Planning Manager – Construction Projects

About the Role

We are seeking a seasoned Planning Manager who will oversee the planning, scheduling, and progress tracking of diverse building, infrastructure, construction, and landscaping projects. This role demands establishing and maintaining comprehensive project planning procedures, creating integrated master schedules, and continuously monitoring progress to mitigate delays and risks while providing precise reporting to leadership and senior management.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, assess, and update baseline programmes, master and detailed schedules for various construction and infrastructure projects.
• Implement project planning methodologies and reporting standards aligned with organizational and project needs.
• Create resource-loaded and cost-loaded schedules as necessary, ensuring seamless integration across design, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, and handover stages.
• Evaluate project schedules from internal teams, consultants, and subcontractors for alignment with overarching project goals.
• Define and monitor critical milestones, activities, interfaces, and dependencies to ensure successful project delivery.
• Observe real-time progress against baseline programmes, conducting regular progress reviews and identifying deviations.
• Analyze planned versus actual progress and design effective recovery and mitigation strategies.
• Track critical path tasks, foresee risks, and ensure precise progress reporting validated by site teams.
• Identify potential risks causing delays, perform critical path and delay analyses, and assist with extension-of-time submissions and related scheduling documentation.
• Maintain detailed records of programme modifications, delays, mitigation, and recovery efforts.
• Prepare weekly and monthly planning reports with dashboards highlighting project milestones, risks, delays, and forecasts.
• Offer forward-looking insights and present key program performance updates at management meetings.
• Collaborate with project directors, managers, engineers, commercial teams, procurement, consultants, and subcontractors to coordinate programme interfaces and planning communication.
• Guide and support project teams and junior planners by providing planning expertise and participating actively in coordination and programme review meetings.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or related fields.
• Over 10 years of experience in project planning and controls within the construction industry.
• Demonstrated expertise in planning for building, infrastructure, civil construction, and landscape projects.
• Proficiency in developing and managing extensive and complex project schedules.
• Deep understanding of planning, scheduling, project controls, progress monitoring, and delay analysis.
• Strong knowledge of construction techniques, sequencing, and programme management.
• Expertise with Primavera P6 is mandatory; knowledge of MS Project and MS Excel is advantageous.
• Solid experience in critical path analysis, resource and baseline programme management, progress measurement, and recovery planning.
• A thorough understanding of extension-of-time, claims, variations, and contractual programming requirements.
• Exceptional analytical, organizational, communication, stakeholder management, and leadership skills.
• Ability to handle multiple projects and priorities effectively in a dynamic construction environment.

Preferred Project Experience

• Background in building and high-rise construction projects.
• Experience in infrastructure and civil engineering works including roads and utilities.
• Work on landscaping and external development projects.
• Exposure to large-scale residential, commercial, mixed-use developments, and major urban infrastructure projects.

Additional Information

We are looking for a proactive, hands-on Planning Manager capable of owning project schedules from development through execution and closure. The right candidate will have strong skills in Primavera P6 and practical site planning experience, able to convert project data into actionable insights for teams and senior management.