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Project Controls Planning Lead – Indiana
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Location | Indiana |
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Job Type | Contract |
Position Summary The Project Controls Planning Lead is responsible for leading all planning and scheduling activities for a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical capital project in Indiana. This leadership role is accountable for the development, implementation, and governance of the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), ensuring alignment across engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, validation, and operational readiness. Working within…
Responsibilities
Position Summary
The Project Controls Planning Lead is responsible for leading all planning and scheduling activities for a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical capital project in Indiana. This leadership role is accountable for the development, implementation, and governance of the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), ensuring alignment across engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, validation, and operational readiness.
Working within an Owner’s Project Management Team, the Planning Lead will provide strategic oversight of planning activities performed by EPC contractors and subcontractors while ensuring adherence to project controls standards, contractual requirements, and project milestones. The role requires close collaboration with Project Directors, Construction Managers, Engineering, Procurement, CQV, Cost Control, and contractor planning teams to deliver accurate schedule performance reporting and proactive schedule risk management.
Key Responsibilities
Planning & Scheduling Leadership
- Lead the development and maintenance of the Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) for a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical capital project.
- Establish project planning procedures, scheduling standards, and governance processes across all project phases.
- Develop and maintain Level 1 through Level 5 schedules, ensuring alignment between strategic milestones and detailed execution plans.
- Integrate engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, qualification, validation, and startup activities into a single project schedule.
- Ensure schedule integrity through logic reviews, critical path validation, resource planning, and baseline management.
- Manage schedule updates and forecast project completion dates based on actual progress and productivity trends.
Contractor Schedule Management
- Review, evaluate, and approve EPC contractor and subcontractor schedules for compliance with project requirements.
- Monitor contractor schedule performance, identifying delays, constraints, and opportunities for recovery.
- Challenge contractor assumptions, sequencing, durations, and progress reporting to ensure realistic forecasting.
- Lead contractor planning meetings and coordinate schedule interfaces across multiple contracts and work packages.
- Evaluate schedule impacts associated with change orders, design modifications, and field execution issues.
- Support commercial teams by providing schedule analysis for contract administration, claims avoidance, and change management.
Project Controls Integration
- Work closely with Cost Control to integrate schedule and cost reporting, including earned value management (EVM) where applicable.
- Coordinate planning activities with Engineering, Procurement, Construction, CQV, Quality, and Operations teams.
- Develop progress measurement methodologies and reporting systems for all project phases.
- Ensure planning activities align with project controls procedures and governance requirements.
Executive Reporting
- Produce weekly and monthly executive schedule reports, dashboards, and key performance indicators (KPIs).
- Present schedule status, critical path analysis, milestone forecasts, and recovery strategies to senior project leadership.
- Provide schedule-driven recommendations to support project decision-making.
- Communicate project risks, opportunities, and mitigation plans to key stakeholders.
Risk & Change Management
- Lead schedule risk assessments and facilitate planning workshops.
- Perform critical path, float, and schedule impact analyses.
- Support quantitative schedule risk analysis using industry-standard methodologies.
- Maintain schedule baselines and manage changes through formal project change control processes.
- Identify emerging risks and develop mitigation and recovery plans in collaboration with project leadership and contractors.
Leadership Responsibilities
- Lead and mentor a team of project planners and schedulers.
- Promote consistency in planning standards across all contractors and project teams.
- Foster a collaborative, high-performance project controls culture focused on schedule certainty and delivery excellence.
- Drive continuous improvement in planning processes, reporting tools, and project controls methodologies.
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.
- Minimum of 10 years of project planning and scheduling experience on large capital projects.
- Demonstrated experience leading planning functions on projects valued at $500 million or greater.
- Significant experience delivering pharmaceutical, biotechnology, life sciences, or other highly regulated manufacturing facilities.
- Extensive EPC project experience with multiple contractors and complex project interfaces.
- Advanced proficiency with Primavera P6 Enterprise.
- Strong understanding of commissioning, qualification (CQV), validation, and facility startup planning.
- Experience with schedule governance, contractor performance management, and integrated project controls.
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
Preferred Qualifications
- Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP) certification.
- Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
- Experience with Acumen Fuse, Primavera Risk Analysis, Power BI, and Oracle Unifier.
- Familiarity with Lean Construction and Last Planner® System methodologies.
- Experience supporting FDA-regulated pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities.
Key Competencies
- Strategic planning and schedule leadership.
- Contractor performance management.
- Integrated master scheduling.
- EPC project delivery.
- Pharmaceutical capital project experience.
- Critical path and schedule risk analysis.
- Contract administration support.
- Executive reporting and stakeholder engagement.
- Cross-functional leadership.
- Strong commercial and analytical acumen.
Working Environment
- Full-time, site-based role located in Indiana.
- Embedded within the Owner’s Project Management Team supporting a multi-billion-dollar pharmaceutical capital investment.
- Daily collaboration with EPC contractors, engineering consultants, construction management teams, CQV specialists, procurement, quality, and executive leadership.
- Occasional travel to supplier, fabrication, and contractor offices may be required.
Success Measures
Success in this role will be demonstrated through:
- Delivery and maintenance of an accurate, integrated master schedule.
- Effective management and oversight of EPC contractor planning activities.
- Reliable forecasting of key project milestones and project completion.
- Early identification and mitigation of schedule risks.
- Timely executive reporting that supports strategic decision-making.
- Successful integration of engineering, procurement, construction, CQV, and startup activities.
- Achievement of contractual milestones while maintaining schedule integrity and supporting successful project delivery.
Apply
If this position interests you, and you would like to learn more or explore other available jobs that could also match your skill set, please apply today or email emily@staging.blackfieldassociates.com