Senior Principal Planner

We are currently exploring potential candidates for an upcoming role at McDermott. While this position is not yet open for active recruitment, we want to connect with talented individuals who may be interested in future projects with us. If you are passionate about building energy's future and want to be considered when this role becomes available, we encourage you to submit your details.  

Job Overview: 

The Senior Principal Planner is tasked with solving unique and complex problems that have a broad impact on the business. They must proactively identify and solve the most complex problems that impact the management and direction of the business. The Senior Principal Planner is considered a specialist in the field of Planning/Scheduling, and they offer a broad base of knowledge about the Project Controls function. They impact the direction and resource allocation of programs and projects in their discipline and work within general functional policies and industry guidelines. The Senior Principal Planner role requires conceptual and innovative thinking to develop creative solutions to Planning/Scheduling challenges. 

Key Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Planning & Schedule Development
  • Lead the development, integration, maintenance, and governance of complex Level 3 and Level 4 schedules using Primavera P6.
  • Translate project execution strategies, contract requirements, and scope deliverables into fully integrated and logically linked project schedules.
  • Establish schedule structures, work breakdown structures, coding systems, calendars, milestones, and reporting frameworks.
  • Facilitate multidisciplinary planning workshops and schedule reviews to validate scope, sequencing, durations, interfaces, and execution assumptions.
  • Develop integrated schedules covering Engineering, Procurement, Fabrication, Construction, Installation, Hook-Up, Commissioning, Start-Up, and operational readiness activities.
  • Ensure project schedules reflect resource availability, long-lead procurement requirements, contractor interfaces, permitting constraints, marine logistics, weather impacts, and other key execution drivers.
• Schedule Analysis & Forecasting
  • Analyze project performance and forecast completion dates through critical path analysis, trend analysis, productivity assessments, and schedule performance evaluation.
  • Validate critical and near-critical paths and assess schedule integrity through regular schedule quality reviews.
  • Evaluate schedule impacts resulting from scope changes, design development, procurement delays, contractor performance, field conditions, and emerging project risks.
  • Develop schedule narratives and forward-looking forecasts that clearly communicate project status, key risks, opportunities, and management actions.
  • Conduct "what-if" and scenario analyses to support strategic project decisions and execution planning.
• Risk Management & Recovery Planning
  • Lead schedule risk assessments and quantitative schedule risk analyses using Deltek Acumen Risk or equivalent tools.
  • Identify emerging schedule threats, execution constraints, and potential delays before they impact project milestones.
  • Develop mitigation, acceleration, and recovery strategies to improve schedule performance and protect key project objectives.
  • Facilitate schedule recovery workshops with project leadership and execution teams.
  • Evaluate the effectiveness of recovery plans and recommend corrective actions when performance falls below expectations.
  • Support project contingency evaluations and schedule confidence assessments.
• Project Controls Integration
  • Support alignment between schedule, cost, progress measurement, earned value, risk management, and project reporting systems.
  • Validate physical progress, earned value performance, quantities installed, and productivity trends against schedule forecasts.
  • Develop and maintain resource-loaded schedules where required.
  • Produce workforce histograms, progress curves, quantity curves, milestone trends, and performance indicators to support project management.
  • Support change management, forecasting, and project controls governance processes throughout the project lifecycle.
• Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership
  • Partner closely with Project Management, Engineering, Procurement, Commercial, Construction, Risk, and Cost Control teams to drive integrated project planning.
  • Lead schedule reviews with clients, contractors, suppliers, and internal stakeholders.
  • Present schedule performance, forecast dates, risks, and recovery strategies to project leadership and executive management.
  • Support stage-gate reviews, baseline approvals, project readiness assessments, and executive governance processes.
  • Influence key project decisions through objective, fact-based analysis and recommendations.
• Technical Leadership
  • Serve as a subject matter expert for planning and scheduling across complex capital projects.
  • Mentor and coach planners and schedulers while promoting best practices and continuous improvement within the Project Controls organization.
  • Support the development of planning standards, procedures, tools, reporting processes, and schedule governance frameworks.
  • Lead lessons learned, benchmarking, and planning improvement initiatives to enhance project predictability and performance.

Essential Qualifications and Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, Business, or a related discipline
• 15+ years of planning and scheduling experience supporting major EPC, EPCI, or EPCIC capital projects
• Advanced Primavera P6 expertise
• Strong understanding of critical path methodology, schedule forecasting, schedule assurance, and schedule risk analysis
• Experience developing and managing integrated multidisciplinary schedules across the full project lifecycle
• Must be able to use advanced features in Excel (curves, histograms, dynamic tables, formulas, etc.)
• Experience supporting major capital projects within Oil & Gas, LNG, Power, Industrial, or related industries
• Strong communication, leadership, facilitation, and stakeholder management skills
• Ability to influence decisions and challenge assumptions using objective analysis and sound professional judgment

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