Associate Director Planning (Project Controls) – Energy & Natural Resources

Overview

As Associate Director Planning (Project Controls), you lead planning and scheduling across major programmes, driving robust controls practices and delivery outcomes. You’ll set strategic direction, mentor teams, and strengthen client relationships while shaping integrated schedules and performance insights. Your work supports informed decision-making and business development within a fast-paced, multidisciplinary environment. This role offers impact at scale, advancing planning maturity and project success.

Pay / Benefits

• flexible working environment
• focus on work-life balance
• inclusive workplace and equal opportunity employer

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic leadership for Planning and Project Controls across a portfolio of major programmes and projects
• Lead and develop high-performing Planning and Project Controls teams with coaching and career development
• Establish governance frameworks for planning, scheduling, and project controls
• Oversee integrated schedules with critical path, resource planning, forecasting and performance measurement
• Advise clients and senior stakeholders with strategic planning and performance recommendations
• Lead schedule management, progress monitoring, change control, risk management, EVM and performance reporting
• Proactively identify risks and opportunities and implement mitigation strategies
• Manage resource planning across multiple commissions to support growth and delivery
• Deliver clear reporting on project performance and schedule health to clients and leadership
• Collaborate with project management, cost, commercial, risk and engineering teams for integrated controls
• Support business development including bids, proposals, and framework opportunities
• Build strong client relationships as the senior planning and project controls contact
• Champion innovation, digital tools and continuous improvement in planning capabilities
• Contribute to departmental strategy, objectives and service standards
• Foster an inclusive, high-performance culture across the planning community

Key requirements

• Extensive Planning and Project Controls leadership experience on major capital projects
• Subject matter expert in planning and scheduling across full project lifecycle
• Strong communicator with ability to influence senior stakeholders and lead teams
• Eligible for BPSS security clearance
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, project management, construction management, or related discipline
• Experience leading planning teams on major projects
• Expert in Primavera P6 with governance, critical path, resource loading, progress measurement, reporting
• Experience implementing project controls frameworks, methodologies and reporting standards
• Knowledge of lifecycle management, schedule risk analysis, and integrated project performance management
• Client relationship management and senior stakeholder engagement at Director/Executive level
• Understanding of governance, change management, EVM, and project assurance practices
• Analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities with data-to-insights translation
• Experience mentoring multidisciplinary teams and developing planning professionals
• Excellent verbal and written communication; confident in presenting to senior audiences
• Commercial awareness with experience supporting bids, frameworks and service growth
• Adaptable to complex, fast-paced environments with multiple priorities
• Commitment to continuous improvement and best practices in Planning and Project Controls
• Desirable: professional accreditation (APM/PMI/AACE/CIOB) and experience with schedule risk tools
• Desirable: nuclear/energy/infrastructure/defence/rail capital project experience

• leadership and people development
• strong communication
• stakeholder management
• Primavera P6
• schedule governance
• critical path analysis

…