Senior Manager, Project Planning & Scheduling, NA

Vantage Data Centers; Phoenix (AZ); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Vantage Data Centers seeks a Senior Manager, Project Planning & Scheduling, NA to lead planning and scheduling across the North American Construction Delivery organization. You will establish standards, governance, and analytics to improve schedule certainty and speed‑to‑market.

You will partner with Development, Design & Engineering, Procurement, PM, Construction, Quality & Commissioning, and Operations to deliver a consistent portfolio of data center projects and drive continuous improvement.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or related field.
• Master’s degree or MBA is preferred.
• PMI-SP, PMP, or PSP certification is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead the North American Planning & Scheduling function within Construction Delivery.
• Establish planning standards, scheduling methodologies, governance processes, and best practices across all projects.
• Drive consistency in development, construction, commissioning, and turnover schedules.
• Ensure comprehensive schedule integration across design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and customer delivery activities.
• Lead portfolio‑wide schedule reviews and executive schedule governance processes.
• Support project teams in schedule development, schedule optimization, and recovery planning initiatives.
• Create and maintain schedule databases utilizing historical project data.
• Develop predictive planning tools to improve project forecasting and schedule certainty.
• Partner with project teams to identify schedule impacts and implement mitigation strategies.
• Develop and maintain executive dashboards for real‑time schedule visibility across projects.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Stakeholder management

Analytical thinking

Effective communication

Education

Bachelor's in Construction Management or related

Master's or MBA preferred

PMI-SP / PMP / PSP certification preferred

Tools

Primavera P6

Enterprise reporting platforms

Predictive analytics tools

Excel

Power BI

Job description

About Vantage

Vantage powers, cools, protects and connects the technology of the world's well-known hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises. Developing and operating across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, Vantage has evolved data center design in innovative ways to deliver dramatic gains in reliability, efficiency and sustainability in flexible environments that can scale as quickly as the market demands.

Construction Department

The project Construction team is responsible for the project execution, delivering the physical data centers from project planning and design through procurement to construction and commissioning, working with Sales, Operations, and management along the way. The team manages Vantage's design and build partners to success through technical feedback and review, and actively participates in review of schedule and budget. Many times, a role like this at other companies is purely oversight. One thing that distinguishes Vantage is that our construction teams are given the responsibility and authority to directly drive the process. When compared to external resources, our internal team can ensure the key stakeholders are engaged in the decision‑making process to align long‑term operational sustainability with value engineering and cost metrics to deliver products aligned with corporate goals. This approach empowers each member of the team to drive high‑impact decisions and even more impactful results.

Position Overview

This role will be based on one of our sites.

Vantage is seeking a strategic and experienced Senior Manager, Project Planning & Scheduling, NA to lead planning and scheduling functions across the North American Construction Delivery organization. This role is responsible for establishing planning standards, schedule governance, portfolio reporting, predictive analytics, and schedule performance across the full project lifecycle.

As a leader within Construction Delivery, you will build and develop a high‑performing team focused on planning excellence, schedule optimization & forecasting, accurate progress and trending reporting, and data‑driven project execution. The Senior Manager will partner closely with Construction, Project Management, Cost Management, Development, Engineering, and Operations teams to improve schedule certainty, accelerate speed‑to‑market, identify risks early, and drive consistent execution across the North American project portfolio.

This role will own the governance, administration, and continuous improvement of enterprise planning and scheduling systems including Primavera P6, reporting platforms, and analytics tools.

Essential Job Functions

Planning & Scheduling Leadership

• Develop and lead the North American Planning & Scheduling function within Construction Delivery.

• Establish planning standards, scheduling methodologies, governance processes, and best practices across all projects.

• Drive consistency in development, construction, commissioning, and turnover schedules.

• Ensure comprehensive schedule integration across design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and customer delivery activities.

• Lead portfolio‑wide schedule reviews and executive schedule governance processes.

• Support project teams in schedule development, schedule optimization, and recovery planning initiatives.

Programmatic Support

• Create and maintain schedule databases utilizing historical project data to establish planning benchmarks and performance metrics.

• Drive implementation and adoption of standardized Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), Schedule of Values (SOV), and planning frameworks.

• Maintain portfolio‑level schedules and support development of project‑specific schedules and milestone plans.

• Leverage schedule analytics to identify trends, risks, opportunities, and performance improvements.

• Develop predictive planning tools to improve project forecasting and schedule certainty.

• Partner with project teams to identify schedule impacts and proactively implement mitigation strategies.

Reporting & Analytics

• Develop and maintain executive dashboards providing real‑time schedule visibility across projects, campuses, regions, and the overall portfolio.

• Provide detailed schedule performance reports, milestone tracking, forecasting, and risk assessments for leadership.

• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and schedule health metrics across all projects.

• Utilize leading and lagging indicators to improve forecasting accuracy and execution performance.

• Deliver portfolio insights and recommendations that support strategic decision‑making.

Risk Management & Recovery Planning

• Lead schedule risk assessments and identify potential threats to project execution.

• Facilitate schedule contingency planning and recovery strategy development.

• Support project teams in implementing corrective actions and schedule recovery plans.

• Evaluate schedule impacts associated with scope changes, procurement delays, design revisions, and construction challenges.

• Drive continuous improvement of schedule risk management processes and tools.

Cross‑Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with Development, Design & Engineering, Procurement, Project Management, Construction, Quality & Commissioning, and Operations teams.

• Ensure planning activities align with project objectives, customer commitments, and business priorities.

• Establish feedback loops between completed and active projects to continuously improve planning assumptions and schedule performance.

• Promote a culture of collaboration, accountability, and planning excellence across the organization.

Team Leadership

• Build, lead, mentor, and develop a team of planners and schedulers supporting the North American portfolio.

• Establish career development pathways and training programs for planning and scheduling personnel.

• Drive adoption of planning standards, tools, and reporting methodologies.

• Foster a culture of accountability, continuous improvement, and operational excellence.

Additional Duties

• Perform other duties as assigned by management.

Job Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Project Management, Architecture, or related field required.

• Master's degree or MBA preferred.

• PMP, PSP (Planning & Scheduling Professional), PMI-SP, or equivalent certification preferred.

Experience

• 10+ years of experience in construction planning, scheduling, project controls, or project management.

• 5+ years of leadership experience managing planning, scheduling, or project controls teams.

• Large‑scale mission critical, infrastructure, industrial, or data center construction experience preferred.

• Experience leading scheduling programs across multiple concurrent projects.

• Strong expertise in Primavera P6 and enterprise reporting platforms required.

Skills

• Expert knowledge of project planning and scheduling principles.

• Strong understanding of construction sequencing, project execution, commissioning, and turnover processes.

• Advanced schedule analytics, forecasting, and risk management capabilities.

• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.

• Ability to influence cross‑functional teams and executive leadership.

• Strong analytical, organizational, and strategic planning skills.

Travel

• Expected travel - approximately 50%.

Physical Demands and Special Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; sit; use hands to handle or feel objects; reach with hands and arms; climb stairs; balance; stoop or kneel; talk and hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds.

#LI-Onsite #LI-AP2

We operate with No Ego and No Arrogance. We work to build each other up and support one another, appreciating each other's strengths and respecting each other's weaknesses. We find joy in our work and each other, actively seeking opportunities to inject fun into what we do. Our hard and efficient work is rewarded with an above market total compensation package. We offer a comprehensive suite of health and welfare, retirement, and paid leave benefits exceeding local expectations.

Throughout the year, the advantage of being part of the Vantage team is evident with an array of benefits, recognition, training and development, and the knowledge that your contribution adds value to the company and our community.

Vantage is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Vantage does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firm agencies. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of Vantage.