Senior Specialist, Project Planning

Role Overview

Senior Specialist, Project Planning at ADNOC, based in Abu Dhabi, providing technical support and strategic direction for project planning and scheduling across ADNOC and group companies.

Role Purpose

Provide technical expertise in project planning and scheduling to ADNOC and group companies' project teams. Define and maintain clear methodology, processes, practices and toolsets for project planning and scheduling. Assure competence of project planning personnel across the organization and ensure adherence to ADNOC project planning standards throughout group companies while fostering strong cross-functional relationships and efficient project delivery.

Key Responsibilities

Project Planning & Scheduling

• Oversee the group's overall project planning program, monitor alignment with defined targets, and identify deviations and risks for reporting to the Head of Project Planning.
• Act as custodian and define detailed group-specific project planning policies, procedures, methodologies and tools in line with ADNOC guidelines and ensure their dissemination and compliance across the organization (e.g. Value Assurance Process).
• Provide technical expertise in project planning and scheduling as required.
• Ensure accuracy, completeness, transparency and consistency of reports and dashboards and their distribution to and understanding by all stakeholders.
• Highlight key issues requiring group company management and shareholder attention.
• Participate in assurance audits and reviews (e.g. independent project reviews) to ensure alignment of projects to ADNOC policies and identify opportunities to enhance overall value.
• Plan and execute initiatives to improve the capital delivery program and maximize ADNOC's value.
• Support the development of project planning competency and career development programs, including clear deployment guidelines to ensure the right capability for capital delivery program success.
• Support the development of the group's technical disciplines coordination and technical authority framework to align technical resources and activities across the group.

Project Control

• Support project managers in controlling individual project planning through application of the company's methodologies, processes and templates.
• Maintain planning for strategic projects.
• Oversee project progress and performance, support timely identification of potential issues and mitigation actions.
• Support risk management, ensuring regular updates of the risk register at project level.
• Drive timely management of change (MoC) for changes that may affect the asset and project and manage the MoC process.
• Prepare project periodic reports, provide monthly reports and key dashboard indicators for group company management, shareholders, the project planning and scheduling team and group company project control function.
• Provide the project manager, project controls manager and group company project services with timely information about project performance.
• Participate in regular project management team meetings, provide overviews on progress, risks, trajectory and address specific questions.
• Educate the project management team on project control methodologies, processes, templates and related practices.

Supervision

• Plan, supervise and coordinate all activities in the assigned area to meet functional objectives.
• Train and develop assigned staff on relevant skills to enable proficiency and delivery of section objectives.

Budgets

• Provide input for preparation of unit, department and section budgets and assist in implementation of approved budgets and work plans to deliver objectives.
• Investigate and highlight significant variances to support effective performance and cost control.

Policies, Systems, Processes & Procedures

• Implement approved unit, department and section policies, processes, systems, standards and procedures to support execution of work programs in line with company and international standards.

Performance Management

• Contribute to achievement of approved performance objectives for the division, function or directorate in line with the company performance framework.

Innovation and Continuous Improvement

• Design and implement new tools and techniques to improve quality and efficiency of operational processes.
• Identify improvements in internal processes against best practices to pursue greater efficiency in line with industry standards and define intelligent solutions for issues confronting the function.
• Identify and track all changes or potential changes to project scope, ensuring estimates of cost changes and schedule impact are given visibility with the client and project management.

Health, Safety, Environment and Sustainability

• Comply with relevant HSE policies, procedures, controls, applicable legislation and sustainability guidelines in line with international standards, best practices and ADNOC Code of Practices.

Reports

• Provide inputs to prepare unit, department and section management information systems and progress reports for company management.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, science, project management or relevant disciplines.
• Minimum 10 years relevant experience in NOCs, IOCs or EPC(M) companies.
• Minimum 4 years addressing technical discipline challenges as expert, principal or discipline technical authority.
• Major project management and engineering experience is essential.
• Good knowledge and experience in defining and implementing PMC frameworks.

Communications & Working Relationships

Internal

• SVP and VPs within the function.
• VP Projects in all businesses.
• Any other directorate or unit as required.
• ADNOC group companies.

External

• Shareholders, counterparts and members of the ADNOC group as required.
• Local and international vendors, contractors and third-party service providers.