Role Summary

The Planning Engineer works within the consultant's project controls team, supporting the oversight of contractors' planning and schedule performance on a multi-contract rail programme in the UAE. Reporting to the Senior Planning Engineer or Planning Manager, the role reviews contractor programmes and updates, monitors and verifies progress, keeps the integrated master programme up to date, and supports the assessment of schedule variances, delays and extension of time claims. The role also prepares clear, concise reporting on programme status, critical path and schedule risk for the client.

Key Responsibilities

Contractor Programme Review

Review contractors' baseline programmes against contract requirements, including key dates, milestones, sectional completion, WBS structure, logic and constraints, and prepare draft review comments for the Senior Planning Engineer.
Check EPC schedule logic, float use, critical path and durations, and flag issues affecting programme realism or suitability for progress monitoring and delay assessment.
Review contractors' monthly updates, revised programmes and recovery programmes, identifying unjustified changes, logic alterations or signs of float manipulation.
Check that contractor submissions follow the specified planning requirements, such as WBS, coding structure, update procedures and submission formats.

Integrated Programme Management

Update and maintain the integrated master programme, incorporating contractor programme updates, design, authority approvals, third-party works and client-side activities.
Track interfaces and dependencies between contracts (civil, trackwork, rail systems, stations, depots) and report emerging cross-contract risks.
Support analysis of how delays on one contract affect other contracts and the overall programme completion date.

Progress Monitoring and Verification

Verify contractor-reported progress through site visits, measurement records, design deliverable status and procurement tracking.
Apply the agreed progress measurement methods and rules of credit when checking contractor progress claims.
Collect and analyse Earned Value Management (EVM) data, including SPI, CPI, earned value and planned value, and prepare performance trend analysis.

Reporting

Prepare inputs for the weekly and monthly progress reports and presentations to the client, covering status, key issues, critical path movement and risks.
Produce and maintain programme dashboards, S-curves, milestone trackers and look-ahead summaries across all contracts.
Attend progress meetings, record schedule-related actions and follow up with contractors on slippage and recovery commitments.

Variance, Delay and Claims Support

Identify schedule variances, investigate root causes and report findings with recommended recovery measures.
Support the review of contractors' extension of time (EOT) claims and time impact analyses (TIAs), including checking submitted fragnets, logic and supporting records.
Carry out initial assessments of the time effect of variations, instructions and change requests.
Maintain accurate, independent schedule records, including as-built data, to support the client's position in claims and disputes.

Scope and Change Control

Make sure approved changes are reflected in contractor programmes and the integrated master programme.
Use drawings, specifications and contract documents to check that contractor programmes reflect the full contracted scope.

Qualifications and Experience

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management or a related discipline.
At least 7+ years of planning and scheduling experience on major infrastructure projects. Experience on rail, metro or light rail projects.
Strong proficiency in Primavera P6.
Exposure to EOT claims, TIAs and delay analysis methods.
Working knowledge of FIDIC contracts, particularly programme, progress and delay provisions.
Good understanding of CPM scheduling, WBS, progress measurement and EVM.
UAE or GCC rail experience, such as Etihad Rail, Dubai Metro or similar programmes.
Experience working on multi-contract programmes.
Proficiency in Excel; experience with Power BI reporting is an advantage.

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About AECOM

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