Key Responsibilities
* Develop and manage high-quality, fully integrated master schedules for large-scale, multi-disciplinary projects using Microsoft Project Professional.
* Identify, articulate, and maintain the critical path; conduct scenario planning to support decisions on resourcing, phasing, and dependency management.
* Collaborate closely with IPT (Project Managers, Project Engineers and Supply chain) to ensure the schedule accurately reflects work package plans, dependencies, risk mitigations, and agile planning inputs (sprints).
* Collaborate with Scrum masters to define WBS in Jira.
* Engage in gathering task data from sprint review sessions in Jira to update schedules.
* Integrate engineering design, validation, and delivery milestones across a complex Work Breakdown Structure (WBS).
* Work with project risk owners to identify and reflect risks, treatment plans, and emergent work into the schedule.
* Provide clear, insightful reporting on schedule performance, critical paths, (near critical) float paths, progress trends, and forecasting; recommend mitigation options and actions to key stakeholders.
* Support and enable Agile planning cycles by aligning IMS-level activities with sprint/epic planning and delivery cadences.
* Support the senior planner to embed governance for schedule baselines, change control, and schedule quality; enforce schedule standards and tools across the team.
* Liaise with external customer planners and ensure alignment of schedule data, formats, and reporting expectations.
* Lead project teams in planning best practices and act as the schedule subject matter expert within the programme community.
Qualifications And Experience
Essential
* Proven experience in schedule management for large-scale, multi-year, engineering-based programmes (ideally in defence, aerospace, or high-tech manufacturing).
* Demonstrated experience of building and managing Integrated Master Schedules using Microsoft Project Professional, Standard.
* Strong understanding of project risk management and its scheduling implications.
* Strong understanding of creating views for critical and float paths in MS Project Professional.
* Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, including direct liaison with customers.
* Ability to work autonomously and collaboratively in a high-performance, multi-disciplinary environment.
* Data analysing, interrogating Excel data for transfer and manipulation into MS Project.
Desirable
* Experience working with Agile, Waterfall, and Hybrid delivery frameworks; familiarity with JIRA or similar Agile task management tools.
* Experience of working with resource allocation tools and scenario modelling.
* Degree qualified in a relevant discipline (or equivalent experience).
* Exposure to Earned Value Management (EVM) and cost/schedule integration; membership of a recognised PM body (APM, PMI).
* Familiarity with DCMA assessment.
* Experience of planning schedules, creating critical or float paths and integration with other ERP tools using Oracle P6.
What We Offer
* A dynamic role with influence across strategic programmes.
* Hybrid and flexible working arrangements.
* Opportunities for professional development in a growing, high-performing team.
* The chance to directly shape and influence the delivery of high-impact national defence projects.
Note: All candidates must meet the security vetting requirements relevant to the role. For reasons of national security, applicants must be British nationals. Dual nationals may be permitted in exceptional circumstances.