Planning Director

Role Overview

Strategic Planning and Project Controls

• Lead planning and project controls across multiple major construction projects and establish consistent procedures, reporting standards, KPIs, and control systems.
• Review and approve tender, baseline, master, recovery, and revised programmes, ensuring alignment with milestones, methodology, procurement, design, approvals, and resources.
• Monitor portfolio performance, schedule risks, critical activities, productivity, milestones, float erosion, procurement, and resource utilisation.

High-Rise Programme Management

• Lead planning for complex high-rise and mega building projects from pre-construction through completion and handover.
• Review sequencing for substructure, superstructure, façade, architectural works, MEP integration, testing, commissioning, and handover.
• Coordinate planning requirements across civil, structural, architectural, façade, MEP, procurement, engineering, commercial, and construction teams.

Delay, Recovery, and Claims

• Lead programme-related EOT claims and delay analysis, including review of programme updates, notices, delay events, contemporaneous records, and supporting documentation.
• Develop and monitor mitigation, acceleration, and recovery programmes, evaluating sequencing, shifts, manpower, plant, and subcontractor mobilisation strategies.
• Prepare programme narratives and technical planning submissions supporting contractual claims and assess delays attributable to relevant project parties.

Reporting and Resources

• Prepare executive dashboards, weekly and monthly reports, forecasts, and presentations covering progress, completion dates, risks, delays, recovery measures, and commercial impact.
• Review manpower, equipment, resource curves, subcontractor programmes, planned versus actual deployment, productivity, and cash-flow forecasts.
• Support tender and pre-construction stages by reviewing documents, milestones, logistics, methodology, programme risks, opportunities, and assumptions.

Team Leadership

• Lead, develop, mentor, and assess Planning Managers, Senior Planning Engineers, Planning Engineers, and project control teams.
• Establish clear responsibilities, reporting structures, performance expectations, planning standards, and competency review processes.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering from a recognised university is required.
• A master’s degree in Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline is advantageous.
• PMP, PSP, PMI-SP, or equivalent professional certification is preferred.
• Requires 15–20 years of construction experience, including significant planning and project controls experience and at least 5 years in senior leadership.
• Mandatory experience with a Main Contractor or Tier-1 Construction Contractor and extensive mega high-rise or complex building project experience.
• Multiple-project portfolio management and UAE or GCC construction experience are desirable.

Technical and Leadership Competencies

• Requires expert Primavera P6, high-rise sequencing, CPM scheduling, delay analysis, EOT claims, FIDIC, resource loading, productivity analysis, cash-flow forecasting, and progress measurement knowledge.
• Requires advanced reporting and data analysis capability using Excel and project control or reporting tools; Power BI or similar platforms are advantageous.
• Requires strategic thinking, leadership, commercial and contractual awareness, communication, presentation, decision-making, problem-solving, and stakeholder management skills.