Director Planning & Scheduling

GSK; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading global biopharma company is seeking a Director of Planning & Scheduling to lead strategic planning across high-priority capital projects. This role will focus on schedule governance, risk analysis, and stakeholder engagement to ensure timely project delivery. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in project controls, particularly in Planning & Scheduling, and expertise in tools such as Oracle Primavera P6 and MS Project. Strong communication and leadership skills are essential for this pivotal position.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in project controls with leadership roles.
• Expert knowledge of planning tools like Oracle Primavera P6.
• Excellent management and communication skills required.

Responsibilities

• Lead project schedules for large-scale capital projects.
• Oversee schedule risk analysis and establish KPIs.
• Act as functional lead for planning professionals.

Skills

Planning & Scheduling

Stakeholder management

Data analysis

Quantitative risk assessments

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's or master's degree in engineering or related field

MSc or PhD or equivalent professional qualification

Tools

Oracle Primavera P6

MS Project

Oracle Primavera Cloud

Job description

Overview

As Director of Planning & Scheduling within GSK's Project Controls function, you will lead the strategic planning and scheduling efforts across high-priority capital projects. You will ensure robust schedule governance, drive consistency in planning methodologies, and provide expert oversight to ensure projects are delivered on time and within scope. This role is pivotal in shaping the planning culture across GSK's global capital portfolio. This role will directly report to the Head of Project Controls (PC) and will be part of Global project controls leadership, which manages both project-based PC deliveries and functional responsibilities for key processes within GCP.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and implementation of integrated project schedules across large-scale capital projects.
• Ensure alignment with GSK's Project Management Framework (PMF), including tools, templates, and best practices.
• Oversee schedule risk analysis using Monte Carlo simulation and other quantitative methods.
• Benchmark schedule performance and establish KPIs for time-related project metrics.
• Provide expert input into project reviews, health checks, and independent project assessments.
• Ownership and management of schedule management tools such as Primavera P6, MS Project, Oracle Primavera Cloud etc.
• Responsible for Front End Studies Planning and Scheduling and Level 1 schedules.
• Responsible for schedule assurances and independent project reviews (IPRs).

Leadership & Governance

• Act as functional lead for planning professionals across the Global Capital Projects (GCP) portfolio.
• Coach and mentor planning and scheduling staff to build internal capability.
• Drive standardization of planning practices across projects and regions.
• Collaborate closely with cost, risk, and contract leads to ensure integrated project controls.

Stakeholder Engagement

• Interface with project managers, engineering leads, and senior executives to ensure schedule transparency and accountability.
• Present schedule performance insights and schedule trend analysis to GCP Leadership teams.
• Support change management processes by assessing schedule impacts of scope changes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or master's degree in engineering, Project Management, or related field.
• Extensive years of experience in project controls, with significant leadership in Planning & Scheduling, quantitative schedule risk assessments, and schedule assurance.
• Expert knowledge of planning tools such as Oracle Primavera P6, Oracle Primavera Cloud, MS Project etc.
• Strong senior stakeholder management and influencing capabilities.
• Proficiency in data analysis, statistical analysis, and report preparation.
• MSc or PhD or other Chartered / Professional Qualification in a relevant discipline.
• Excellent management, communication and interpersonal skills, with comfort cooperating with individuals internally and externally at all organisational levels.
• Understanding of how different functions interface on GSK projects.
• Solid knowledge of GSK project process, user requirement management, quality and compliance requirements, site project completion and pre-start processes, and how these impact engineering and design, construction, commissioning, and qualification contracts.
• Familiar with the GCP Project Management Framework (PMF), relevant engineering standards and compliance requirements as well as Quality Management Systems.
• PMP (Project Management Professional) or PMI-SP (Scheduling Professional) or Lean Six Sigma or similar process improvement credentials.

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases - to impact health at scale. People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we're committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

Equal Employment Opportunity

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.