Position Summary
We are seeking an experienced Senior Planning Engineer / Planning Manager to lead the planning, scheduling, and production coordination of structural steel and pre-engineered building (PEB) projects. The successful candidate will be responsible for ensuring projects are delivered on time through effective planning, close coordination with engineering, procurement, production, quality, logistics, and site teams.
Candidates with proven experience in factory operations, production planning, and productivity improvement will be highly preferred.
Key Responsibilities:Project Planning & Scheduling
- Develop integrated project schedules from engineering through procurement, fabrication, painting, and delivery.
- Prepare baseline schedules, recovery plans, and revised programs.
- Monitor critical paths and identify schedule risks.
- Track planned vs. actual progress and recommend corrective actions.
- Prepare weekly and monthly progress reports for management and clients.
- Coordinate delivery priorities according to project milestones.
Production Planning
- Convert project schedules into detailed production plans.
- Plan fabrication sequences for:
- Cutting
- Drilling
- Assembly
- Welding
- Surface Preparation
- Painting
- Dispatch
- Balance workload across work centers.
- Optimize machine and labor utilization.
- Coordinate material availability with procurement and stores.
Coordination
- Coordinate daily with:
- Engineering
- Procurement
- Production
- Quality
- Logistics
- Project Management
- Ensure shop drawings, material availability, and production priorities are aligned.
Productivity Improvement
(Highly Desirable)Candidates with operations experience should also be able to:
- Analyze production bottlenecks.
- Improve factory throughput.
- Reduce waiting times between operations.
- Improve labor productivity.
- Improve machine utilization.
- Implement Lean Manufacturing principles.
- Improve Overall Equipment Effectiveness (OEE).
- Reduce rework and production waste.
- Develop production KPIs and dashboards.
Reporting
Prepare and maintain reports including:
- Weekly production reports
- Project progress reports
- Look-ahead schedules
- Delay analysis
- Productivity reports
- Capacity planning reports
- Material requirement reports
- Fabrication progress tracking
- Delivery forecasts
RequirementsEducation
- Bachelor's Degree in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or equivalent.
Experience
- Minimum 8–12 years experience in structural steel fabrication.
- At least 5 years planning structural steel or PEB projects.
- Experience in medium to large fabrication facilities.
- Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously.
Technical Knowledge
Must have strong knowledge of:
- Structural steel fabrication processes
- Pre-Engineered Building (PEB) manufacturing
- Fabrication workflow
- Welding processes
- Surface preparation and painting
- Material flow within fabrication facilities
- Production capacity planning
- Procurement planning
- Logistics and shipping coordination
Software Skills
Proficiency in:
- Primavera P6 (preferred)
- Microsoft Project
- Microsoft Excel (Advanced)
- Power BI (preferred)
- ERP systems (Odoo, SAP, Oracle, or equivalent)
- Tekla Structures production workflow (preferred)
Preferred Qualifications
Candidates possessing one or more of the following will be given preference:
- Experience managing fabrication shop floor operations.
- Strong knowledge of Lean Manufacturing.
- Experience implementing productivity improvement initiatives.
- Knowledge of Theory of Constraints (TOC).
- Experience with production scheduling software.
- Understanding of KPI development and performance management.
- Familiarity with ISO 9001 quality management systems.
- Experience establishing capacity planning and resource planning systems.
Key Competencies
- Excellent planning and organizational skills.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
- Leadership and decision-making skills.
- Excellent communication and coordination.
- Ability to work under pressure and manage multiple priorities.
- Strong commercial awareness of project schedules and delivery commitments.
- Continuous improvement mindset.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- On-time project delivery.
- Schedule adherence.
- Production plan adherence.
- Fabrication throughput.
- Labor productivity.
- Machine utilization (OEE).
- Engineering-to-production lead time.
- Material availability before production.
- Reduction in production delays.
- Reduction in idle time.
- Percentage of work completed as planned.
- Accuracy of production forecasting.
- Reduction in schedule slippage.
- Client delivery performance.
- Continuous improvement initiatives successfully implemented.
Preferred Industry Background
Candidates should have demonstrable experience in one or more of the following sectors:
- Structural Steel Fabrication
- Pre-Engineered Buildings (PEB)
- Heavy Steel Structures
- Industrial Buildings
- Commercial Steel Construction
- Oil & Gas Steel Fabrication
- Power & Infrastructure Steel Projects
Ideal Candidate Profile
An experienced planning professional who not only excels at project scheduling and production planning but also understands how a steel fabrication factory operates. The ideal candidate can bridge project planning with shop floor execution, using data-driven decision-making to maximize productivity, optimize resource utilization, and ensure reliable on-time delivery.
