Diamond Light Source is the UK’s national synchrotron science facility. Located at Harwell Science & Innovation Campus in Oxfordshire, we enable world-leading research across a wide range of scientific disciplines and industrial applications. The facility is used by over 3,000 academic and industrial researchers across a wide range of disciplines including structural biology, energy, engineering and environmental sciences.

We require a Project Planner for our Project Management Group to provide key professional project planning expertise to support a wide range of complex projects that underpin world class, cutting edge science. We are looking for an individual with plenty of initiative and a low tolerance of the status quo who can take existing project planning processes and turn them into a best practice solution.

Bring us your enthusiasm for science and project management, your first class communication skills, proven experience planning and controlling projects and we’ll give you the chance to be part of the next wave of demanding projects at Diamond and to make an important contribution to the future success of our science and technology based organisation.

Equally comfortable working as part of a team or on your own initiative, you’ll call on keen problem-solving skills to identify and resolve areas where plans are failing. Confident communicating with people at all levels, both in person and in writing, you’ll impress us with your flair for organisation. Add to that your excellent MS Office skills, and we’d like to hear from you.

Diamond is a member of the Athena SWAN Charter and the WISE Campaign and is committed to Athena SWAN Charter.Recognising advancement of gender equality: representation, progression and success for all.

The main purpose of the job is to assist the Science Division Programme Manager by working closely with the Project Managers and support departments to develop project plans for the procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of a programme of projects.

The Science Division Planning Officer responsibilities are:

• To work closely with the Project Managers and Support departments to create and maintain a suite of beamline project plans under full change control;
• Be proactive in the appropriate monitoring of progress against the plan, highlight where the plan is not being achieved and work with the teams involved to identify and resolve issues;
• Provide timely, accurate and appropriate management information to Project Manager and Science Director to support the overview of projects;
• Assist in the operation of the Science Division change control, risk management and cost control procedures;
• Promote Project Planning best practice within DLS by maintaining professional knowledge base and providing input into the development of DLS Project Management processes. 

• Educated to HND level or First Degree or  previous relevant experience in a similar role;
• A demonstrated commitment to personal career development;
• A demonstrated ability to maintain, analyse and report on project controls;
• Proven experience of working as a project planner on a wide variety complex projects;
• Sound understanding of project planning and project management best practice and ability to tailor it to project environment;
• Logical approach to problem solving, and see issues through to completion;
• Good attention to detail;
• Ability to work on own initiative;
• Demonstrated experience and proficiency using Microsoft Project and Microsoft Office Enterprise Project Management (EPM);
• Excellent IT skills;
• Good English oral and written communication skills and the ability to influence people in widely differing parts of a complex organisation;
• Ability to tailor personal approach to planning to suit the dynamics of each project team to keep projects on schedule and facilitate remedial action where projects are in difficulty.
   

• Excellent planning and organising skills;
• Ability to establish priorities and meet deadlines;
• Experience of configuration management and document storage;
• Experience in project control and performance monitoring in a non-contractual environment will be considered an advantage;
• Experience of working effectively with colleagues with different backgrounds and/or nationalities;
• Experience of working in a team environment;
• Affiliation with project management professional body or working towards membership;
• Qualifications in Project Management.

• Flexibility: an ability and willingness to work in a fluid environment, and to re-prioritise objectives as needed while still making progress towards common goals;
• Willingness to represent Diamond Project Management Group in international and other forums;
• Pro-active approach.