Planning Manager - High Rise Building Project

Job description:

Job Description: Planning Manager (High-Rise)

Location: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Main Contractor / Tier-1 Construction

Reporting to: Project Director / Corporate Planning Head

Role Objective

The Planning Manager leads the entire project control function. Your goal is to ensure the project's Master Programme is robust, contractually sound, and serves as a tool for proactive decision-making. You are the primary authority on project status, forensic delay analysis, and resource optimization for the high-rise development.

Key Responsibilities

• Strategic Programming: Oversee the development of the Baseline Schedule, ensuring it integrates MEP, Facade, and Fit-out sequences with the structural core-and-slab cycle.
• Forensic Delay Analysis: Lead the identification of project delays. Use advanced techniques (Time Impact Analysis, As-Built vs. As-Planned) to substantiate Extension of Time (EOT) claims.
• Risk Management: Conduct What-If scenarios and Monte Carlo Simulations to predict the probability of hitting key milestones (e.g., Podium Completion, Roof Top-out).
• Executive Reporting: Transform complex P6 data into high-level dashboards for the Client and Board of Directors, highlighting critical risks and mitigation strategies.
• Resource Management: Validate that the Construction Manager's resource plan (labor/machinery) matches the schedule's requirements to prevent bursts or idleness.
• Contractual Protection: Ensure all project delays are formally notified in accordance with FIDIC (or specific contract) notice periods to protect the company's legal position.
• Inter-departmental Liaison: Bridge the gap between Procurement (long-lead items), Engineering (shop drawings), and Site (execution) to ensure no department creates a bottleneck.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline. A Master's in Construction Management or an MBA is highly preferred.
• Experience:
• Minimum 12–15 years of overall construction experience
• Minimum 10 years of experience in Planning / Project Controls
• Minimum 5 years of UAE/GCC experience, with UAE project experience strongly preferred
• Minimum 3–5 years of experience as a Planning Manager, preferably supported by previous Senior Planning Engineer / Project Controls experience
• Proven experience in High-Rise Building projects of 30 floors or above is mandatory, with super high-rise residential tower experience strongly preferred
• Direct experience leading the planning team on at least two iconic High-Rise/Mega-projects in the UAE.
• Deep expertise in Forensic Planning and claims support.
• Software & Technical:
• Expertise in Primavera P6 Enterprise and Primavera Risk Analysis.
• Advanced knowledge of Power BI or Tableau for project dashboards.
• Strong understanding of BIM 4D/5D integration.Core Competencies
• Strategic Foresight: The ability to predict a delay six months in advance based on current procurement or authority approval trends.
• Assertiveness: The confidence to tell a Project Director when a deadline is unrealistic and needs a radical change in strategy.
• Commercial/Legal Acumen: A strong understanding of the financial and legal consequences of every day added to the schedule.
• Leadership: Managing and mentoring a team of Planning Engineers and Data Analysts.