Job Description
Job title: Junior Project Planner

Location: Rochester, Kent

Salary: £25,000-£29,000 dependent on skills and experience

What you’ll be doing:

Develop a comprehensive understanding of the project planning and control tools and processes used at the Rochester site through a combination of guided learning and hands-on experience
Assist Programme Managers and Control Account Managers (CAMs) in creating and maintaining project schedules using the Microsoft Project and Deltek Cobra tools
Monitor and progress project plans through regular updates, ensuring key issues are promptly communicated to the Project Manager, CAMs, and local management as required
Oversee the monthly Estimate to Complete process for assigned programmes, providing variance analysis to support the Project Manager and CAMs in managing programme costs effectively
Build expertise in Earned Value Management tools and techniques, applying these methodologies appropriately to the projects you work on
Lead relevant schedule-related reviews within your project teams, ensuring that any planning issues are identified and addressed, including helping develop contingency plans to minimise any impact on the programme schedule
Carry out requested analyses, including schedule adherence, schedule performance measurements, and Schedule Risk Analysis
Your skills and experiences:

Essential:

GCSEs (grades A*-C or 9-4) or recognised equivalent qualifications in English and Maths
Two A-Level (grades A*-C) or equivalent qualification
Strong IT proficiency, particularly in Microsoft Office, with the ability to adapt quickly to new software tools
Confident in negotiation and influence, with a proactive and resourceful approach to tasks
Desirable

Experience in project coordination, including roles such as Project Coordinator or Project Assistant, with a focus on supporting project management activities
Benefits:

As well as a competitive pension scheme, BAE Systems also offers employee share plans, an extensive range of flexible discounted health, wellbeing and lifestyle benefits, including a green car scheme, private health plans and shopping discounts – you may also be eligible for an annual incentive.

The Project Management Team:

This role offers a fantastic opportunity to learn how to collaborate with project teams in creating, updating, and analysing project schedules to ensure successful project outcomes. You will receive training in various project planning tools and techniques, including Microsoft Project, Deltek Acumen Risk, and the Cobra Earned Value Management system. The role is diverse and engaging, allowing you to gain experience across different projects at the Rochester site. You will work with various teams including Project Management, Engineering, Finance and Manufacturing.

Once trained, you will provide valuable planning and project control support to Programme Managers and Control Account Managers (CAMs), ensuring the quality and accuracy of the project schedules you manage. You will become the scheduling expert for your programme teams, using the project plan to identify and address issues related to schedule, cost, and risk. This role also offers insight into the Project Management function, as you will work closely with Project Managers and Engineering Project Managers. The position comes with a structured development plan offering the potential to advance to a Project Planner role for those with the right enthusiasm and aptitude.

Why BAE Systems?

This is a place where you’ll be able to make a real difference. You’ll be part of an inclusive culture that values diversity, rewards integrity, and merit, and where you’ll be empowered to fulfil your potential. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds and particularly from sections of the community who are currently underrepresented within our industry, including women, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities and LGBTQ+ individuals. We also want to make sure that our recruitment processes are as inclusive as possible. If you have a disability or health condition (for example dyslexia, autism, an anxiety disorder etc.) that may affect your performance in certain assessment types, please speak to your recruiter about potential reasonable adjustments.

Please be aware that many roles at BAE Systems are subject to both security and export control restrictions. These restrictions mean that factors such as your nationality, any nationalities you may have previously held, and your place of birth can restrict the roles you are eligible to perform within the organisation. All applicants must as a minimum achieve Baseline Personnel Security Standard. Many roles also require higher levels of National Security Vetting where applicants must typically have 5 to 10 years of continuous residency in the UK depending on the vetting level required for the role, to allow for meaningful security vetting checks.