Planning Manager

Job Description: Planning Manager – Construction & Fit-Out Projects

Location:
Jeddah, Saudi Arabia

Department:
Projects / Planning & Control

Reports To:
Head of Projects / General Manager

Industry:
Construction & Interior Fit-Out

Experience Level:
8–12 Years

Position Overview

We are seeking a highly analytical and experienced
Planning Manager
to lead project planning, scheduling, and performance control across the company's
construction and interior fit-out projects
in Saudi Arabia.

The Planning Manager will be responsible for
developing, monitoring, and controlling project schedules
, ensuring alignment with contractual requirements, cost forecasts, and operational targets. The ideal candidate will combine deep technical expertise in project planning with hands-on experience managing complex timelines, resources, and deliverables in
multi-disciplinary, fast-track environments
.

This is a key leadership role reporting to top management, requiring close coordination with project managers, procurement, estimation, and finance teams to ensure timely and profitable project delivery.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Planning & Scheduling

• Develop
  baseline project schedules
  for construction and fit-out projects using Primavera P6 or MS Project.
• Review project scopes, drawings, and BOQs to accurately plan activities, dependencies, and milestones.
• Define
  critical paths, resource loading, and sequencing
  to optimize execution plans.
• Prepare detailed schedules for design, procurement, manufacturing (for stone, marble, or fit-out components), and installation.

2. Monitoring & Progress Control

• Continuously monitor actual progress against planned timelines, identifying slippages and corrective measures.
• Conduct regular site visits to verify physical progress and update schedules accordingly.
• Generate
  weekly and monthly progress reports
  , including S-curve analysis, progress dashboards, and look-ahead schedules.
• Highlight potential delays and provide
  early-warning alerts
  to management and project teams.

3. Coordination & Cross-Functional Alignment

• Collaborate with procurement, estimation, and operations to integrate supply chain and production lead times into project plans.
• Coordinate with project managers to ensure full understanding of schedule impacts on cost and manpower allocation.
• Support project control meetings with data-driven insights, ensuring all departments are aligned to milestones.

4. Cost & Resource Optimization

• Analyze project resources, productivity rates, and equipment utilization to improve efficiency.
• Support management in
  resource leveling and reallocation
  across multiple ongoing projects.
• Identify opportunities to
  optimize sequencing or reduce idle time
  to enhance project profitability.

5. Reporting & Management Support

• Prepare planning documentation and narrative reports for clients, consultants, and internal management.
• Present schedule forecasts and recovery plans to senior management.
• Support tendering teams with
  planning inputs during bid stage
  , including project timelines, manpower histograms, and methodology statements.

6. Systems, Standards & Continuous Improvement

• Establish standardized project planning and control procedures across all business units.
• Implement planning KPIs to measure project performance, resource utilization, and delivery efficiency.
• Ensure full compliance with company planning protocols and contribute to process improvement initiatives.

Qualifications & Profile

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Architecture, or Construction Management.
• PMP or equivalent certification preferred.

Experience

• 8–12 years of experience
  in project planning and scheduling within the
  construction or interior fit-out industry
  .
• Proven experience using
  Primavera P6
  and/or
  Microsoft Project
  .
• Strong understanding of marble, stone, joinery, or finishing works sequencing preferred.
• Experience in
  KSA or GCC market
  with multi-project portfolio management is an advantage.

Skills & Competencies

• Excellent command of project planning tools (Primavera, MS Project, Excel).
• Solid understanding of project lifecycle, cost control, and resource management.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and reporting skills.
• Effective communicator with leadership presence and cross-departmental coordination ability.
• Fluent in English;
  Arabic speaker is an advantage
  .

Key Attributes

• Proactive and solution-oriented mindset.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.
• High attention to detail and commercial awareness.
• Strong interpersonal and mentoring skills for guiding junior planners.

Additional Information

• Base:
  Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (occasional site travel required).
• Employment Type:
  Full-time, permanent.
• Compensation:
  Competitive salary with performance-based incentives and benefits.
• Career Path:
  Opportunity to progress into
  Head of Planning / Project Controls Manager
  role within the group.