Planning Manager

About the role

The Planning Manager will be responsible for developing, monitoring, and controlling project schedules across all interior design-and-build projects. The role requires close coordination with design, procurement, project execution, vendors, and client stakeholders to ensure project milestones are achieved efficiently.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Planning & Scheduling

- Own and publish comprehensive baseline project schedules for all active design-and-build projects, covering design, procurement, execution, and handover phases.

- Develop detailed, activity-level schedules that clearly identify critical path, dependencies, and float.

- Build master schedules and rolling look-ahead plans that surface risks and constraints weeks in advance, enabling proactive recovery.

- Maintain and update all schedules as actuals roll in, keeping them alive and credible as the project's source of truth.

2. Schedule Monitoring & Control

- Track actual progress against planned schedules on a weekly basis; flag delays, acceleration, and deviations immediately.

- Conduct detailed variance analysis, dig into the why behind every slip: is it design approval, procurement, execution, or resource constraints?

- Produce weekly project status reports and monthly scheduling reviews for management; articulate impact on project delivery dates and cost implications.

- Ensure zero misses on timelines, hold the line on milestones and escalate deviations that threaten delivery.

3. Risk & Recovery Management

- Proactively identify schedule-related risks, design delays, vendor lead times, resource constraints, site conditions, and develop clear mitigation strategies.

- Monitor inter-dependencies between projects and functions to flag conflicts and resource contention early.

4. Cross-Functional Coordination

- Partner closely with Design, Procurement, Execution, and Site teams to understand realistic timelines, identify bottlenecks, and drive schedule alignment.

- Facilitate monthly planning review meetings and weekly progress tracking calls; be the voice for timeline realism and early warning.

- Work with vendors, subcontractors, and suppliers to understand delivery windows and manage external dependencies.

- Support client communication on project timelines, change impact, and schedule recovery plans.

5. Planning Tools & Analytics

- Maintain accurate project records, schedule baselines, change logs, ensuring data integrity and traceability.

- Spot trends and anomalies: unusual delays, recurring bottlenecks, missed forecasts, and bring structured recommendations to close them.

Academic & Professional Qualifications

- Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related field.

- PMP, PRINCE2, or Project Planning certifications are a strong advantage.

Experience

- 6-10 years of hands-on experience in project planning, scheduling, and project controls, not just project support.

- Demonstrated experience managing multiple complex projects simultaneously in design-and-build, commercial interiors or workplace fit-outs.

- Prior exposure to investor-facing or stakeholder reporting roles is valued.

Technical Skills

- Deep, confident command of MS Project.

- Advanced proficiency in MS Excel, dashboards, pivot analysis, data visualization, and dynamic reporting.

- Experience building project dashboards in Power BI, Tableau, or equivalent is a strong differentiator.

- Familiarity with construction methodologies, interior fit-out processes, and project lifecycle management.