Senior Planning Engineer

KEO International Consultants; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

KEO International Consultants in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, seeks a Senior Planning Engineer to lead project programmes from inception to delivery. You will work closely with the Project Director and team to ensure schedules meet objectives, resources, and client expectations.

The role requires extensive Primavera P6 expertise, strong analytical ability, and proven track record on major projects within a PMC/consultancy environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or related discipline.
• 10+ years of relevant planning and scheduling experience.
• Proven experience as a Senior Planning Engineer on major construction or development projects in a PMC/consultancy environment.
• Advanced proficiency in Primavera P6.
• Strong knowledge of planning and scheduling methodologies, baseline management, progress measurement, critical path analysis, and schedule forecasting.

Responsibilities

• Developing, maintaining, and monitoring detailed project programmes in line with project requirements and approved delivery strategies.
• Working closely with the Project Director, Project Controls Manager, consultants, contractors, and project teams to ensure effective planning and programme management.
• Preparing and maintaining baseline, current, and recovery programmes using Primavera P6.
• Reviewing contractor programmes, schedules, and progress updates to ensure they are realistic, achievable, and aligned with project objectives.
• Monitoring actual progress against the approved baseline programme and identifying delays, slippages, critical activities, and potential impacts on project completion.
• Performing critical path analysis and providing recommendations to mitigate delays and protect key project milestones.
• Reviewing contractor progress, productivity, resources, and planned versus actual performance.
• Preparing regular progress reports, dashboards, look-ahead programmes, and other planning deliverables for the project management team and client.
• Supporting the preparation and implementation of recovery and acceleration programmes where required.
• Coordinating with design, procurement, commercial, construction, and other project disciplines to ensure programme activities are properly integrated.
• Reviewing programme updates and assessing the impact of changes, variations, delays, and other project events on the overall schedule.
• Supporting the Project Controls Manager with schedule risk analysis, forecasting, progress measurement, and performance reporting.
• Reviewing contractor claims and extension-of-time submissions from a planning and programme perspective and providing supporting analysis as required.
• Maintaining accurate records of programme updates, progress data, key milestones, delays, and schedule changes.
• Participating in progress and coordination meetings and providing clear updates on programme status, critical activities, and areas requiring management attention.
• Identifying potential programme risks and working with the project team to develop appropriate mitigation measures.
• Ensuring consistency and integration between the project programme, procurement activities, design deliverables, construction activities, and project controls.
• Providing planning and scheduling guidance to junior team members and supporting the development of the project planning function.
• Ensuring compliance with KEO policies, procedures, quality standards, and client requirements.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Problem-solving

Communication skills

Stakeholder management

Scheduling knowledge

Project coordination

Leadership

Attention to detail

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or related discipline

Tools

Primavera P6

Power BI

Job description

Overview

KEO is a creative enterprise, where innovation is a way of life. We are uniquely resourced with end-to-end services to take clients from inspiration – through conceptualization – to realization of planning, design or project delivery in the built and natural environments. For over 60 years we’ve led with vision, contributing to many of the world’s most ambitious projects, iconic places, remarkable experiences and prosperous communities.

As a highly integrated and agile AEP/PMCM firm, KEO is recognized by ENR as one of the Top 225 International Design Firms and one of the Top 20 International PM/CM Firms. We are also ranked by World Architecture as the 57th largest global architecture firm and the #1 Firm in the Middle East Region in their 2023 WA100 Survey.

We invite you to join us. Why?

When you join KEO, you’ll discover more than just a job – you’ll find a supportive environment that fosters your professional development through internal global mobility and career development and does so within a culture that supports company-wide health and well-being through on-demand counselling services and regular workplace clinics. You will be invited to celebrate community events such as sports days, fun-runs, in-house sports teams and beach clean ups. In addition to your competitive package and benefits you will have access to a suite of policies that include hybrid working arrangements, individual athletic sponsorship, study assistance sponsorship, employee referral rewards, mentoring and coaching programs and extensive in-house on demand learning courses.

Responsibilities

Our newest opportunity is for a talented Senior Planning Engineer to join our team based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

We envisage success in this role to include:

• Developing, maintaining, and monitoring detailed project programmes in line with project requirements and approved delivery strategies.
• Working closely with the Project Director, Project Controls Manager, consultants, contractors, and project teams to ensure effective planning and programme management.
• Preparing and maintaining baseline, current, and recovery programmes using Primavera P6.
• Reviewing contractor programmes, schedules, and progress updates to ensure they are realistic, achievable, and aligned with project objectives.
• Monitoring actual progress against the approved baseline programme and identifying delays, slippages, critical activities, and potential impacts on project completion.
• Performing critical path analysis and providing recommendations to mitigate delays and protect key project milestones.
• Reviewing and analysing contractor progress, productivity, resources, and planned versus actual performance.
• Preparing regular progress reports, dashboards, look-ahead programmes, and other planning deliverables for the project management team and client.
• Supporting the preparation and implementation of recovery and acceleration programmes where required.
• Coordinating with design, procurement, commercial, construction, and other project disciplines to ensure programme activities are properly integrated.
• Reviewing programme updates and assessing the impact of changes, variations, delays, and other project events on the overall schedule.
• Supporting the Project Controls Manager with schedule risk analysis, forecasting, progress measurement, and performance reporting.
• Reviewing contractor claims and extension-of-time submissions from a planning and programme perspective and providing supporting analysis as required.
• Maintaining accurate records of programme updates, progress data, key milestones, delays, and schedule changes.
• Participating in progress and coordination meetings and providing clear updates on programme status, critical activities, and areas requiring management attention.
• Identifying potential programme risks and working with the project team to develop appropriate mitigation measures.
• Ensuring consistency and integration between the project programme, procurement activities, design deliverables, construction activities, and project controls.
• Providing planning and scheduling guidance to junior team members and supporting the development of the project planning function.
• Ensuring compliance with KEO policies, procedures, quality standards, and client requirements.

Qualifications

To be successful in this dynamic opportunity, we envision that your career journey to date will include

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.
• 10+ years of relevant professional experience, with significant experience in planning and scheduling.
• Proven experience as a Senior Planning Engineer, Senior Planner, Planning Manager, or similar role on major construction or development projects.
• Strong experience working within a PMC/consultancy environment is highly desirable.
• Advanced proficiency in Primavera P6.
• Strong knowledge of planning and scheduling methodologies, baseline management, progress measurement, critical path analysis, and schedule forecasting.
• Experience reviewing and challenging contractor programmes and schedule updates.
• Experience preparing recovery programmes, look-ahead schedules, progress reports, and schedule narratives.
• Good understanding of delay analysis, extension-of-time assessments, change management, and schedule impact analysis.
• Experience coordinating programmes across multiple disciplines, including design, procurement, construction, and commissioning.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify programme risks and recommend practical mitigation strategies.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to present complex programme information clearly to senior management and clients.
• Experience with Power BI or other project controls/reporting tools would be advantageous.
• Previous experience working on major projects in Saudi Arabia is highly desirable.
• Knowledge of Saudi Arabian project delivery practices and requirements would be an advantage.