Associate Director Planning (Project Controls) - Project Controls, Energy & Natural Resources

Job Description

We are seeking an experienced and highly motivated Associate Director Planning (Project Controls) to lead the planning and scheduling discipline across a portfolio of major programmes and projects. This senior leadership role is responsible for driving planning excellence, establishing robust project controls practices, and ensuring successful delivery outcomes for clients.

As an Associate Director, you will provide strategic leadership across planning and project controls functions, working closely with clients, programme leadership teams, and senior stakeholders to develop integrated schedules, manage risks, optimise performance and support informed decision-making. You will also play a key role in developing people, growing client relationships, and contributing to business development activities.

Day to day duties:

• Provide strategic leadership for Planning and Project Controls services across a portfolio of major programmes and projects, ensuring alignment with client objectives and organisational goals.

• Lead, develop and manage high-performing Planning and Project Controls teams, providing line management, coaching, mentoring and career development support to build capability and succession within the business.

• Establish and maintain robust planning, scheduling and project controls governance frameworks, ensuring consistency, quality assurance and compliance with industry best practices.

• Oversee the development, review and assurance of integrated project schedules, ensuring accurate critical path analysis, resource planning, forecasting and performance measurement throughout the project lifecycle.

• Act as a trusted advisor to clients, programme leadership teams and senior stakeholders, providing informed recommendations and strategic direction on planning, scheduling and project performance.

• Lead project controls activities including schedule management, progress monitoring, change control, risk management, earned value management and performance reporting.

• Drive proactive identification and management of programme and project risks, opportunities and constraints, ensuring appropriate mitigation and recovery strategies are implemented.

• Manage resource planning and utilisation across multiple commissions, balancing workload requirements while supporting business growth and project delivery objectives.

• Provide clear and insightful reporting to clients and senior leadership, communicating project performance, schedule health, emerging risks and recommended interventions.

• Collaborate with Project Management, Cost Management, Commercial Management, Risk Management and Engineering teams to ensure fully integrated project controls and effective decision-making.

• Support business development activities including bids, proposals, client presentations and framework opportunities, helping to grow the Planning and Project Controls service offering.

• Build and maintain strong relationships with key clients and stakeholders, acting as the senior point of contact for planning and project controls matters.

• Champion innovation, digital tools and continuous improvement initiatives to enhance planning capability, project controls maturity and delivery performance.

• Contribute to the development of departmental strategy, operational objectives and service delivery standards, ensuring the Planning function remains aligned with wider business priorities.

• Foster an inclusive, collaborative and high-performance culture that promotes professional excellence, knowledge sharing and continuous learning across the Planning and Project Controls community.

Qualifications

You will have significant Project Controls and Planning leadership experience, gained across major capital projects and programmes within sectors such as Nuclear, Energy, Infrastructure, Transportation, Defence, Utilities, or Construction.

You will be recognised as a subject matter expert in planning and scheduling, with extensive experience across the full project lifecycle, from project development and pre-contract phases through to delivery, commissioning, and close-out.

You will be a strong communicator and leader, capable of influencing senior stakeholders, developing high-performing teams, and driving a culture of excellence, accountability, and inclusivity.

You also:

• Be eligible to obtain BPSS level security clearance.
• Hold a bachelor's degree in Engineering, Project Management, Construction Management, or a related discipline (or equivalent experience).
• Have substantial experience leading Planning and Project Controls teams on major projects and programmes.
• Demonstrate advanced expertise in Primavera P6, with experience in schedule governance, critical path analysis, resource loading, progress measurement, and performance reporting.
• Have experience implementing and assuring Project Controls frameworks, methodologies, and reporting standards.
• Possess strong knowledge of project lifecycle management, programme controls, schedule risk analysis, and integrated project performance management.
• Be experienced in managing client relationships and engaging with senior stakeholders at Director and Executive level.
• Have a strong understanding of programme governance, change management, earned value management (EVM), and project assurance practices.
• Demonstrate excellent analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities, with the ability to translate complex data into actionable insights.
• Be experienced in leading multidisciplinary teams, coaching and mentoring colleagues, and supporting the professional development of planning and project controls professionals.
• Possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to present confidently to senior audiences and facilitate stakeholder engagement.
• Have strong commercial awareness and experience supporting business development, bids, framework opportunities, and service growth initiatives.
• Be adaptable and comfortable working within complex, fast-paced environments with multiple stakeholders and competing priorities.
• Maintain a commitment to continuous improvement, innovation, and the advancement of industry best practices in Planning and Project Controls.

Desirable

• Experience within Nuclear, Energy, Infrastructure, Defence, Rail or other major capital project environments.
• Professional accreditation through APM, PMI, AACE, CIOB or equivalent professional body.
• Experience of schedule risk analysis tools such as PRA, Deltek Acumen Risk, Safran Risk or equivalent.
• Line management, practice leadership, or regional discipline leadership experience.
• Experience supporting organisational capability development and Project Controls maturity improvement programmes.

Additional Information

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.

We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work-life balance. 

Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com/

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