Platform Integration Planning Lead (Gaydon, UK)

As the Platform Integration Planning Lead, you will provide integrated planning leadership across the Platform Integration department, ensuring alignment across integration, testing, and release activities. The role focuses on establishing and maintaining a unified planning framework that enhances delivery predictability, resource transparency, and decision-making across programmes.

You will act as the central coordination point for planning activities, supporting consistent programme timings and aligning cross-functional teams. This role requires strong communication, organisational, and planning expertise to manage complex engineering environments and ensure visibility of risks, dependencies, and operational status.

Additionally, you will support process definition and documentation governance to ensure that planning, integration, and release processes are clear, auditable, and aligned with quality management requirements. This includes collaborating with process owners and engineering teams to translate technical workflows into structured, maintainable procedures and process frameworks

Responsibilities

Integrated Planning Leadership:

Own and maintain the integrated planning framework covering integration, testing, and release activities.

Programme Timing Management:

Develop and manage programme schedules across all workstreams, ensuring alignment and consistency.

Resource Planning & Capacity Modelling:

Produce resource synthetics and capacity models to support transparent and data-driven resource planning.

Operational Coordination:

Facilitate Operations Sync meetings, including preparation, stakeholder coordination, and follow-up actions.

Reporting & Governance:

Prepare management-ready reports outlining project status, risks, issues, dependencies, and forward outlook.

Cross-Functional Alignment:

Ensure planning inputs across integration, testing, release, and programme teams are aligned and escalate risks where needed.

Continuous Improvement:

Drive improvements in planning processes, reporting cadence, and decision-support frameworks.

Process Documentation & Governance Support:

Support the definition, documentation, and maintenance of end-to-end planning and integration processes. Collaborate with process owners to develop process maps, work instructions, and procedural frameworks aligned with engineering governance and quality management standards. Ensure process documentation supports auditability and compliance requirements.

Must have

Programme Planning Expertise:

Extensive experience in delivery planning within complex engineering or integration environments.

Structured Planning & Coordination:

Ability to translate multiple inputs into structured, actionable plans.

Resource & Capacity Management:

Strong capability in resource planning, capacity modelling, and transparency reporting.

Stakeholder Communication:

High-quality communication and reporting skills suitable for senior leadership audiences.

Cross-Functional Leadership:

Experience in facilitating alignment meetings and supporting decision-making across teams.

Tools & Governance:

Proficiency in planning tools such as MS Project, Jira, Confluence, or Primavera, and reporting tools like Power BI.

Nice to have

Integration Knowledge:

Understanding of integration, release governance, and engineering delivery lifecycle.

Continuous Improvement Mindset:

Ability to propose and implement improvements in planning and reporting processes.

Process & Documentation Governance Experience:

Familiarity with process authoring, engineering documentation frameworks, and governance discipline (ISO 9001, QMS alignment). Experience translating engineering workflows into clear, maintainable procedures and process frameworks.