Head of Planning & Scheduling

£90,000 - £100,000 plus 20% bonus, car allowance and benefits

Permanent

Can be based out of their London or Liverpool office on a hybrid basis

One of my clients, an established and rapidly growing Utilities company, are hiring a Head of Planning & Scheduling to lead the build-out of a central planning and scheduling function. This is a very senior level role, where you will work closely with the CIO to drive measurable improvements in productivity and service performance

Role

• Lead the move from locally-run planning to a standardised, centralised operating model
• Partner with operations and a wider digital transformation programme
• Embed optimisation-led planning and scheduling to improve schedule stability and utilisation

Key responsibilities

• Build and lead a central planning & scheduling team
• Define SOPs, playbooks, governance and role clarity
• Create a capacity planning framework (demand forecasting, skill mix, resourcing inputs)
• Own 4-6 week forward planning (backlog shaping, work readiness, volume smoothing)
• Codify "local knowledge" into structured constraints (access rules, estate rules, client needs)
• Drive continuous improvement (territory design, constraint tuning, job duration's, workflows)
• Track and deliver benefits: reduced travel, improved productivity, better schedule accuracy

What we're looking for

• Senior leadership experience in planning/scheduling within field service (this is ESSENTIAL)
• Proven track record implementing new operating models (not just BAU management)
• Experience with scheduling optimisation tools (IFS PSO highly desirable or FLS)
• Strong analytical capability (workforce/capacity modelling; trade offs and decision making)
• Confident change leader who can influence operational stakeholders

Nice to have

• Multi-region workforce planning and demand forecasting experience

You'll be encouraged to grow at every career stage in the direction that interests you with amazing support and training plus a tailored career progression plan