Planning Manager

Job Overview

The Planning Manager will oversee the comprehensive project planning, scheduling, tracking, and progress reporting for multiple projects within the organization. This position is vital for ensuring that project timelines are accurately prepared, maintained, and monitored to highlight any potential risks, delays, or impacts promptly.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, assess, and keep up-to-date detailed project schedules including master and baseline programmes for diverse projects.
• Create appropriate Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) and set project milestones, activity sequences, and dependencies.
• Evaluate contractors’ baseline schedules, revised timelines, recovery plans, and updates.
• Track project progress in comparison to approved timelines; identify slippages, delays, critical tasks, and risks to schedule.
• Perform critical path method analysis to evaluate effects of changes or delays on project completion.
• Generate weekly and monthly progress summaries, dashboards, look-ahead schedules, and reports for management.
• Analyze discrepancies between planned and actual progress throughout project phases.
• Collaborate closely with Project Managers, Construction Managers, commercial teams, consultants, and contractors to gather precise progress data.
• Formulate short-, medium-, and long-term project plans and monitor their execution.
• Review manpower, equipment, and resource needs from contractors relative to planned activities.
• Recommend strategies for corrective action and schedule recovery when projects lag behind.
• Examine Extension of Time (EOT) claims and provide expert planning input on delay events and schedule impact.
• Assist with delay analysis, claim evaluations, and resolve schedule-related contractual issues.
• Incorporate approved changes and variations into project programmes to keep schedules current.
• Maintain detailed planning records, update schedules, and store supporting documents.
• Standardize planning and reporting methods across projects to enhance consistency.
• Aggregate planning data across projects and prepare senior management portfolio-level reports.
• Recognize key program risks and elevate critical issues for management decision-making.
• Participate actively in meetings including progress, coordination, and management reviews.
• Provide expert guidance and technical support to planning engineers and project planners.
• Ensure all activities comply with contractual obligations, company policies, and established project control standards.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related engineering field.
• A minimum of 12 to 15 years of experience in project planning, scheduling, and project controls.
• At least 5 years serving in a senior planning role or as a Planning Manager.
• Proven capability on large-scale construction, infrastructure, industrial, building, or multidisciplinary projects.
• Experience managing multiple project planning requirements concurrently is highly advantageous.
• Thorough knowledge of project scheduling techniques, critical path methodology, progress measurement, forecasting, and delay impact assessment.
• Good understanding of construction procedures, project sequencing, resource allocation, and delivery processes.
• Proficient in reviewing contractor schedules, recovery plans, EOT submissions, and delay claims.
• Sound knowledge of construction contracts; experience with FIDIC contracts is a significant plus.
• Advanced skills in Primavera P6 are mandatory.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel and other project reporting/planning software.
• Familiarity with Power BI or equivalent reporting/dashboard tools is a bonus.
• Excellent analytical thinking and problem-solving aptitude.
• Exceptional communication, coordination, and reporting capabilities.
• Ability to collaborate effectively with senior management, clients, consultants, contractors, and cross-functional project teams.
• Fluent in English, both written and spoken.
• Capable of managing multiple projects' priorities and deadlines simultaneously.