.
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o Coordinate with other units when joint efforts are needed to complete job activities within boundary areas.
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* Job Closure & Reporting\
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o Monitor the email inboxes for communication, inquiry and reports.
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o Close down jobs via Big Change.
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o Escalate unresolved job backlogs to relevant managers.
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o Raise follow-on works in Ellipse where further job actions are required.
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o Update job details in Big Change as needed based on new information or feedback.
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* Inbox & Communication Management\
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o Manage multiple shared inboxes, ensuring timely responses and clean inboxes daily.
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o Handle all customer and contractor enquiries promptly, flagging follow-ups as "awaiting response" where needed.
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* System & Spreadsheet Maintenance\
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o Update and maintain the Whereabout spreadsheet, closing jobs marked in green and deleting lines once jobs are completed.
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o Ensure all record-keeping across systems (e.g., Big Change, Waterworx, Whereabout spreadsheet) is current and accurate.
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o Update the whereabouts sheet to reflect operative locations and availability.
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* Team Collaboration & Support\
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o Liaise with other operatives to ensure job completion and resolve logistical challenges.
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o Collaborate with other business units and field teams for support and coordination on joint activities.
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o Report regularly to the Operations Manager with updates and progress on scheduling, job status, and support needs.
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o Be aware of all Lanes Group policies and your responsibilities towards them.
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o Any other reasonable ad-hoc tasks, duties and projects requested by management.
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What you’ll need
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What is essential is the ability to work safely to quickly diagnose and deliver practical and efficient solutions to attain the highest levels of customer satisfaction.
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* Be hard working and respectful
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* Comply with health and safety standards
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* Have great interpersonal skills to create relationships with the team, engineers, and wider Lanes Group network
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* Have good knowledge of Microsoft 365
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* Be proficient in job management platforms (e.g Big Change, Waterworx, Ellipse)
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* Have solid communication skills (both written and verbal) with professional telephone and email etiquette
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* Be resourceful and proactive
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* Multi-task, prioritise, work under pressure and on own initiative
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* Have the ability to deal with people at different levels
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About Lanes Group is dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered. We believe that our differences make us stronger and are committed to providing equal opportunities for all employees. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups. Join us in our commitment to creating a more inclusive and diverse world. Lanes Group are a signatory of the 'Charter for Employer Positive About Mental Health' run by Mindful Employer.
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Details
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* Seniority level: Entry level
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* Employment type: Other
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* Job function: Management and Manufacturing
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* Industries: Utilities
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