Cost Control & Planning Manager

gu-recruitment; Muscat; On-site; OMR 48,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

gu-recruitment seeks a Cost Control & Planning Manager to lead integration of planning, scheduling and cost management for a portfolio of active projects in construction and renewable energy.

The role requires established expertise in Primavera P6, MS Project and Earned Value metrics, with substantial leadership experience across multi-project environments in the Middle East region.

Qualifications

• Minimum 10 years of progressive experience in construction project controls spanning planning, scheduling and cost control.
• 5+ years in a senior or managerial project controls role with direct team management.
• Experience on renewable energy projects (Wind/Solar PV) above 100 MW is preferred.
• Experience with Owners, EPC contractors or international engineering consultancies.

Responsibilities

• Lead integrated project controls across all active projects in construction and renewables.
• Develop, review and approve baseline schedules up to Level 4 in Primavera P6 and MS Project.
• Own budgets, cash flow forecasts and CBS; report Earned Value metrics (EAC/ETC/CPI/SPI).
• Prepare executive-level status dashboards and contribute to dispute resolution and risk mitigation.

Skills

Primavera P6

MS Project

Excel

EVM / CPI / SPI

Cost Control

Forecasting

Risk Analysis

Look-ahead Planning

Tools

Primavera P6

MS Project

Excel

Job description

Job Purpose-

This document defines the minimum and preferred recruitment requirements for hiring a Cost Control & Planning Manager responsible for the integrated planning, scheduling and cost management of all active projects within the construction department, including utility-scale renewable energy projects (Wind and Solar PV) and industrial/commercial construction.

Integrated Project Controls Leadership

Establish, maintain and enforce project controls procedures, standards and reporting frameworks across all construction and renewable energy projects. Oversee and unify the planning and cost control teams, ensuring full alignment between project schedules, resource plans and budget forecasts. Act as the primary escalation point for planning and cost-related disputes, delays, overruns and contractual control issues. Drive a project controls culture across the construction department, ensuring consistent methodology and data quality from all project teams. Ensure all project controls deliverables align with Owner requirements, contract obligations and company standards.

Master Scheduling & Progress Management

Develop, review and approve baseline schedules at Level 1 through Level 4 in Primavera P6 and MS Project for all active projects. Ensure resource- and cost-loaded schedules are properly integrated with budget forecasts and procurement plans. Monitor critical path, total float, schedule performance index (SPI) and progress metrics across the full portfolio on a rolling basis. Direct forensic delay analysis including Time Impact Analysis (TIA), Windows Analysis and As-Planned vs. As-Built methodology for dispute resolution and claims preparation. Review schedule recovery plans and acceleration programmes proposed by contractors or internal project teams. Ensure that planning engineers maintain live, accurate schedules with progress updates, logic integrity and alignment with actual site conditions.

Financial Oversight & Cost Control

Own the project budget framework: approve project budgets, cash flow forecasts, cost breakdown structures (CBS) and financial cost models. Validate and report Earned Value Management (EVM) metrics including Estimate at Completion (EAC), Estimate to Complete (ETC), Cost Performance Index (CPI), Schedule Performance Index (SPI) and budget variance analysis. Mandate and follow up on corrective actions where cost or schedule deviations exceed agreed thresholds. Lead cost benchmarking exercises for labour, materials and subcontractors across Wind, Solar PV and construction scopes. Identify and drive cost-saving and value engineering opportunities without compromising schedule, quality or contractual obligations. Prepare, review and present monthly cost reports and financial forecasts for executive and senior management.

Claims, Variations & Contract Compliance

Supervise and technically lead preparation of Extension of Time (EOT) claims, variation orders and disruption analyses. Ensure timely submission of interim payment applications, milestone certificates and client certifications in accordance with contract provisions. Review all contractual correspondence related to schedule and cost matters to protect company interests. Maintain a comprehensive variation register and ensure all scope changes are formally notified, quantified and approved before execution. Coordinate with the legal and contracts team on claims strategy, dispute resolution and contractual risk mitigation.

Risk & Change Management

Maintain a consolidated risk register covering schedule and cost exposures across all projects, with regular review and update cycles. Evaluate and approve mitigation strategies for identified risks including delays, overruns, procurement delays and scope changes. Lead change impact assessments to support client negotiations, variation pricing and schedule adjustment submissions. Provide quantified risk analysis input to management decision-making, including Monte Carlo or equivalent probabilistic methods where required.

Executive Reporting & Stakeholder Management

Prepare and present executive-level status reports and dashboards integrating schedule performance, cost performance, earned value, risk and forecast data across all projects. Deliver concise, visually clear management presentations to senior leadership covering project health, financial forecast, recovery actions and decision points. Advise senior management proactively on recovery plans, acceleration strategies and financial forecasts before issues escalates. Liaise directly with clients, consultants, Owner’s Engineers and EPC contractors on all project controls matters. Represent the construction department in Owner and client project review meetings as the project controls authority.

Requirements General Experience

• Minimum 10 years of progressive professional experience in construction project controls, combining planning/scheduling and cost control functions.
• Minimum 5 years in a senior or managerial project controls role with direct team management responsibility.
• Minimum 5 years of direct experience on renewable energy projects, specifically Wind and/or Solar PV projects above 100 MW.
• Proven experience managing project controls across multiple simultaneous projects within a construction or EPC environment.
• Experience working with Owners, Owner’s Engineers, EPC contractors, IPPs or international engineering consultants.

Sector-Specific Experience

• Utility-scale renewable energy projects: Wind farm or Solar PV construction planning, cost control and commissioning phase controls.
• Industrial or commercial construction projects: factory, processing plant, large infrastructure or commercial development.
• Full project lifecycle coverage: from pre-contract baseline programme development through to final account close-out.
• Experience in multi-contract or Owner-managed project delivery environments preferred.
• Experience in Middle East, GCC or equivalent emerging market project environments is advantageous.

Planning & Scheduling

• Advanced Primavera P6: baseline development, resource loading, cost loading, progress update, logic review and schedule compression.
• MS Project: schedule integration, multi-project consolidation and reporting.
• Critical Path Method (CPM), network logic and schedule health analysis.
• Forensic delay analysis: Time Impact Analysis (TIA), Windows Analysis, As-Planned vs. As-Built, Collapsed As-Built.
• Look-ahead programme management (3-week and 6-week rolling programmes).

Cost Control & Financial Management

• Advanced Excel: financial modelling, macros, pivot tables, cost dashboards and automated reporting tools.
• Earned Value Management: EAC, ETC, CPI, SPI, BCWS, BCWP, ACWP and variance analysis.
• Budget preparation, cost breakdown structure (CBS) development and cost forecasting.
• Cash flow modelling and S-curve analysis.
• Subcontractor cost management, invoice verification and payment certification.