Principal Planning Engineer - PSC in Reading

Wood has an opportunity for a Principal Planning Engineer to be assigned to a prestigious and world-scale Pre-FEED / FEED project for Saudi Aramco. This is a challenging and diverse role where the successful candidate will provide a complete planning service to the project management team on a complex project with a global reach.

The Principal Planning Engineer will be responsible for leading a team of planning engineers. He/she will be a key member of the Saudi Aramco Management Team and will work under the guidance of the Project Control Manager, based full-time in the Reading-based Wood office. The program is split into several projects, each with their own project delivery team (including planning resources and schedules). Acting as the client, the Principal Planning Engineer will manage the Engineering Contractor (Wood) to deliver within the timescales and SAEP requirements of Saudi Aramco.

The role requires regular and transparent communication of project progress, integration of multiple project schedules, and knowledge of the critical path for the program and its components/projects are key factors for success. This job will require presenting schedule topics to all levels, including up to Board members, a detailed knowledge of Saudi Aramco SAEP requirements, and the ability to control and effectively communicate the schedule with all stakeholders within Saudi Aramco.

• Overseeing the scheduling activities performed by the Engineering Contractor.
• Monitoring and monthly reporting of Program schedules, physical progress, and forecasts - includes consolidation of all component projects and activities.
• Monitoring and reporting of Program KPI for intervention thresholds and triggers.
• Possessing a detailed understanding of the Program critical path, and near-critical path activities at all times, proactively communicating them for optimum value deployment by the project teams.
• Monitoring and monthly reporting of all critical related project schedules, physical progress, and forecasts.
• Publishing and reporting Program progress through an existing set of communication tools and methods to all stakeholder groups appropriately.
• Organising and performing regular Program schedule risk analysis at individual project and overall program level.
• Performing audits on Engineering Contractor planning groups to ensure a consistent approach is being followed and quality levels are maintained.
• Mentoring and supporting Engineering Contractor planners when needed.

• A minimum of twenty years’ experience in a process industry production and/or engineering environment with large (> $100MM) capital project management experience.
• 10 years leadership experience.
• A proven track record and understanding of Pre-FEED and FEED projects.
• A detailed knowledge of the EPC phase of refinery, oil & gas, petrochemical or similar facilities.
• Previous planning experience, responsible for a large-sized project or large-sized sub-element of a major project.
• Previous experience in controlling, directing, supervising, and managing the activities of a planning team.
• BSc in engineering or related degree or Diploma in Project Control/NVQ Level 4 in Project Control is preferred but not mandatory.

• Has expert technical understanding to manage scheduling activities through project set-up, Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Systems turnover, and Commissioning phases on complex major projects including multicentre execution.
• Uses technical understanding to communicate with and influence PCM, PM & Engineering Contractor.
• Excellent working knowledge of Primavera P6 and Primavera Risk Analysis software.
• Has an in-depth understanding of Saudi Aramco’s business position and commercial objectives, is able to implement recommended improvements to those commercial objectives while understanding and managing commercial risk against the overall execution strategy and any impact of change.
• Is expert at interpreting complex data and information relating to the overall project schedule. Assesses scheduled impact and communicates results of analysis effectively to Corporate Operations and Senior Management.
• Reviews contract changes, identifies and analyses risks, and recommends mitigation actions.
• Able to condense complex planning issues to widen the understanding, facilitate analysis, and provide solutions to potential problems in execution.
• Ensures that the planning discipline provides timely, concise, and accurate reporting to Projects, Departments, Clients, and Senior Management.
• Prepares and maintains project progress reports through engineering, procurement, and construction phases.
• Manages manpower projection plan for the cost engineering element of the project.
• Ensures the planning team executes the planning function in accordance with current policies and procedures.
• Has knowledge of all planning systems and optimises their use within projects to solve technical problems and promote effective management of information.
• Develops any specific scheduling procedures and/or systems for approval.
• Strives to ensure work is undertaken to try and improve the levels of Planning Engineering performance and to improve the underlying processes and work practices.
• Responds positively to feedback from others. Listens to improvement ideas from team members and works with the team to take these forward where appropriate.
• Ability to digest lots of detailed information whilst also stepping back to see the bigger picture.