Planner/Scheduler - Data Centre

Job Description

The Senior Planner owns the programme dimension of every data centre opportunity, challenging whether proposed service dates are genuinely achievable and identifying the path to Ready for Service from day one. 

This is not a reporting role. The Planner interrogates developer schedules, tests assumptions, validates critical paths, and translates complex programme risks into clear recommendations for client decision makers. They provide independent schedule assurance throughout the pre lease lifecycle, ensuring commercial decisions are based on realistic delivery outcomes rather than optimistic programme commitments. 

The Planner acts as the programme conscience of the deal team, bringing clarity to issues around utilities, permitting, procurement, construction, commissioning and energisation, while ensuring all key schedule risks are understood before commitments are made.

Key responsibilities

• Conduct independent schedule due diligence on developer programmes, assessing logic, sequencing, durations, resource assumptions, critical path and milestone credibility. 

• Develop and maintain independent programme assessments and route to Ready for Service for shortlisted opportunities. 

• Validate cP activities and constraints across utilities, permitting, procurement, construction, commissioning, fit out and power energisation. 

• Assess delivery readiness against required service dates and identify risks, constraints and opportunities to improve programme outcomes. 

• Review procurement strategies and lead times for critical long lead equipment including transformers, switchgear, generators, cooling systems and associated infrastructure. 

• Conduct schedule risk assessments and analysis, quantifying potential impacts to service date commitments. 

• Establish and maintain programme assumptions, constraints, risks and mitigation strategies for each opportunity. 

• Lead programme review and challenge sessions with developers, consultants and internal stakeholders to test schedule credibility. 

• Define, monitor and report programme readiness milestones, ensuring commitments are measurable, realistic and contractually supportable. 

• Support commercial negotiations by reviewing programme obligations, milestone definitions, longstop dates and schedule related lease provisions. 

• Provide programme assurance, recommendations and executive reporting to support investment, site selection and commercial decision making. 

• Monitor progress against committed milestones through the pre lease lifecycle and ensure programme assumptions and risk positions are effectively transferred into delivery teams. 

• Capture and maintain programme intelligence, benchmarks, actual durations and lessons learned to improve future assessments and market knowledge. 

• Partner with deal teams to ensure programme considerations are fully integrated into client recommendations and project strategies. 

What success looks like

• Unrealistic schedules are identified and challenged before commercial commitments are made. 

• Critical path constraints are clearly understood and actively managed. 

• Schedule risks are identified, quantified and escalated early enough to influence decisions. 

• Service date commitments are based on realistic and evidence based delivery assumptions. 

• Client investment and site selection decisions are strengthened through clear programme assurance. 

• Delivery teams receive a documented programme basis, including key assumptions, constraints, risks and mitigation strategies. 

• Schedule intelligence and market insight continuously improve the quality of future opportunity assessments. 

Qualifications

• Proven planning experience on data centre, power or major construction programmes 

• Expert Primavera P6 or equivalent, with genuine schedule-quality and risk analysis capability 

• Experience interrogating contractor and developer programmes rather than just maintaining them 

• Understanding of grid connection, permitting and commissioning sequences in their market 

• Clear communication of schedule risk to non-planners: clients, lawyers, executives 

• Local language capability a significant advantage 

Additional Information

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