Planning Manager

Bouygues Construction Australia; Muswellbrook Shire Council; On-site; AUD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Bouygues Construction Australia is seeking a Planning Manager to lead integrated project schedules for utility-scale solar farm projects, ensuring activities from development through handover align with milestones, budget, and project requirements.

You will coordinate inputs from EPCs, subcontractors, and engineering teams; perform critical path and schedule-risk analyses; produce weekly dashboards and progress reports; and mentor junior planners as part of a dedicated project controls team.

Qualifications

• 7+ years planning or project controls experience in major construction, energy, infrastructure, or renewable-energy projects.
• Demonstrable experience in utility-scale solar PV projects or power-sector EPC projects is strongly preferred.
• Strong practical knowledge of project lifecycle activities including design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and grid energisation.
• Experience working with EPC contractors and managing complex, multi-disciplinary schedules.
• Excellent schedule development, analysis, and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage detailed, logic-linked project schedules from development through to commissioning and handover.
• Establish baseline programmes, critical paths, key milestones, resource requirements, and schedule assumptions.
• Integrate schedules across engineering, procurement, civil works, mounting structures, PV module installation, electrical works, substations, transmission lines, grid connection, testing, and commissioning.
• Coordinate planning inputs from EPC contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, engineering teams, and client representatives.
• Monitor project progress against approved baseline schedules; identify delays, trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Prepare short-term look-ahead plans and support site teams in prioritising critical activities.
• Perform critical path, float, resource, and schedule-risk analyses to identify potential impacts on completion dates.
• Develop recovery and mitigation plans where delays or schedule risks are identified.
• Produce weekly and monthly planning reports, dashboards, progress curves, milestone trackers, and executive summaries.
• Support the preparation and assessment of extension-of-time claims, delay analyses, and schedule-related contractual correspondence.
• Ensure planning practices comply with contract requirements, project controls procedures, and reporting standards.
• Work closely with cost control, procurement, construction, HSE, quality, and commissioning teams to ensure integrated project delivery.
• Lead and mentor planners assigned to the project, where applicable.
• Participate in project meetings and present schedule status, risks, recovery actions, and forecast completion dates to senior stakeholders.

Skills

Planning

Project controls

Schedule analysis

Stakeholder management

Multi-disciplinary coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or related

Job description

At Bouygues Construction Australia, we are dedicated to the design, construction, and delivery of nation shaping projects across civil infrastructure, engineering, and energy and services.

We have proudly been working in Australia for more than 25 years.

Our local experience in underpinned by significant global expertise and resourcing.

About The Role

The Planning Manager is responsible for developing, maintaining, monitoring, and reporting integrated project schedules for utility-scale solar farm projects. The role ensures that engineering, procurement, construction, grid connection, commissioning, and handover activities are planned, coordinated, and delivered in line with contractual milestones, budget objectives, and project requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and manage detailed, logic-linked project schedules from development through to commissioning and handover.
• Establish baseline programmes, critical paths, key milestones, resource requirements, and schedule assumptions.
• Integrate schedules across engineering, procurement, civil works, mounting structures, PV module installation, electrical works, substations, transmission lines, grid connection, testing, and commissioning.
• Coordinate planning inputs from EPC contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, engineering teams, and client representatives.
• Monitor project progress against approved baseline schedules; identify delays, trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Prepare short-term look-ahead plans and support site teams in prioritising critical activities.
• Perform critical path, float, resource, and schedule‑risk analyses to identify potential impacts on completion dates.
• Develop recovery and mitigation plans where delays or schedule risks are identified
• Produce weekly and monthly planning reports, dashboards, progress curves, milestone trackers, and executive summaries.
• Support the preparation and assessment of extension‑of‑time claims, delay analyses, and schedule‑related contractual correspondence.
• Ensure planning practices comply with contract requirements, project controls procedures, and reporting standards.
• Work closely with cost control, procurement, construction, HSE, quality, and commissioning teams to ensure integrated project delivery.
• Lead and mentor planners assigned to the project, where applicable.
• Participate in project meetings and present schedule status, risks, recovery actions, and forecast completion dates to senior stakeholders.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.
• Typically, 7+ years of planning or project controls experience in major construction, energy, infrastructure, or renewable‑energy projects.
• Demonstrable experience in utility‑scale solar PV projects, renewable‑energy projects, or power‑sector EPC projects is strongly preferred.
• Strong practical knowledge of project lifecycle activities, including design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and grid energisation.
• Experience working with EPC contractors and managing complex, multi‑disciplinary schedules.
• Excellent schedule development, analysis, and reporting skills.
• Strong commercial and contractual awareness.
• Ability to interpret engineering, construction, and procurement information.
• Highly organised, analytical, and detail‑oriented, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
• Effective stakeholder‑management and communication skills.

Bouygues Construction Australia values diversity and welcomes applications from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians.