Lead Planning Manager

Overview

As Lead Planning Manager you will own planning strategy and schedule leadership for a major sector of the North Manchester General Hospital redevelopment, part of the NHS New Hospital Programme. You will align design, procurement and construction with healthcare operations, governance and stakeholder expectations. You’ll shape delivery sequencing, programme controls and reporting to drive certainty and timely outcomes. This role offers high-impact responsibility on a nationally significant healthcare transformation, with close collaboration across NHS, contractors and consultants.

Pay / Benefits

• salary up to 125k
• bonus
• excellent package
• hybrid / site-based requirements

Responsibilities

• Lead planning function for a major sector of the hospital redevelopment
• Develop, manage and maintain integrated master programmes across design, procurement, construction and delivery
• Set planning strategies, controls and governance across the programme
• Create complex phasing and sequencing for live healthcare environments
• Collaborate with clinical, estates and operational stakeholders to align activity with healthcare requirements
• Provide senior planning leadership across multidisciplinary teams
• Monitor programme performance, critical path, risks and milestones
• Identify delays and implement mitigation/recovery actions
• Produce high-quality reporting for governance boards
• Support risk management, change control and commercial processes with analysis
• Ensure compliance with New Hospital Programme standards and governance
• Support digital planning approaches including 4D planning and BIM integration where applicable

Key requirements

• Experience delivering complex construction programmes
• Track record on large-scale, multi-phase projects (100m+ preferred)
• Strong NEC contract and public sector governance understanding
• Experience in live operational environments (e.g., healthcare)
• Technical knowledge of planning methodologies and programme management
• Proficiency with Primavera P6, Asta Powerproject or equivalent
• Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement skills
• Ability to translate complex data into actionable recommendations
• Experience working with NHS or healthcare estates is advantageous

• leadership
• stakeholder engagement
• communication
• Primavera P6
• Asta Powerproject
• 4D planning

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