Lead Planner

Overview:

The Lead Planner is responsible for managing the planning and scheduling activities for projects, ensuring that project timelines are realistic, achievable, and aligned with overall project objectives.

This role involves the development and maintenance of detailed project schedules, progress monitoring, and reporting to ensure project milestones are met.

The Lead Planner works closely with project managers, engineers, and other stakeholders to optimize project schedules and address any planning issues that may arise.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and maintain detailed project schedules using industry-standard planning tools (e.g., Primavera P6, MS Project).
• Monitor project progress against the schedule, identify potential delays, and propose corrective actions to keep the project on track.
• Coordinate with project teams to collect and validate progress data, ensuring accurate schedule updates and forecasts.
• Prepare and distribute regular progress reports, including schedule performance metrics, critical path analysis, and variance analysis.
• Facilitate planning and scheduling meetings with project teams, contractors, and stakeholders to review schedule status and address any issues.
• Manage schedule change control processes, including assessing the impact of changes on the overall project timeline.
• Develop and implement planning procedures and best practices to ensure consistency and accuracy in project scheduling.
• Perform resource loading and leveling within the schedule to ensure optimal use of resources and alignment with project objectives.
• Support risk management activities by identifying scheduling risks and developing mitigation strategies.
• Ensure that the planning function is aligned with project control processes and reporting requirements.

Education:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field.

Certifications / Specialization / IT Skills:

• Proficient in Primavera P6, MS Project, and other project planning software.
• Certification in Project Planning & Scheduling (e.g., PMI-SP) is preferred.

Years of Experience:

• Minimum 10 years of experience in planning and scheduling within the construction, oil & gas, or EPC industries.

Technical Knowledge:

1. Advanced Scheduling Expertise: Strong knowledge of planning and scheduling principles, critical path analysis, earned value management, and project controls. Proven experience in developing and managing complex project schedules.
2. Project Coordination: Excellent ability to coordinate with multidisciplinary project teams, integrate multiple schedules, and manage interfaces between different project phases and stakeholders.