Project Planner

Job title: Project Planner

Location: Eynsham West Oxfordshire

Contract length: 12 Month Rolling contract

Shift Pattern: Monday - Thursday 08.00pm - 17.00pm with an early finish on a Friday (Hybrid)

Pay Rate: £55K

Randstad Sourceright, a leading provider of RPO & MSP Recruitment Services, are currently recruiting for a Project Planner on behalf of a global company in the Tech/Healthcare Industry. This role is initially for 12 Months but the project is set to run up until 2029 so the role has scope to be a rolling contract.

The successful Project Planner will join the team on a hybrid working basis based at the office in Eynsham. The Project Planner will work with multiple teams and PMs to help pull together a high volume of plans and coordinate workings, helping navigate Critical paths, Build Plans, collate information, and track results/progress up until handover.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Project Planning and Scheduling: Develop, maintain, and update detailed project schedules using software tools (e.g., MS Project, Primavera, or similar). Define project milestones, deliverables, and deadlines in collaboration with stakeholders. Integrate dependencies, constraints, and resources into the project timeline.
2. Resource Management: Identify and allocate resources required to meet project objectives. Track resource utilization and adjust plans to optimize efficiency. Assist in forecasting future resource needs based on project pipelines.
3. Risk and Issue Management: Identify potential project risks and propose mitigation strategies. Monitor and document project challenges, escalating critical issues as needed.
4. Performance Monitoring and Reporting: Track project progress against the baseline schedule and report deviations. Prepare regular status reports, including charts and other visual aids. Provide insights into schedule impacts to help decision-making processes.
5. Stakeholder Collaboration: Work closely with project managers, team leads, and clients to align expectations. Facilitate communication among teams to ensure alignment with project plans. Lead planning meetings and participate in project reviews.
6. Process Improvement: Evaluate and refine planning processes to enhance efficiency and accuracy. Implement industry best practices for project planning and scheduling.

Key Skills and Qualifications:

1. Project Management Skills: Proficiency in planning, scheduling, and managing projects using methodologies like Agile, Waterfall, or PRINCE2. Experience in creating detailed project plans, timelines, and work breakdown structures (WBS). Previous project planning experience working on complex, multi-layered projects with multiple PMs.
2. Time Management: Ability to manage multiple tasks, prioritize effectively, and ensure timely project completion.
3. Communication Skills: Excellent written and verbal communication for interacting with stakeholders, team members, and clients. Strong presentation skills to share project updates and progress reports.
4. Analytical Thinking and Problem-Solving: Assessing project risks, analyzing resource requirements, and resolving issues efficiently.
5. Technical Proficiency: Familiarity with project management software (e.g., MS Project, Primavera, Asana, Jira). Knowledge of data analysis tools and resource allocation techniques.
6. Budgeting and Financial Acumen: Capability to prepare budgets, track expenses, and ensure cost control.
7. Attention to Detail: Ensuring all aspects of the project are accounted for and executed as planned.

Qualifications:

A degree in Business, Business Management, Project Management, or similar would be desirable.