Planner

Description

Location: Scotland | Contract Type: Permanent | Working Pattern: Full-Time | Office Based

Pay / Benefits: Remuneration for this role is benchmarked competitively within our sector.

The Opportunity

OCU is delivering major infrastructure and utility projects that play a critical role in supporting the UK's energy transition and future network requirements. As a Planner, you'll be responsible for developing, maintaining, and monitoring project programmes that help drive successful delivery across the project lifecycle.

This is an excellent opportunity to join a growing project controls function where you'll work closely with Project Managers, Engineers, Designers, and operational teams to ensure projects remain on track, risks are proactively managed, and key milestones are achieved. If you enjoy problem-solving, analysing project data, and influencing successful project outcomes, we'd like to hear from you.

What You'll Do

• Develop and maintain detailed project programmes from project inception through to completion.
• Collaborate with project teams to understand project requirements, constraints, and delivery objectives.
• Produce and update project schedules using planning software and project control tools.
• Conduct programme analysis to identify critical activities, risks, and potential delivery challenges.
• Monitor project progress against baseline programmes and recommend corrective actions where required.
• Prepare progress reports, dashboards, and planning updates for project teams and stakeholders.
• Coordinate planning activities with internal teams, subcontractors, suppliers, and external stakeholders.
• Support resource planning and utilisation to maximise efficiency across project delivery activities.
• Assist with risk assessments, programme recovery plans, and contingency planning.
• Promote best practice planning processes and support continuous improvement across project delivery teams.

What You'll Bring

• Previous experience as a Planner within construction, infrastructure, engineering, utilities, or a similar project-led environment.

• Proficiency in Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, or similar planning software.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to interpret project data and programme performance.

• Good understanding of project planning methodologies, scheduling techniques, and project controls.

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

• Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities.

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel.

• Ability to work collaboratively across multidisciplinary teams.

• Degree qualified in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Project Management, or a related discipline.

• Bonus if you have experience working within utilities, power, energy, or infrastructure projects.

• It would be great if you have knowledge of NEC contracts and project change management processes.

• It would be great if you've supported multidiscipline project teams delivering complex construction programmes.

• Project management qualifications such as PRINCE2, PMP, or equivalent would be advantageous.

What We Offer

At OCU, we believe that meaningful work should come with meaningful support. That's the principle behind Careers with Purpose, our commitment to ensuring every person at OCU feels supported, developed, and valued, not just in their role today, but throughout their career with us.

Alongside the opportunity to work on some of the UK's most significant infrastructure projects, we offer a benefits package that we are continuing to develop as we grow, and the kind of career acceleration that only comes from being inside a business moving at this pace.
As a rapidly growing organisation, there are genuine opportunities to progress, broaden your experience, and build a long-term career within OCU Group.

For a confidential conversation about this opportunity, please contact Jonathan Bryden at [email protected].

Our vacancies are typically advertised for two weeks; however, we reserve the right to close applications early should we receive a sufficient number of suitable candidates. We therefore encourage early applications.

About OCU Group

At OCU Group, we don’t just deliver infrastructure - we help power modern life.

As one of the UK’s fastest-growing utility and infrastructure businesses, we deliver complex, nationally critical projects across power, energy transition, water, telecoms, and digital infrastructure. Over the last five years, OCU has grown five-fold to a £1.1bn organisation, expanding both organically and through strategic acquisitions across the UK, Australia, New Zealand and India.

Our growth is driven by ambitious people, operational excellence, and a commitment to doing things properly. We work on projects that genuinely matter by supporting the UK’s energy transition, strengthening essential infrastructure, and helping build more sustainable communities for the future.

Whether you’re an experienced professional looking to take ownership of major projects and influence delivery at scale, or someone starting your career through an apprenticeship, graduate programme, or placement route, OCU offers real opportunity to grow, develop, and make an impact.

We are building a business where high performance, collaboration, innovation, and accountability sit at the centre of our culture. Our people are trusted to lead, encouraged to challenge thinking, and supported to continuously develop their skills and careers.

At OCU, you won’t just join a growing business, you’ll help shape it.

Our Culture & Values

At OCU, our values are at the heart of everything we do. We care about safety, lead with integrity, strive to be better every day, make a positive impact, and deliver to grow, together, as One Company United.

Our Commitment to Inclusion

At OCU Group, we believe diversity, inclusion, and belonging are fundamental to building stronger teams, better ideas, and a more successful business. We welcome applications from people of all backgrounds and are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels valued and supported.

As part of our commitment to fairness and equality, candidates may be asked to complete an equal opportunities monitoring form during the recruitment process. This information is used for monitoring purposes only and plays no part in hiring decisions.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident employer and are committed to offering interviews to candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions who meet the essential criteria for the role.

To ensure that everyone has a fair opportunity to join our team, please inform us if you require any reasonable adjustments to our recruitment and interview process is, by emailing [email protected].