Head of Planning

Head of Planning – Project Controls & Scheduling
Location: LNG / Oil & Gas Major Projects
Industry: Oil & Gas / EPC / LNG
Qualification: Bachelor’s Degree (Engineering / Project Management / Business or related)
Experience: 10+ Years (Oil & Gas / Major Projects)
Location: Doha, Qatar (Onshore)
Contract Duration: 3 Years
Work Schedule:

• 8–10 hours per day
• 6 days per week
• Rotation: 12 weeks ON / 2 weeks OFF

Job Purpose
The Head of Planning is responsible for assuring the most effective performance of project controls, with a primary focus on project planning, scheduling, schedule analysis, and schedule risk management. The role ensures timely execution of planning activities and strict compliance with standardized project control processes to support effective management decision‑making across major projects.

Job Context & Major Challenges

• Establishing and implementing project planning, scheduling, reporting, change management, and risk procedures across multiple projects
• Understanding key project drivers and aligning stakeholders within the organization and EPC contractors
• Identifying schedule‑related risks, disputes, and claim‑prone elements during design, procurement, and construction
• Working within tight deadlines and high‑pressure environments
• Building and sustaining effective working relationships with EPC contractor Project Controls teams in a multicultural environment
• Ensuring accurate, timely, and decision‑ready planning information is available to senior management

Key Job Accountabilities
Project Planning & Scheduling Leadership

• Provide management and technical leadership for all planning and scheduling activities, including:
  • Schedule development and stewardship
  • Schedule risk analysis
  • Critical and sub‑critical path analysis
  • Schedule variance and impact assessment
• Establish project‑specific planning and scheduling procedures, guidelines, and workflows Team & Stakeholder Management
  • Lead and manage the project planning/scheduling team
  • Coordinate planning input from engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and interface teams
  • Supervise all schedule development, control, analysis, and recovery recommendations

Contractor Oversight

• Ensure effective implementation of planning and scheduling practices by EPC contractors and subcontractors
• Evaluate contractor performance in planning and scheduling, identify discrepancies, and ensure corrective actions
• Ensure contractor planning systems are integrated, robust, and fit‑for‑purpose

Reporting & Governance

• Manage preparation of Project Controls Gate deliverables, with particular focus on planning and scheduling outputs
• Coordinate collection, consolidation, analysis, and reporting of schedule progress and trends
• Conduct schedule delay analyses and review schedule recovery and mitigation plans

Change & Risk Management

• Ensure all project changes are assessed for schedule impact and properly reflected in the overall schedule
• Support management of risks, issues, and claims from a planning and scheduling perspective

Interface Management

• Act as the primary planning and scheduling interface between the Division Manager and EPC Contractors

Qualifications
Bachelor’s Degree in: Engineering, Project Management, Business, Accounting, Commercial, Sciences, Supply Chain, Law, Mathematics, Statistics, Communication, or related discipline

Experience Requirements
Minimum 10 years’ experience in business/project planning
Minimum 6 years in the Oil & Gas industry
At least 2 years in a supervisory / acting leadership role
Experience on major EPC projects, ideally LNG or Oil & Gas
Experience managing EPC Lump Sum Contracts
Proven ability to work with multicultural teams and large subcontractors

Technical & Business Skills

• Subject matter expert in project planning and scheduling
• Proficient in Primavera (P6) and schedule risk tools:
  • Acumen
  • Primavera Risk Analysis (PRA)
• Ability to develop and manage L1–L4 schedules
• Strong expertise in:
  • Schedule logic and sequencing
  • Resource loading and productivity analysis
  • Schedule variance and recovery analysis
• Strong leadership, analytical, and problem‑solving skills
• Excellent written and spoken English
• Strong negotiating, influencing, and stakeholder management skills
• High proficiency in Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and databases

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining and Manufacturing sectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.