Project Controls / Planning Manager

About the Role

WSP Middle East is seeking an experienced Project Controls / Planning Manager to join its supervision team. This full-time role is based in Jeddah or King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia, and involves working on a major infrastructure development. The project scope includes roads, potable water, firefighting, gas distribution, stormwater, sewerage, power distribution, street lighting, telecommunications, irrigation, and landscaping.

Role Overview

The Project Controls / Planning Manager will lead programme management, schedule control, progress measurement, reporting, and risk monitoring. The position requires coordination across various contractors and stakeholders to ensure project objectives are met efficiently and in compliance with contractual requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead project controls, planning, scheduling, progress measurement, forecasting, and reporting; establish and maintain the controls framework and systems.
• Develop and maintain the integrated master programme using Primavera P6; review contractor baseline, recovery, revised, and updated schedules.
• Monitor progress against baselines, milestones, contract dates, and KPIs; identify critical activities, risks, delays, and emerging issues.
• Analyse variances and recommend mitigation, recovery, and acceleration measures; prepare weekly and monthly reports, dashboards, presentations, and summaries.
• Coordinate package interfaces and dependencies; lead planning and progress meetings with clients, contractors, consultants, and project teams.
• Review resource loading, productivity, procurement schedules, material tracking, and construction sequencing; maintain consistent progress measurement and reporting.
• Support extension-of-time submissions, delay events, claims, variations, schedule impact assessments, and forensic delay analysis.
• Monitor programme risks and incorporate mitigation measures into schedules; support cost control, earned value, cash-flow forecasting, and change control.
• Advise the Project Director and senior management on programme performance and risks; lead and mentor planning and project controls personnel.
• Ensure compliance with contractual requirements, WSP procedures, client standards, and project reporting protocols.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.
• At least 15 years of relevant project planning and project controls experience.
• Strong experience with an engineering consultancy, supervision consultant, PMC, or project management consultancy.
• Project controls experience on major roads, utilities, infrastructure, or land-development projects, including managing multiple packages and interfaces.
• Strong working knowledge of Primavera P6 and relevant planning and reporting applications.
• Thorough understanding of critical-path analysis, progress measurement, resource loading, earned value, forecasting, and schedule risk analysis.
• Experience reviewing baseline programmes, recovery schedules, extension-of-time submissions, and contractor claims.
• Knowledge of construction methods and programme requirements for roads, wet and dry utilities, power, telecom, and landscaping.
• Saudi Arabia or wider GCC experience is strongly preferred.
• PMP, PMI-SP, PSP, or equivalent relevant professional certification is advantageous.

Required Skills

• Strong reporting and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated leadership abilities.
• Effective stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to communicate risks clearly to senior management and clients.

Application Process

Candidates meeting the specified requirements are encouraged to apply.