Senior / Principal Planner

SUMMARY:
Project Planner - required by our Client, a global engineering partner in energy, chemicals and resources striving to become a solutions provider leading partners and societies to a more sustainable future.   The position will be based in Limpopo near Musina and requires 10 years' plus planning experience with essential knowledge of mining and EPCM environments.

POSITION INFO:

Main Purpose of the Job:

• To support the project management team to execute projects on time, on budget and to specification.
• To establish the project progress measurement system based on the nature of the project, while provide integration between the various planning systems (EcoSys & Schedule together with proper WBS & Coding structures) for projects.
• To guide the Planners & Schedulers to implement the system.
• To coordinate the activities of the planners & schedulers in the performance of their assigned tasks.
• To assist the Planning Department to meet all the criteria on the Planning charter.

• Prepare, develop and manage schedules for a project.
• Effectively manage short term project schedules.
• Building achievable/ logical schedules in order to provide direction and insight into medium- and long-term timelines.
• Ensuring the effective maintenance of project schedule.
• Controlling the quality of Short-term planning requirements.
• Provide management support to the Planning Team.
• Provide customer support service for project governance, and risk management.
• Integrate Compliance (SHERQ) HSE; Risk and Quality Management in Project Planning.

1. Lead and be responsible for the development of overall baseline programme in accordance with the contract.
2. Finalise WBS.
3. Finalize and get the approval of the CTR with the project team.
4. Identify Long lead Items/deliveries/major milestones on the schedule.
5. Prepare schedule and include the 90 day plan (PMP-9003).
6. Verify that all the scope is covered in the schedule.
7. Incorporate Mandatory Peer Reviews in all schedules.
8. Allocate resources to the activities.
9. Finalise logic with project team.
10. Verify Critical Path is indicated on the schedule.
11. Check float.
12. Verify contractors’ actual progress.
13. Integrate contractors actual progress into overall schedule.
14. Analyse schedule (Critical path analysis, 2 week look ahead).
15. Report project status daily/weekly/monthly to project team/client (S-curve, EVM, dashboards or project specific reports).
16. Develop and update S-curve weekly/monthly.
17. Provide Visual management report in formal areas of the organization.
18. Support the 'Project Change Management' procedure and ensure project schedules reflect impact of change. (PCP-1025): by checking and finalising what the impact of PVNs and CEs will be on the schedule and compile all related documents.
19. Prepare/review recovery plans on the deviations to achieve latest approved baseline.
20. Implement 'Schedule Risk Analysis' as part of overall project risk assessment process by doing a proper quantitative schedule risk analysis on the schedule based on latest updated risk register. (SCP-9002) using Pertmaster software.

1. Support the Planning Manager to establish and communicate operational direction and status reporting on Projects.
2. Instil individual and team accountabilities: a sense of ownership for the work, and commitment to achieve optimal performance.
3. Direct the development of the Project Team activities from request for proposal to Project close-out.
4. Encourage junior employee development, performance management and career management, including mentorship, learning & development.
5. Mentor Planning Staff in establishing and executing a Project through its full life cycle.
6. Partake in establishing and conducting training programmes to develop planning in-house.
7. Support and participate in the training and development requirements of project planning staff by ensuring the necessary structures and systems are in place.
8. Ensure Projects are resourced with competent planning staff.
9. Ensure project schedule is developed in accordance with EMS/WPMP project management practices.
10. Ensure implementation of coding structures for EPC projects – WBS, EPS, OBS, RBS, Client Coding Requirements, calendars, activity codes & values, activity identification assignment, auto-cad rules, etc.

1. Support and interface pro-actively with management, clients and all responsible disciplines on various projects including inputs to MPRD / PCS.
2. Develop and maintain an integrated progress reporting system including schedules, S-Curves, tables, milestones and earned value analysis as well as assessing the accuracy of all engineering and construction schedules (monthly, weekly, daily).
3. Monitor actual job progress, compare to baseline and report progress against schedule and forecast the impacts on schedule of proposed changes. (SCB-0001) MoC (PCF-1014)
4. Check and finalise what the impact of PVNs and CEs will be on the schedule and compile all related documents.
5. Prepare/review recovery plans on the deviations to achieve latest approved baseline.
6. Prepare/Review Proposal Schedules for RFQ purposes.
7. Provide/Verify Planning data to monthly internal reports (PCS, FCS, MPRD).
8. Attend management, functional, project team and customer meetings as requested.
9. Regularly interface with departmental staff and upper management, and frequently with outside customers.
10. Improve the quality of the planning department services rendered to projects.
11. Act as a Primavera Data Base Administrator for Project.
12. Be prepared to take on client facing roles as and when the project demands.
13. Prepare/Review Proposal Schedules for RFQ purposes.

1. Comply with the QA/QC Policies and Adherence to Corporate Governance (OneWay, EMS, WPMP & company policies and standards).
2. Maintain health, safety and environmental awareness and compliance in the office and site areas.
3. Support fellow team mates on safety aspects and environment issues.
4. Demonstrate awareness of and commitment to health, safety and environment issues and actions to address these issues; takes action to ensure zero harm to all employees, clients, contractors with zero environmental incidents.

• A university degree in engineering or
• Technical NHD plus 5 years supervisory related project controls experience on major EPC projects.
• Extensive technical and leadership training and project related seminars.
• Preferred:
  • Certification by PMI (PMP) and /or ACCE / similar accredited project management institute an advantage.
  • Willing to undergo rigorous in-house company and quality training.

• Self-motivated.
• High level of personal discipline.
• Output driven, results oriented and deadline driven.
• People oriented.
• Quality conscious.
• Positive outlook.
• Service driven.
• Focus on high quality & business profit.
• Attention to detail.
• Natural forward planner.
• Critically assesses own performance.
• High work ethic & initiative.
• Mature & credible in dealing with senior executives.
• Flair for numbers.
• Reliable, tolerant & determined.
• Well presented & business like.
• Responsible & Accountable
• Thorough & Factual.

• Administrative efficiency.
• Good communication skills.
• Effective business writing to report standard.
• Problem solving abilities.
• Excellent leadership.
• Mentorship skills.
• Advanced Microsoft applications skills.
• Advanced MS Projects and other Project Planning Software.
• Expert knowledge of WPMP and other Project Management and Planning methodologies.
• Demonstrable record of effecting improvements in project delivery.
• Understanding of basic finance and accounting.
• Fully capable of application of skills and methods in cost engineering, estimating and planning engineering as contained in WPMP & EMS standard practices.
• Sound understanding of project delivery phases, activities performed in each phase, and deliverables at the end of each phase – Constructability & VIP reviews/ Cost Estimate/ Execution Plan.
• Have sufficient experience working on major EPCM and/or EPC contracts, in working on projects in various industrial sectors.
• Strong knowledge of, and the interrelationship of a good technical project scope definition, quality of the schedule and estimate, construction sequence and execution, procurement and contracting strategies, commissioning and start up.
• Strong working knowledge of coding structures for EPC projects – WBS, EPS, OBS, RBS, Client Coding Requirements, calendars, activity codes & values, activity identification assignment, auto-cad rules, etc.
• Capable of setting up project schedule in accordance with good project management practices based on critical path methodology (Level I to IV Work Schedules), which describes the sequence of work and identifies the significant task interdependencies required to meet the project scope of work.
• Working experience with scheduling (and cost control) software; able to put activities in schedules, assign resources (in conjunction with CBS), identify critical paths and high-risk activities, producing progress S-curves and histograms, and do analysis on how long it will take to accomplish the project.
• Full understanding of cross-functional interfaces with, and deliverables engineering, procurement – materials & sub-contracts, estimating, cost management, construction & commissioning, safety, quality, finance/accounting, and document control.
• Capable of managing impact of change & trends and resulting re-schedules / re-baselines.
• Capable of developing and managing EPC progress through activities and deliverables using earned value (EVM), cost and schedule performance indicators CPI / SPI / MPI.
• Working knowledge of Earned Value Measurement (EVM – ANSI EIA-748B) in engineering, procurement & construction.
• Extensive experience with planning / scheduling systems and tools – Primavera P6, Cost Measurement tools, Progress and Performance Measurement tools (including Time Management systems).
• Working knowledge of schedule risk analysis process and tools – quantitative.
• Possess extensive experience in progress measurements and progress reporting for engineering, procurement and construction.
• Ability to work well as an integral part of a large project team that includes the customer, engineering disciplines, construction management team, and 3rd party suppliers.
• Capable of developing and delivering a professional presentation in slide show, report and verbal format for an audience of 5+ persons.
• Effective analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Effective communication skills both verbally and in writing with superiors, colleagues, individuals both inside and outside the project team.
• Strong work ethic, produces accurate and credible deliverables, and the ability to meet deadlines.
• Exercises considerable independent judgement in administering the planning/scheduling control functions; receives little technical guidance; is expected to analyse very complex problems and reach sound conclusions.
• Works under administrative direction; work is reviewed in accordance with the meeting of project goals, supervises the work of the project planning/scheduling staff.

• In performing the duties inherent in this role, the employee is regularly required to sit and stand; talk and hear, both in person and by telephone; use hands to finger, handle, feel or operate standard office equipment; and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, colour vision and the ability to adjust focus.
• The incumbent is regularly required to use written and oral communication skills; read and interpret data, information and documents; analyse and solve complex problems; use math and mathematical reasoning; perform highly detailed work under changing, intensive deadlines, on multiple concurrent tasks; work with constant interruptions; and interact with officials and the public.

• Be prepared to take on client facing roles as and when the project demands.
• Willingness to travel or to accept field assignments preferred.
• Willingness to engage in professional associations preferred.
• Effectively apply applicable codes and standards in related discipline.
• In any project with more than 1 planner, the appointed Lead will be responsible for all planners.