Senior Planner - job 1 of 3

As a Senior Planner at CMR, your main responsibilities include developing and maintaining comprehensive delivery schedules, monitoring project progress, identifying critical activities, and providing technical support. You'll manage projects typically up to £20m and engage in contract programme assessments. Your role is crucial in ensuring that all projects align with budget and timeline expectations while facilitating an overall smooth operation.

To qualify for the Senior Planner position at CMR, candidates should hold a degree or postgraduate level education in a construction or business-related field. Additionally, it is essential to have experience as a planner on projects over £5m and proficiency in Primavera (P6) and MS Excel, along with a solid understanding of engineering, procurement, and NEC contracts.

Applicants for the Senior Planner position at CMR should have a considerable background in planning infrastructure projects. This includes performing quantity takeoffs, conducting statistical analyses, and managing contract programme assessments. Your ability to navigate complex project frameworks will be vital in supporting CMR's ambitious investment strategies.

A Senior Planner at CMR will primarily handle infrastructure projects, typically managing smaller projects with budgets up to £20m or supporting a Lead Planner on larger undertakings. This role involves not only planning but also providing technical expertise and guidance throughout project completion.

CMR offers a competitive salary and an array of benefits for the Senior Planner role, including 25 days of holiday, comprehensive private healthcare, life assurance, and a pension scheme with employer contribution. Additionally, staff can enjoy performance-based bonuses, long service leave, ongoing training opportunities, and regular social events.

When answering this question, focus on specific instances where you utilized Primavera P6 for project planning and scheduling. Share examples of how you developed schedules and monitored progress using the tool, and be sure to highlight any challenges you faced and how you overcame them.

Discuss your methodical approach to gathering project requirements, defining tasks, estimating durations, and establishing dependencies. Emphasize the importance of stakeholder collaboration and how you factor in risks and resource availability to develop a realistic schedule.

Share a specific challenge relevant to project planning, whether it was a scheduling conflict, resource limitation, or stakeholder disagreement. Explain the strategies you implemented to address the issue, demonstrating your problem-solving skills and adaptability.

Talk about the methodologies you employ to validate forecasts, such as reviewing historical data, conducting regular project reviews, and involving team members for input. Discuss the importance of maintaining communication and monitoring project metrics to ensure accuracy.

Highlight the factors you assess, such as external dependencies, resource constraints, and project complexity. Discuss how you prioritize risks and communicate your findings with the project team to develop mitigation strategies.

Illustrate your familiarity with change management processes by providing examples of how you've handled scope changes or unexpected project hurdles, detailing the steps you took to analyze impacts, communicate with stakeholders, and adjust project schedules accordingly.

Emphasize your emphasis on maintaining open lines of communication, using regular progress meetings, and utilizing collaborative tools. Provide examples of how your communication style has resulted in improved project cohesion and clarity among team members.

Describe your approach to analyzing the root causes of delays, and discuss how you develop recovery plans to get the project back on track. Highlight the importance of proactive communication with stakeholders during this process.

Explain the significance of resource allocation in your planning process. Discuss how you evaluate resource requirements, monitor availability, and ensure that resources are allocated efficiently to maximize project outcomes.

Articulate your enthusiasm for CMR’s mission and values. Discuss how your skills and experiences align with the company's purpose of transforming project controls and how you envision contributing to its vision and goals.