Lead Planner at Department for Culture, Media and Sport, London, 6 Months, £Contract Rate

We are seeking a highly motivated and collaborative Lead Planner  to support the delivery of the Bedford Visitor Attraction Programme. This is the cross-government programme that supports the new Universal United Kingdom Resort in Bedfordshire, delivers upgraded transport infrastructure to provide resilience and improved regional connectivity, and maximises the wider benefits of the investment for the UK.

The postholder will be responsible for developing, maintaining and continuously improving an integrated project delivery schedule and Integrated Delivery Plan (IDP), bringing together plans from multiple teams, delivery partners and external stakeholders into a single coherent programme view.

Working closely with programme managers, policy leads, delivery partners, local authorities, government departments and suppliers, the role will provide essential planning expertise to support effective decision-making, identify delivery risks and dependencies, and ensure the programme remains on track to deliver its strategic objectives.

The successful candidate will be comfortable working within ambiguity, influencing stakeholders without direct authority, and translating complex information into clear, actionable plans.

As a Lead Planner, your main responsibilities will be:

• Develop and maintain a detailed Integrated Delivery Plan covering all major workstreams, milestones, dependencies and critical paths.
• Build strong working relationships with internal teams, other government departments, delivery partners and external stakeholders and work collaboratively to identify interfaces, dependencies and sequencing requirements.
• Support delivery partners to identify and manage cross-programme dependencies,and develop and maintain plans that integrate effectively into the wider programme schedule.
• Provide effective challenge to ensure delivery partner plans are realistic, robust and achievable.
• Monitor progress against agreed milestones and delivery commitments, identifying schedule risks, emerging issues and slippages, and proposing mitigation actions where appropriate.

Essential:

• Proven ability to lead and shape strategic plans, providing direction and ensuring initiatives align with organisational objectives.
• Ability to collaborate effectively across organisational boundaries while constructively challenging stakeholders to drive accountability and delivery.

Proven ability to build and maintain effective working relationships across organisational boundaries, including with government departments, local authorities, and private sector organisations, while adapting to different cultures, priorities, and ways of working.