Senior Planning Manager

Description

JASARA PMC is seeking an experienced senior planning manager specializing in stadium and arena projects to join our esteemed program management team. This role focuses on overseeing the planning and scheduling activities specifically for stadium and arena developments, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 initiatives.

The successful candidate will be responsible for managing complex project schedules, coordinating with multidisciplinary teams, identifying potential risks, and ensuring timely delivery aligned with project objectives. The role demands a strong background in large-scale venue construction planning, excellent leadership skills, and the ability to navigate complex program environments.

Responsibilities

• Manages the team’s deliverables through effective leadership by setting individual objectives, managing performance, and developing the team to maximize performance.
• Leads the team in all aspects of planning, cost, resourcing, and risk.
• Supports project management function in delivery/tender, as required, ensuring they are delivered on time and profitably.
• Ensures the team adheres to the schedule management plan, planning processes, and ways of working.
• Improves the provision and quality of services provided to the project teams.
• Leads the improvements of the quality of schedule presentation, information, and documentation.
• Assesses the impacts of design/construction changes and schedule slippages, works with the team to provide solutions.
• Leads communication and collaboration with other teams.
• Manages the integration plans with stakeholders, key interfaces, and others.
• Reviews project progress tracking and reporting and communicates updates to stakeholders, senior management, and board.
• Leads the improvements, ensures optimal project schedule quality, and evaluates reports.
• Briefs the team to ensure that the schedule fundamental principles and details are understood by the team and are transferred to the construction phase of the project.
• Validates baseline/target schedules before submission.
• Manages the planning and scheduling of own work to meet required timelines and outputs.
• Leads the weekly/monthly updating of schedules as design and construction work develops.
• Responds accurately and in a timely manner to team queries regarding the content of the schedule submission.
• Leads the strategic planning exercises with the wider team.
• Assesses inputs in setting up processes and procedures to implement them.
• Identifies key interfaces and manages them efficiently to ensure seamless coordination.
• Leads coordination with commercial function to implement an effective controls system covering budget, cost, reporting, risk, and change management.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree or postgraduate qualification in engineering, architecture, construction management, business management, or relevant field of study.
• Primavera certification (preferred).
• Recognized project management certification (e.g., PMP, PRINCE2).
• 15 years’ related planning/scheduling within construction delivery experience – ideally contractor and consultancy.
• Previous KSA/Middle East experience preferred.
• Foster a culture of flexibility and adaptability in responding to changing business requirements.
• Expertly manages and prioritizes the workload of the team; deadline driven.
• Leverages exceptional written and verbal skills in English to effectively articulate ideas, strategies, and project performance to a range of audiences.
• Leverages in-depth knowledge of enterprise-level management software, such as P6, MS Office (Excel, Word); preferred skills include Power BI.
• Demonstrated leadership skills to set clear goals, motivate teams, and deliver results.
• Excellent leadership skills and the ability to lead the function's direction, specifically endorsing or opposing practices as needed.
• Must have hands-on experience in delivering projects and have a strong technical and commercial working knowledge.
• Significant discipline/industry presence recognized and valued by industry peers as an authority able to work with teams to solve technical problems and achieve a high level of assurance on project deliverables.
• Significant experience required in development, implementation, and management of business systems, including policies and procedures applicable to the role and across the project.
• Ability to perform under pressure and manage multiple priorities effectively.
• Analytical and thorough problem-solving ability.
• Leads team collaboration and cross-department integration collaboratively in a team environment and across multiple departments.
• Able to connect people and issues and drive a quick response.