Lead Planner

Energise Recruitment Solutions; Dublin; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Energise Recruitment Solutions is seeking a Lead Planner to take ownership of planning, scheduling, and project control across multi‑disciplinary delivery in Ireland. You will lead the planning strategy, develop master baselines, manage risk, and drive project governance with PMs, main contractors, and client representatives.

The role requires senior planning leadership and expert Primavera P6/MS Project skills, with strong EVMS/contractual awareness.

Qualifications

• 3rd level qualification in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Building Services Engineering, Quantity Surveying, or a strong technical trade background with extensive planning experience.
• Proven track record in Lead Planner or Senior Planner roles managing complex multi-disciplinary projects.
• Expert proficiency in Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, and MS Office tools.
• Ability to build master schedules from design and commercial inputs and negotiate schedule parameters with stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Lead development and sign-off of project baseline schedules (P6 / MS Project) across all life cycles.
• Set planning standards, processes, and reporting templates across project delivery teams.
• Oversee contract reviews to identify schedule, milestones, and commercial tracking requirements.
• Drive schedule optimization and lead high-level schedule negotiations with main contractors and clients.
• Develop schedule risk strategies and risk registers to protect targets.
• Maintain governance across labor loading, metrics, S-curves, and budget alignment.
• Provide executive-level EAC analyses for direct and subcontract labor.
• Lead schedule risk management and mitigation strategies.
• Ensure accurate weekly and monthly performance reporting for executive leadership.
• Act as senior escalation point for planning risks and variances.
• Lead, mentor, and develop planning team members.
• Oversee resource allocation within planning to support active projects and tenders.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Risk management

Problem solving

Education

Mechanical Engineering degree

Electrical Engineering degree

Building Services Engineering degree

Quantity Surveying degree

Technical trade background with planning experience

Tools

Primavera P6

MS Project

MS Office

Job description

We are seeking a Lead Planner to take overall ownership of the planning, scheduling, and project control function across multi-disciplined, multi-sector project delivery.

In this key leadership role, you will lead the planning strategy, oversee the development of master baseline schedules, manage project risk and commercial alignment, and drive project control standards across our portfolio. You will act as the primary planning authority for Project Managers, Commercial leads, Main Contractors, and Client representatives, while managing and developing the planning team.

Key Leadership & Operational Responsibilities

• Lead the development, integration, and final sign-off of project baseline schedules (P6 / MS Project) across all project life cycles (bid support, pre-construction, execution, commissioning).
• Set planning standards, processes, and reporting templates across project delivery teams.
• Oversee contract reviews to identify key schedule, milestones, and commercial tracking requirements.
• Drive schedule optimization and build methodologies, taking a lead role in high‑level schedule negotiations with Main Contractors and Clients.
• Develop schedule risk strategies, including pinch‑point identification and risk registers, to protect commercial and operational targets.
• Maintain overarching governance across labor loading, metrics, S‑curves, and commercial budget alignment.
• Evaluate package progress and efficiency (direct and subcontract), providing executive‑level "Estimate at Completion" analysis on labor man‑hour spend.
• Lead schedule risk management, performing critical path and delay evaluations to proactively drive mitigation and recovery strategies.
• Ensure accurate weekly and monthly performance reporting, including drop‑line schedules, lookaheads, and progress dashboards for executive leadership.
• Act as the senior point of escalation for planning risks, commercial variances, and schedule impacts.
• Lead, mentor, and manage project planners and junior team members, ensuring high standards of delivery and consistency in reporting.
• Oversee resource allocation within the planning function to support active projects and tender submissions.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Education: 3rd level qualification in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Building Services Engineering, Quantity Surveying, or a strong technical trade background coupled with extensive planning experience.
• Experience: Proven track record in a Lead Planner or Senior Planner capacity managing complex, multi‑disciplined construction or engineering builds.
• Software Mastery: Expert proficiency in Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, and MS Office tools.
• Core Capabilities: Demonstrated ability to build master schedules from design and commercial inputs, manage portfolio‑level schedules, and negotiate complex schedule parameters with external stakeholders.
• Commercial Expertise: Deep understanding of Earned Value Management, labor loading, cost controls, and contract mechanisms (NEC/FIDIC or equivalent).
• Executive‑level communication and stakeholder management skills
• Strong commercial acumen and strategic decision‑making ability
• Leadership, mentoring, and team development capability
• High‑level problem‑solving and risk mitigation expertise