Associate Director Planning (Project Controls) - Energy & Natural Resources

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Associate Director Planning (Project Controls) to lead the planning and scheduling discipline across a portfolio of major programmes and projects. This senior leadership role is responsible for driving planning excellence, establishing robust project controls practices, and ensuring successful delivery outcomes for clients. As an Associate Director, you will provide strategic leadership across planning and project controls functions, working closely with clients, programme leadership teams, and senior stakeholders to develop integrated schedules, manage risks, optimise performance and support informed decision-making. You will also play a key role in developing people, growing client relationships, and contributing to business development activities. Day to day duties: • Provide strategic leadership for Planning and Project Controls services across a portfolio of major programmes and projects, ensuring alignment with client objectives and organisational goals. • Lead, develop and manage high-performing Planning and Project Controls teams, providing line management, coaching, mentoring and career development support to build capability and succession within the business. • Establish and maintain robust planning, scheduling and project controls governance frameworks, ensuring consistency, quality assurance and compliance with industry best practices. • Oversee the development, review and assurance of integrated project schedules, ensuring accurate critical path analysis, resource planning, forecasting and performance measurement throughout the project lifecycle. • Act as a trusted advisor to clients, programme leadership teams and senior stakeholders, providing informed recommendations and strategic direction on planning, scheduling and project performance. • Lead project controls activities including schedule management, progress monitoring, change control, risk management, earned value management and performance reporting. • Drive proactive identification and management of programme and project risks, opportunities and constraints, ensuring appropriate mitigation and recovery strategies are implemented. • Manage resource planning and utilisation across multiple commissions, balancing workload requirements while supporting business growth and project delivery objectives. • Provide clear and insightful reporting to clients and senior leadership, communicating project performance, schedule health, emerging risks and recommended interventions. • Collaborate with Project Management, Cost Management, Commercial Management, Risk Management and Engineering teams to ensure fully integrated project controls and effective decision-making. • Support business development activities including bids, proposals, client presentations and framework opportunities, helping to grow the Planning and Project Controls service offering. • Build and maintain strong relationships with key clients and stakeholders, acting as the senior point of contact for planning and project controls matters. • Champion innovation, digital tools and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance planning capability, project controls maturity and delivery performance. • Contribute to the development of departmental strategy, operational objectives and service delivery standards, ensuring the Planning function remains aligned with wider business priorities. • Foster an inclusive, collaborative and high-performance culture that promotes professional excellence, knowledge sharing and continuous learning across the Planning and Project Controls community. You will have significant Project Controls and Planning leadership experience , gained across major capital projects and programmes within sectors such as Nuclea