Project Planner

Thales; Queenstown; On-site; NZD 150,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Thales is seeking a Senior Project Planner to lead planning, scheduling, and progress-tracking for flagship engineering and construction programmes. You will own the IMS in Primavera P6, manage baselines, run CPM analyses and risk reviews, and coordinate cross-border data to deliver integrated schedules across three entities.

You will drive Earned Value Management metrics, ensure data integrity, and deliver executive dashboards and variance analyses for joint-venture boards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of planning/scheduling experience in large-scale infrastructure, oil & gas, mining, or civil engineering projects (valued at $100M+).
• Proficiency in Primavera P6 (EPPM/PPM) and MS Project; advanced Excel macros/VBA; data visualization tools (Power BI/Tableau).

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) in Primavera P6 (Levels 1–5).
• Coordinate baseline management, CPM analysis, and risk assessments; lead schedule governance across three entities.
• Produce executive dashboards, S-curves, and variance analyses for leadership and boards.

Skills

Primavera P6

CPM analysis

Earned Value Management

Stakeholder management

Excel macros/VBA

English communication

Schedule risk assessment

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Construction Management

Tools

MS Project

Excel

Power BI/Tableau

Primavera P6 (EPPM/PPM)

Job description

Overview

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Senior Project Planner to lead the planning, scheduling, and progress-tracking efforts for our flagship, large-scale engineering and construction projects. This pivotal role requires knowledge of Primavera P6 but also the ability to coordinate project baselines, resources, and deliverables.

Key Responsibilities

1. Master Schedule Development & Management

• Primavera P6 Leadership: Own the development, logic sequencing, resource loading, and maintenance of the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) in Primavera P6 (Levels 1 through 5).
• Baseline Management: Establish, maintain, and manage changes to the project baseline in accordance with strict change management protocols.
• Critical Path Analysis: Perform regular Critical Path Method (CPM) analysis, Float management, and schedule risk assessments (e.g., Monte Carlo simulations) to proactively identify bottlenecks.

2. Multi-Entity & Cross-Geography Coordination

• Interface Management: Act as the primary planning interface betweenthree separate business entities across varying time zones and cultural landscapes.
• Schedule Integration: Consolidate disparate schedules, sub-projects, and progress data from international partners into one cohesive master network.
• Stakeholder Alignment: Facilitate weekly and monthly cross-border alignment meetings, ensuring all entities understand their interdependencies and near-term milestones.

3. Progress Tracking & Performance Reporting

• Earned Value Management (EVM): Implement and monitor EVM metrics (CPI, SPI, SV, CV) to accurately measure project health and performance.
• Progress Validation: Establish standardized progress measurement rules of credit across all three entities to ensure data integrity and objective reporting.
• Executive Reporting: Prepare high-quality dashboards, S-curves, and variance analysis reports for executive leadership and joint-venture boards.

Required Qualifications & Skills

Technical Expertise

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical field.
• Software Mastery: Proficiency in Primavera P6 (EPPM/PPM). Proficiency in MS Project, Excel (advanced macros/VBA), and data visualization tools (Power BI/Tableau) is highly desirable.
• Experience: More than 5 years of planning/scheduling experience in large-scale infrastructure, oil & gas, mining, or civil engineering projects (valued at $100M+).

Core Competencies

• Geographic & Corporate Navigation: Proven track record of working within Joint Ventures (JVs), consortia, or matrixed organizations spanning multiple countries.
• Communication: Exceptional English verbal and written communication skills, with a proven ability to influence and negotiate with stakeholders who have competing priorities.
• Analytical Thinking: Strong problem-solving skills with the ability to spot trends, anomalies, and schedule risks hidden within massive datasets.

Certifications (Preferred but not mandatory)

• PMI-SP (Scheduling Professional) or PMP (Project Management Professional)