Project Controls / Planning Manager

About the Role

WSP Middle East is seeking a Project Controls / Planning Manager to join the supervision team for a major infrastructure development in King Abdullah Economic City, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. This full-time role involves leading the project controls and planning function across multiple infrastructure packages, ensuring effective program management and coordination.

Project Context

The project focuses on construction supervision for extensive infrastructure, including road networks, potable water, firefighting systems, gas distribution, stormwater management, sewerage, power distribution, street lighting, telecommunications, irrigation, and landscaping. The successful candidate will be responsible for schedule control, progress measurement, reporting, and risk monitoring across contractors and project stakeholders in cities such as King Abdullah Economic City, Jeddah, and Makkah.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead project controls, planning, scheduling, progress measurement, forecasting, and reporting activities.
• Establish and maintain the overall project controls framework, procedures, systems, and reporting requirements.
• Develop, review, and maintain the integrated master program using Primavera P6.
• Monitor actual progress against approved baselines, milestones, contractual dates, and key performance indicators.
• Identify critical and near-critical activities, schedule risks, delays, and emerging program issues, recommending mitigation and recovery measures.
• Prepare weekly and monthly progress reports, dashboards, presentations, and management summaries.
• Coordinate program interfaces and dependencies across different construction packages.
• Lead planning and progress meetings with the client, contractors, consultants, and project teams.
• Support the assessment of extension-of-time submissions, delay events, claims, and variations.
• Provide regular advice to the Project Director and senior management on program performance and potential risks.
• Lead and mentor planners, schedulers, and project controls personnel.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 15 years of relevant experience in project planning and project controls.
• Strong experience with an engineering consultancy, supervision consultant, PMC, or project management consultancy.
• Demonstrable project controls experience on major roads, utilities, infrastructure, or land-development projects, including managing multiple construction packages.
• Strong working knowledge of Primavera P6 and other 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 programs, recovery schedules, extension-of-time submissions, and contractor claims.
• Knowledge of construction methodologies and program requirements for roads, wet utilities, dry utilities, power, telecom, and landscaping works.
• Previous experience in Saudi Arabia or the wider GCC is strongly preferred.
• PMP, PMI-SP, PSP, or an equivalent relevant professional certification would be advantageous.

Required Skills

• Strong reporting and analytical skills.
• Demonstrated leadership and stakeholder-management skills.
• Ability to lead planning meetings and communicate program risks clearly to senior management and clients.

Work Environment

This is a full-time position based in the Makkah region, specifically supporting a major infrastructure development in King Abdullah Economic City, Saudi Arabia. The role requires coordination across various project teams and stakeholders in a dynamic construction environment.