Planning Manager

Overview

The Planning Manager will oversee the entire project planning lifecycle including scheduling, monitoring, and reporting on multiple projects within the company. This role is vital for maintaining detailed, updated project schedules, identifying any deviations or risks affecting timelines, and ensuring appropriate communication with all stakeholders to secure timely project delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Create, assess, and maintain comprehensive project timelines, master schedules, and baseline plans across various projects.
• Set up detailed Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), define milestones, activities, sequencing, and project interdependencies.
• Evaluate and validate contractors' baseline, updated, and recovery schedules.
• Track project progress relative to baseline plans, highlighting delays, critical tasks, and schedule risks.
• Conduct critical path method (CPM) analyses to determine impact of modifications and delays on completion dates.
• Compile weekly and monthly progress documentation, dashboards, look-ahead schedules, and managerial reports.
• Analyze discrepancies between planned and actual progress, identifying variances.
• Collaborate closely with Project Managers, Construction Managers, consultants, contractors, and commercial teams to gather accurate progress inputs.
• Develop and maintain short-, medium-, and long-term project plans.
• Examine contractors' resource requirements including manpower and equipment in relation to planned activities.
• Suggest corrective strategies and recovery plans when projects deviate from schedules.
• Assess Extension of Time (EOT) claims and provide expert planning insights concerning delay impacts.
• Support analysis and resolution of delay claims and related contractual scheduling issues.
• Ensure all approved changes and variations are correctly reflected in project schedules.
• Maintain precise planning documentation, including progress data, schedule updates, and supporting evidence.
• Standardize planning and reporting protocols across the company's projects.
• Aggregate scheduling information for multiple projects and prepare comprehensive portfolio-level reports for senior management.
• Identify major scheduling risks and escalate urgent issues to leadership.
• Participate actively in various progress, coordination, and management review meetings.
• Provide mentorship, technical guidance, and support to planning staff and engineers.
• Ensure that all planning activities comply with contractual obligations, company policies, and accepted project controls standards.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or an equivalent engineering field.
• At least 12 to 15 years of extensive experience in project planning, scheduling, and controls.
• Minimum 5 years in a senior planning role or as a Planning Manager.
• Proven background in managing planning for large construction, infrastructure, industrial, building, or related multidisciplinary projects.
• Demonstrated expertise in juggling planning demands across multiple concurrent projects.
• In-depth knowledge of project scheduling techniques, CPM, progress tracking, forecasting, and delay evaluation.
• Good grasp of construction techniques, sequencing, resource allocation, and project delivery methodologies.
• Experience in scrutinizing contractor schedules, recovery programs, EOT applications, and delay claim handling.
• Familiarity with construction contracts, preferably FIDIC contract experience.
• Advanced user of Primavera P6 software.
• Strong skills in Microsoft Excel along with other planning and reporting software.
• Exposure to Power BI or similar dashboard/reporting tools is advantageous.
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and coordination capabilities.
• Ability to engage effectively with senior leaders, clients, consultants, contractors, and diverse project teams.
• Proficient in both written and spoken English.
• Skillful in managing multiple priorities and meeting deadlines across several projects simultaneously.