Planning Team Leader

Lanes Group is a leading nationwide utility services provider with c.5000 dedicated employees. Our diverse subsidiaries drive our success across various sectors, contributing to a remarkable turnover of over £700 million. We are committed to excellence and innovation, ensuring we provide industry leading services to our clients and stakeholders. Join us to be part of a dynamic and growing team that values diversity and fosters professional growth.

Department

Sapphire Utility Solutions, a Lanes Group Company specialise in multiple divisions.

Yorkshire Water - WWSA provides essential wastewater services to millions of customers and businesses across Yorkshire. From managing sewerage networks to treating wastewater, protecting the environment, and maintaining reservoirs and catchments.

The Team play a vital role in supporting communities across the region and are committed to sustainability, innovation, and customer service, investing in infrastructure and environmental improvements to create a thriving Yorkshire for generations to come.

Purpose of the role

Working closely with the Planning Manager, you will lead and support a team of planners to ensure the right work reaches the right field team at the right time. You will balance customer needs, operational priorities and commercial targets, creating efficient schedules and helping the team deliver a consistently high-quality service.

Join Lanes Group, the UK’s leading provider of drainage and wastewater services, and help coordinate the people and resources that keep critical infrastructure and communities moving. Based in Bradford, you will lead a team of planners supporting one of our key clients, shape day-to-day service delivery and contribute to their AMP8 objectives. This is an opportunity to make a visible operational impact while developing your leadership career in a growing, safety-focused business.

About the role

• Location: Bradford, Yorkshire
• Hours: 37.5 hours a week, Monday - Friday

Key responsibilities

• Lead, coach and develop the Planning team through regular one-to-ones, clear objectives and constructive feedback.
• Create efficient forward schedules, including planning work up to seven days ahead, to meet service, productivity and commercial targets.
• Monitor progress and non-completions throughout the day, adjusting plans and allocating top-up work to protect delivery targets.
• Promote a Right First Time approach across preventive, planned and reactive maintenance, meeting contractual SLAs while optimising routes and field productivity.
• Prioritise and coordinate workloads, assessing resource and duration requirements against agreed measures.
• Build strong working relationships with field operations, customers and key stakeholders to resolve issues quickly and improve service delivery.
• Track performance against KPIs, identify improvement opportunities and support the team with clear action plans.
• Improve scheduling data quality and maintain accurate, timely information in works management systems, escalating issues where required.
• Keep clients and managers informed during ongoing incidents or events, providing a professional and reassuring service.
• Maintain high standards in health, safety, environment, housekeeping, communication and continuous improvement.
• Contribute ideas, embrace change and lead ad hoc projects that strengthen planning and operational performance.

Key Requirements

Skills and experience

We are looking for a supportive, organised leader who enjoys solving problems, working with people and improving how services are delivered.

• Experience leading, coaching or supporting a planning, scheduling or operational team.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the confidence to make sound decisions in a time-sensitive environment.
• A customer-first mindset and the ability to build collaborative relationships across different teams.
• Clear communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, and the ability to interpret operational data.
• Close attention to detail and a commitment to accurate, high-quality work.
• A positive approach to change, problem-solving and continuous improvement.

Desirable

• Experience in Utilities
• Wastewater operations
• Scheduling systems
• Customer access
• Traffic management

Living the Company Values

By embedding our companies core values and purpose into each role, ensures that every employee, regardless of their role or level, understands how their individual development and contributions align with our purpose of ‘improving today for a better tomorrow’.

Each role and value has an alignment to set proficiency levels and expectations; this role holder is expected to:

• Leading : Acts as a role model, shaping the learning agenda and influencing change.
• Agile : Anticipates learning needs, adjusts quickly to changing operational contexts.
• Nurturing : Supports the development of others through coaching and structured development plans.
• Engaging : Inspires and motivates learners, builds trust and credibility
• Safe & Secure: Ensures all learning is aligned to safety and compliance standards.

Your Contribution to the company

• Strive to be always positive and constructive
• Adhere to all company policies
• Straight talking about the facts of the situation – open discussions are the best way to find solutions
• Help others through communicating clearly
• Deliver on commitments
• Ensure that any ideas that may enhance the productivity or systems of the company are brought to the attention of Senior Management, or your colleagues
• Deliver our Company Values understanding that by working together in unity we are ‘Stronger Together’

Equality, Diversion & Inclusion

At Lanes Group, we are dedicated to fostering a diverse and inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued and empowered. We believe that our differences make us stronger and are committed to providing equal opportunities for all employees. We welcome and encourage applications from individuals of all backgrounds, including those from underrepresented groups. Join us in our commitment to creating a more inclusive and diverse world.