MERITUS are recruiting for a Assistant Project Planner to join a large civil construction business in Macclesfield in a permanent position within the pharmaceutical world.

ASSISTANT PROJECT PLANNER - UP TO £60,000 PER ANNUM - NEC 4 PROJECTS (MUST HAVE DEMONSTABLE EXPERIENCE ON THESE CONTRACTS) - MACCLESFIELD (ONSITE)

Responsibilities

• Support the preparation, updating, and maintenance of construction programmes, ensuring alignment with the contract and project objectives.

• Assist in developing tender and target programmes, incorporating input from the supply chain and validating key milestones, resources, and durations.

• Help create fully logic-linked programmes with accurate critical paths, float analysis, and dependencies.

• Contribute to planning from first principles, including developing logic sequences, estimating work quantities, calculating durations, and supporting resource and cost loading activities.

• Prepare and maintain planning documents such as sequence sketches, logistics mark-ups, and supporting workbooks to illustrate methodology and phasing.

• Support the development and review of 4D planning models to visualise project sequences and logistics where required.

• Liaise with project teams and the supply chain to gather information and validate design, procurement, construction, and commissioning timelines.

• Assist in identifying and documenting programme risks, including those related to health & safety, quality, cost, and time.

• Ensure inspection hold points, quality checks, and client review stages are accurately reflected in the project programme.

• Maintain well-organised and auditable electronic records, ensuring programme and planning documents are correctly stored within the Common Data Environment (CDE).

• Support the preparation of tender and contract programme submissions to a professional standard, ensuring compliance with CIOB/DCMA quality expectations.

• Contribute to identifying opportunities for time, cost, and efficiency improvements within project schedules.

Experience

• Some experience supporting planning or project control activities on live construction projects (industrial, infrastructure, or building).

• Familiarity with working in multidisciplinary teams and engaging with clients, contractors, and supply chain partners.

• Understanding of UK construction contracts, ideally including NEC and/or JCT.

• Exposure to Asta Powerproject and/or Primavera P6 planning software.

• Good communication, analytical, and organisational skills, with a proactive approach to learning and problem-solving.

• Strong IT skills and attention to detail.

• Experience in high-tech, laboratory, or complex construction environments is desirable.

Qualifications

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

• Training or certification in Asta Powerproject or Primavera P6 is desirable.

• Awareness or training in BIM processes and Common Data Environment (CDE) use is advantageous.

• Working toward or interested in membership of a relevant professional body (e.g. CIOB, APM).

• Understanding of planning principles such as progress analysis, S-curve reporting, and resource management preferred.