Lead Planner

Title: 
Lead Planner

Victoria, Australia

Employment Type: 
Permanent Full Time

Lead Planner – Western Renewables Link Project

Are you ready to make a real impact in Australia's energy transition?

At AusNet, we play a key role in the energy transition and providing essential energy to Victorian households and businesses.

Help us lead the way, while enriching your career with real people who encourage you to bring your best and make real impact – for your career, our communities and Australia's clean energy future.

About the role

The Western Renewable Link (WRL) is one of Victoria's major transmission projects and a critical part of the state's energy transition. As a Lead Planner, you'll play a pivotal role in keeping the project on track. Reporting to the Project Controls Manager, you'll establish and drive scheduling processes and procedures that underpin project success. You'll lead the Scheduling team in delivering critical, timely reporting and analysis that keeps the broader project team and leadership informed. From planning every activity to executing robust scheduling programs, your insights will directly influence decision-making and help deliver best-for-project outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Deliver project schedules on time and ensure they accurately reflect the full scope of work.
• Establish and maintain robust processes for capturing schedule updates from stakeholders and contractors.
• Monitor contractor compliance with scheduling requirements and ensure earned value management is implemented effectively.
• Identify schedule risks early, escalate issues, and drive timely corrective actions.
• Lead schedule meetings, including critical action item reviews, and contribute to staffing plans for scheduling activities.
• Coordinate planning inputs across all functions to develop a realistic and achievable project schedule.
• Set up and maintain quantity tracking metrics to ensure alignment with schedule requirements.
• Integrate interdisciplinary constraints to establish logical work sequences and validate contractor activity durations.
• Review contractor reports to ensure visibility of scheduled activities and alignment with quantity and job hour targets.
• Develop installation curves, perform resource loading, and support leveling decisions across the project.
• Monitor performance and control functions and provide schedule commentary for monthly progress reports.
• Determine critical paths and near-term priorities, and develop short-term (4-week), monthly, and quarterly construction schedules.
• Track schedule deviations and recommend workarounds to maintain project momentum.

What You'll Bring

You're a seasoned planning professional with deep expertise in scheduling tools and project controls, especially Primavera P6. You combine technical precision with commercial awareness, bringing clarity to complex data and confidence to decision-making. Known for your adaptability, attention to detail, and ability to thrive under pressure, you're a proactive team player who keeps pace with change and drives results.

Qualifications & Certifications

• Essential: Bachelor's degree in engineering, Construction Management or related field with more than 15 years of project controls or cost related work experience.
• 15+ years of experience in project controls or planning/scheduling roles.

Skills & Experience

• 15+ years of experience in project controls or planning/scheduling roles.
• Proven ability to perform, monitor, and review complex planning and scheduling functions.
• Extensive experience with Primavera P6 and supporting tools such as Acumen Fuse.
• Strong background in schedule risk assessments and associated tools.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Deep understanding of engineering, procurement, contracts, construction, and startup processes.
• Highly organised with the ability to manage multiple tasks, set priorities, and meet deadlines under pressure.
• Strong attention to detail paired with commercial acumen.
• Resilient and adaptable in fast-paced, changing environments.
• A learning mindset with the ability to quickly grasp new or complex concepts.
• Collaborative and proactive team player.
• Demonstrated flexibility in managing work volumes and tracking against project requirements.

Please note, we will not be engaging in Recruitment agencies for this role, please apply directly

A real place to belong.

We celebrate unique voices, refreshing perspectives and diversity in our team. Engage and connect through our social club, wide range of events or by joining one of our Employee Network Groups.

We believe in more than just competitive pay. Here's what sets us apart:

• Leave: more than typical personal leave and a generous 14 weeks of paid parental leave, with no minimum service.
• Community giving: a paid day to volunteer with our social impact partner, Foodbank, or for a cause that matters to you.
• Perks: we offer all the other perks you've come to expect like purchased leave, income protection insurance, novated leasing, corporate discounts, private health cover discounts and more.

As an industry in transformation, we're excited by the possibilities ahead.

So, if you're passionate about our purpose and committed to making real progress, bring your energy and join AusNet. Together, we can shape a new way forward.