Planning Manager

KBR Technical Services; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

KBR is seeking a Planning Manager to provide independent planning leadership and schedule assurance across the project lifecycle, from FEL/FEED through commissioning and handover. This client-facing governance role emphasizes contractor oversight, schedule integrity, forecast credibility, and interface management to identify delays early.

You will oversee integrated scheduling, progress measurement, and baseline readiness, coordinating with cost, risk, change, procurement, and reporting teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or related field.
• 12+ years of planning on major EPC/EPCM projects.
• Experience overseeing contractor schedules (PMC/owner's team).
• Lifecycle experience from FEL/FEED through handover.
• Advanced Primavera P6 and CPM, EV, risk analysis.
• Strong client-facing facilitation and reporting skills.

Responsibilities

• Define planning governance, coding standards, calendars and reporting.
• Review contractor schedules for alignment with contract strategy.
• Lead baseline readiness reviews and approvals.
• Oversee integrated master schedule and interfaces.
• Validate progress, forecast, and schedule risk analyses.
• Lead planning team and interface with client and contractor.

Skills

Primavera P6

CPM / Earned Value

Schedule risk analysis

Client-facing facilitation

Technical reporting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering / related field

Equivalent experience considered

Tools

Deltek Acumen

Primavera Risk Analysis

Power BI

EcoSys

SAP PS

Job description

Planning Manager

At KBR, We Deliver.

KBR ISA (Integrated Solutions Americas) delivers integrated, end-to-end engineering, procurement, and construction management services to the refining, LNG, midstream, chemicals, petrochemicals, oil and gas, power, and industrial infrastructure sectors. Our focus spans proprietary technology, consulting, and energy transition to complete delivery of major capital projects and programs.

KBR is seeking a Planning Manager who will provide independent planning leadership and schedule assurance on behalf of the client across the project lifecycle, from FEL/FEED through engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover. This is a client-facing governance and assurance role focused on contractor oversight, integrated schedule integrity, forecast credibility, interface management, and early identification of delay.

Functional job responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

Planning Governance & Baseline Assurance

• Define and administer the client's planning and scheduling requirements, governance framework, coding standards, calendars, control levels, and reporting expectations.
• Review and challenge contractor WBS, schedule architecture, planning basis, logic, durations, resources, and narratives for alignment with contract requirements and the approved execution strategy.
• Lead baseline readiness reviews and provide an evidence-based recommendation for client approval or rejection of contractor baseline submissions.
• Protect baseline integrity through disciplined change control and complete traceability of approved revisions.

Integrated Schedule & Interface Oversight

• Oversee development and maintenance of the client integrated master schedule, consolidating contractor, subcontractor, vendor, operations, and third-party schedules.
• Verify alignment of contractual milestones, package interfaces, long-lead procurement, permitting, tie-ins, shutdowns, systems completion, commissioning, and handover.
• Facilitate cross-functional planning and interface reviews to resolve logic gaps, ownership conflicts, and schedule disconnects before they affect execution.
• Ensure schedule information is integrated with cost, risk, change, procurement, progress, and project reporting.

Progress, Forecasting & Schedule Assurance

• Establish owner requirements for progress measurement, rules of credit, schedule updating, forecasting, and variance analysis.
• Validate contractor-reported progress and forecasts against objective evidence, quantities, productivity, resources, field conditions, and procurement status.
• Provide weekly and monthly insights on milestones, critical and near-critical paths, float erosion, trends, look-aheads, constraints, and recovery priorities.
• Develop independent completion forecasts and scenario analysis, clearly distinguishing contractor positions from the PMC assessment.
• Lead schedule quality reviews and quantitative schedule risk analysis, aligning results with the project risk register and contingency strategy.

Contract, Change, Claims & PMC Leadership

• Administer schedule-related contract provisions and assess contractor compliance with submission, update, narrative, recovery, and record-keeping requirements.
• Review time impact analyses, extension-of-time requests, delay narratives, recovery schedules, and concurrency positions; advise the client's commercial and legal teams.
• Lead the PMC planning team, define package responsibilities and escalation protocols, and act as principal planning interface with client and contractor stakeholders.
• Support stage gates, audits, peer reviews, tender evaluations, contract exhibits, milestone payment structures, and lessons learned.

Required Education, Experience & Skills

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, or a related technical discipline; equivalent relevant experience may be considered.
• 12+ years of planning and scheduling experience on major EPC/EPCM projects, including 5+ years in a lead or management role.
• Demonstrated PMC, owner's team, consultant, or independent assurance experience overseeing contractor schedules.
• Lifecycle experience from FEL/FEED through engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover.
• Advanced Primavera P6 capability and strong command of CPM, progress measurement, earned value, schedule risk, change control, and delay analysis.
• Strong client-facing facilitation, negotiation, and written reporting skills, including the ability to defend independent recommendations.

Preferred Education & Skills

• Professional credential such as AACE PSP/CCP, PMI-SP, RICS, or equivalent.
• Experience with Deltek Acumen, Primavera Risk Analysis, Safran Risk, Power BI, EcoSys, SAP PS, or comparable platforms.
• Familiarity with advanced work packaging, systems completion, construction-driven planning, and 4D planning.
• Experience supporting claims avoidance, dispute resolution, independent project reviews, JV governance, or lender assur