Planning & Scheduling Consultant (Microsoft Project) | Outside IR35

We’re supporting a global consultancy delivering a high-profile programme for a major organisation within the energy sector and are looking for an experienced Planning & Scheduling Consultant to join the team on an initial contract.

This role is ideal for someone who enjoys bringing structure to complex programmes, building and maintaining detailed project schedules, and providing stakeholders with clear, accurate planning information to support delivery.

The Role

Working closely with programme and project teams, you’ll be responsible for developing, maintaining and optimising project schedules using Microsoft Project. You’ll help identify risks to delivery, monitor progress against key milestones, and provide meaningful reporting to support informed decision-making throughout the project lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain integrated project schedules using Microsoft Project.
• Monitor project progress and update plans to reflect changing priorities.
• Identify scheduling risks, dependencies and critical path activities.
• Produce regular planning reports and schedule analysis for stakeholders.
• Work collaboratively with project managers and delivery teams to ensure plans remain accurate and achievable.
• Support forecasting, milestone tracking and programme governance activities.

Essential

• Strong commercial experience in a Planning & Scheduling Consultant or Project Planner role.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Project (MS Project).
• Experience creating, maintaining and analysing detailed project schedules.
• Ability to manage dependencies, critical path analysis and schedule reporting.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills.

Desirable

• Previous experience delivering projects within the energy sector.

The Details

• Contract: Initial 2-month contract with strong potential for extension.
• IR35: Outside IR35.
• Start: July.
• Location: Hybrid – 2 days per week in London, remainder remote.

If you’re an experienced planner with strong MS Project expertise and are available to start in July, we’d be keen to hear from you.