Lanes Group is a leading nationwide utility services provider with over 4,000 dedicated employees. Our diverse subsidiaries drive our success across various sectors, contributing to a remarkable turnover of over £500 million. We are committed to excellence and innovation, ensuring we provide industry leading services to our clients and stakeholders. Join us to be part of a dynamic and growing team that values diversity and fosters professional growth.
Working within Lanes Group you will be working within our Sapphire Utility Solutions division, operating on the Yorkshire Water Wastewater Service Agreement (WwSA) Contract.
The Planning Manager plays a pivotal role in ensuring the effective coordination and delivery of operational planning within the Yorkshire Water Wastewater Service Agreement (WwSA). Reporting to the Head of Customer & Planning, this role leads the Planning Team Leaders and the wider Planning & Scheduling team to ensure resources are optimally allocated, programmes are efficiently scheduled, and service delivery aligns with performance targets and customer expectations. The Planning Manager is instrumental in driving right-first-time execution, minimising disruption, and supporting continuous improvement across planning operations.
Working Hours & Location
* Salary: From £
* Shift pattern: Mon - Fri (8am - 5pm)
* Location: Bradford
* Holidays: 24 days holiday + Bank holidays
Key Responsibilities
Planning Leadership & Strategy
* Lead the Planning function to ensure strategic alignment with operational and customer service goals.
* Support to embed customer priorities and messaging within all operational planning and service delivery activities.
* Translate Yorkshire Water's priorities into effective planning and scheduling strategies.
* Collaborate with the Head of Customer & Planning to ensure planning supports customer messaging and regulatory compliance.
Operational Planning & Coordination
* Oversee daily, weekly, and long-term planning activities to support efficient work execution.
* Ensure resource allocation and scheduling are optimised for performance and customer impact.
* Work closely with operational teams to ensure plans are realistic, achievable, and aligned with delivery targets.
* Monitor planning performance and adjust strategies to improve right-first-time delivery.
* Track and monitor SLA performance daily, weekly and monthly, ensuring that targets are met and where required, apply mitigation and complete root cause analysis for any missed targets.
Team Leadership & Development
* Lead and develop a team of planners and coordinators, fostering a high-performance culture
* Manage and maintain the Planning Team Rota
* Support the Planning Team Leaders in managing day-to-day team operations, maintaining consistent resource levels across each operational workstream and promote flexibility within the planning team to support periods of high volume and peak demand.
* Work with the Planning Team Leaders in producing performance reports down to an operational planner level, ensuring that appropriate monitoring, support and coaching is in place across the team.
* Implement training and development plans to build team capability and succession.
* Promote a culture of continuous improvement in safety and compliance across the planning team.
Planning & Operational Coordination
* Ensure the Planning function effectively supports operational delivery by aligning resource allocation, scheduling, and priorities with performance objectives.
* Oversee the Planning Manager and team to drive efficiencies in scheduling, programme management, and work execution.
* Ensure effective coordination between customer engagement and operational planning to minimise disruption and maximise right-first-time delivery.
* Identify and address barriers to efficient planning and work allocation, ensuring seamless collaboration between Planning, Customer, and Operational teams.
Compliance & Risk Management
* Ensure planning activities comply with health, safety, environmental, and quality standards.
* Identify and mitigate risks related to scheduling, resource conflicts, and external dependencies.
* Support incident investigations and corrective actions related to planning failures.
Stakeholder & Client Engagement
* Act as a key point of contact for planning-related queries and coordination.
* Maintain strong relationships with internal departments and external stakeholders.
* Communicate planning insights and performance data to the Head of Customer & Planning and other senior leaders.
* Performance Monitoring & Reporting
* Develop and maintain planning KPIs and reporting dashboards.
o Analyse trends and performance data to identify improvement opportunities.
o Provide regular updates to leadership on planning effectiveness and challenges.
Experience required for the Role
* Proven experience in planning, scheduling, or operations management within utilities or infrastructure sectors.
* Strong leadership and team management skills.
* Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement abilities.
* Proficiency in planning tools and systems.
* Confidence in producing and presenting dashboards and performance outputs
* Confident / Proficient in Microsoft Office software such as MS Word, Excel and PowerPoint
* experience working on Yorkshire Water contracts or other UK water utility frameworks (desirable)
Strictly no agencies please