The Planning Director will provide strategic leadership for all planning, scheduling, project controls, progress monitoring, and programme management activities across major civil, building, and high-rise construction projects.
The role is responsible for establishing robust planning systems, ensuring realistic and achievable project programmes, identifying schedule risks at an early stage, leading recovery and mitigation strategies, and providing senior management with accurate and timely information to support project delivery and commercial decision-making.
The successful candidate must have extensive experience working with a Tier-1/Main Contractor on mega high-rise, mixed-use, residential, commercial, hospitality, or large-scale building developments.
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Planning & Project Controls
- Lead the planning and project controls function across multiple major construction projects.
- Establish planning strategies, procedures, reporting standards, KPIs, and project control systems.
- Review and approve tender programmes, baseline programmes, master construction schedules, recovery programmes, and revised programmes.
- Ensure project programmes are fully aligned with contractual milestones, construction methodology, procurement strategy, design deliverables, authority approvals, and resource requirements.
- Provide strategic planning advice to the CEO, Project Directors, Operations Directors, Commercial teams, and senior management.
- Monitor overall portfolio performance and highlight critical schedule risks requiring management intervention.
Mega Project & High-Rise Planning
- Lead planning activities for complex high-rise and mega building projects from pre-construction through final completion and handover.
- Review construction sequencing for substructure, superstructure, façade, architectural works, MEP integration, testing and commissioning, and handover.
- Ensure programmes properly reflect floor cycles, vertical transportation, tower logistics, façade interfaces, long-lead procurement, authority approvals, and commissioning requirements.
- Challenge project teams on productivity assumptions, construction methodology, resource deployment, and achievable completion dates.
- Develop scenario analyses to determine the impact of alternative construction methodologies and acceleration strategies.
Programme Development & Monitoring
- Review and approve detailed programmes prepared using Primavera P6.
- Ensure proper development of WBS, critical path, calendars, activity logic, constraints, milestones, and resource loading.
- Monitor actual progress against approved baseline programmes.
- Analyse schedule variances, critical and near-critical activities, productivity trends, and forecast completion dates.
- Establish and monitor look-ahead programmes and short-term recovery plans.
- Coordinate planning requirements between Civil, Structural, Architectural, Façade, MEP, Procurement, Engineering, Commercial, and Construction teams.
Delay Analysis, EOT & Claims
- Lead programme-related aspects of Extension of Time (EOT) claims and delay analysis.
- Work closely with Contracts and Commercial teams in preparing and defending delay claims.
- Review contemporaneous records, programme updates, notices, delay events, and supporting documentation.
- Lead or supervise delay analysis using recognised methodologies including Time Impact Analysis and Window Analysis.
- Assess delays attributable to the Employer, Consultant, Authorities, subcontractors, and internal project performance.
- Prepare programme narratives and technical planning submissions supporting contractual claims.
- Review EOT submissions prepared by project teams, consultants, or subcontractors.
Recovery & Mitigation
- Identify potential project delays at an early stage and develop appropriate corrective actions.
- Lead the preparation of mitigation, acceleration, and recovery programmes.
- Evaluate alternative sequencing, additional shifts, manpower increases, plant requirements, and subcontractor mobilisation strategies.
- Monitor implementation of recovery programmes and report effectiveness to senior management.
- Conduct schedule risk workshops for projects experiencing significant delay or performance issues.
Reporting & Executive Management
- Prepare high-level portfolio dashboards and executive reports for senior management.
- Present project progress, forecast completion dates, critical issues, delays, risks, and recovery measures during executive management meetings.
- Establish standard weekly and monthly planning reports across all projects.
- Monitor key planning KPIs including schedule performance, milestone achievement, productivity, float erosion, procurement status, and resource utilisation.
- Provide management with reliable forecasts for project completion and associated commercial impact.
Resource & Cash Flow Planning
- Review manpower, equipment, and resource requirements against construction programmes.
- Ensure project resource curves are consistent with programme requirements.
- Coordinate with Finance and Commercial teams on project cash-flow forecasting.
- Monitor planned versus actual manpower deployment and productivity.
- Review subcontractor programmes and ensure alignment with the master programme.
Tender & Pre-Construction Support
- Lead or support planning activities during tender and pre-construction stages.
- Review tender documents, contractual milestones, construction methodology, site logistics, and programme requirements.
- Develop tender programmes for complex high-rise and mega projects.
- Identify programme risks, opportunities, and critical assumptions before contract award.
- Support management in evaluating project duration, resources, construction methodology, and potential schedule exposure.
Team Leadership
- Lead, develop, and mentor Planning Managers, Senior Planning Engineers, Planning Engineers, and Project Control teams.
- Establish clear roles, responsibilities, reporting structures, and performance expectations.
- Ensure consistency in planning standards and reporting across all projects.
- Conduct technical reviews and competency assessments for planning personnel.
- Support recruitment and development of high-calibre planning professionals.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering from a recognised university.
- Master's Degree in Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline is an advantage.
- PMP, PSP, PMI-SP, or equivalent professional certification is preferred.
Experience
- Minimum 15–20 years of overall construction experience, with significant experience in planning and project controls.
- Minimum 5 years in a senior leadership position such as Planning Director, Head of Planning, Project Controls Director, or equivalent.
- Extensive experience delivering mega high-rise and complex building projects.
- Proven experience managing projects with substantial contract values and complex multidisciplinary interfaces.
- Strong experience working for a Main Contractor / Tier-1 Construction Contractor is mandatory.
- Experience managing multiple projects or a major project portfolio is highly desirable.
- Strong UAE/GCC construction experience is preferred.
Technical Competencies
- Expert-level knowledge of Primavera P6.
- Advanced knowledge of construction sequencing and high-rise construction methodologies.
- Strong understanding of Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling.
- Extensive experience in baseline, revised, recovery, mitigation, and acceleration programmes.
- Strong knowledge of delay analysis and EOT claims.
- Good understanding of FIDIC and major construction contract requirements.
- Strong knowledge of resource loading, productivity analysis, cash-flow forecasting, and progress measurement.
- Ability to analyse highly complex programmes and identify schedule risks and opportunities.
- Advanced reporting and data analysis capability using Excel and project control/reporting tools.
- Knowledge of Power BI or similar executive reporting platforms is an advantage.
Leadership Competencies
- Strong strategic and analytical thinking.
- Excellent leadership and team-management capability.
- Strong commercial and contractual awareness.
- Ability to challenge Project Directors and senior project teams constructively.
- Excellent communication and presentation skills.
- Strong decision-making and problem-solving ability.
- Ability to work effectively under pressure on highly demanding mega projects.
- Strong stakeholder-management skills with Clients, Consultants, subcontractors, and senior executives.
Preferred Project Experience
Candidates should demonstrate successful involvement in major projects such as:
- High-rise and super high-rise towers.
- Large mixed-use developments.
- Luxury residential towers.
- Hotels and hospitality developments.
- Commercial and office towers.
- Large-scale residential developments.
- Complex multi-tower developments.
- Mega projects involving significant Civil, Structural, Architectural, Façade, and MEP interfaces.
The ideal candidate will combine deep technical planning expertise, strong construction knowledge, commercial awareness, claims capability, and executive leadership skills, with a proven track record of successfully controlling and recovering complex mega construction programmes.