Senior Manager: Planning & Reporting (Vertical Links)

Overview

Key Responsibilities

• Planning Governance & Framework Establish, maintain, and continuously improve the program wide planning and scheduling framework, standards, and procedures. Define requirements for Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) ext{(WBS)} (WBS) , coding structures, calendars, milestones, and reporting cycles across all projects. Ensure consistent application of planning standards across PMC, client teams, and contractors. Provide planning leadership to ensure schedule data supports executive decision making and governance processes.
• Integrated Master Schedule Management Lead development, integration, and maintenance of the program Integrated Master Schedule, consolidating inputs from multiple projects, contracts, and functions. Ensure that design, procurement, construction, testing, commissioning, approvals, and handover activities are fully represented and logically linked. Oversee identification and management of program critical paths, interfaces, and key interdependencies between workstreams. Coordinate with project planning teams to validate logic, durations, and constraints within their schedules prior to integration.
• Portfolio Level Planning Support Provide planning oversight and support to multiple project teams within the Vertical Links portfolio (e.g., stations, systems, civil works, enabling works, third party interfaces). Review and challenge project level baselines and updates to ensure realism, robustness, and alignment with program objectives. Support scenario planning and what if analysis at portfolio level for major changes, re sequencing, or acceleration strategies. Advise senior leadership on planning implications of strategic decisions (e.g., scope changes, phasing, access strategies).
• Reporting Leadership & Performance Insight Own and manage the program level reporting framework for schedule and progress, aligned with client governance requirements. Define key reporting metrics, dashboards, and formats for periodic and ad hoc reporting (milestone status, critical path movement, slippage trends, productivity indicators). Lead production of high quality, succinct planning and progress reports for steering committees, boards, and external stakeholders. Ensure integration of schedule information with other reporting domains (risk, cost, change, health and safety) for a coherent view of program performance.
• Risk, Change & Trend Analysis Work closely with risk, change, and cost teams to ensure planning information is fully integrated into program risk and change processes. Support or lead schedule risk analyses at program level, including qualitative and, where required, quantitative assessments. Provide time impact assessments for major change proposals and portfolio level trends. Identify systemic schedule risks and opportunities across the portfolio and recommend mitigation and optimization strategies to senior leadership.
• Vertical Links Coordination & Stakeholder Engagement Act as the central planning and reporting interface between Vertical Links and other client functions (Engineering & Safety, Commercial, Operations, Finance, Corporate Reporting). Coordinate with external stakeholders as required to align program milestones with regulatory, funding, or third party requirements. Support cross program governance forums with planning and performance insights, ensuring actions and decisions are reflected in schedules and reports. Facilitate alignment between project level planning teams and corporate/portfolio reporting expectations.
• Quality Assurance & Data Integrity Ensure the quality, accuracy, and consistency of planning and progress data across all projects and reporting cycles. Implement schedule assurance checks and audits to verify logic, coding, data completeness, and correct use of planning tools. Drive continuous improvement in data capture processes, progress measurement methods, and reporting systems. Promote best practices in planning and reporting across the integrated client PMC environment.
• Leadership, Mentoring & Capability Development Lead and manage a team of planners/schedulers and reporting analysts within Vertical Links. Provide mentoring, coaching, and skills development to planning staff and, where relevant, client personnel. Champion a collaborative, service oriented approach to planning and reporting within the integrated office. Support succession planning and capability building in planning and reporting disciplines.