Planning Expert

We are seeking a highly organized and strategic Planning Expert to join our team. The ideal candidate will be responsible for planning activities across three key areas: intra-departmental resource management, project planning, and inter-departmental resource coordination. This role will also include providing support during pre-sales activities. You will be responsible for managing resources efficiently, optimizing workflows, and overseeing budgets and forecasts in alignment with organizational objectives.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Intra-Department Planning (Internal Resource & Operations Management)

• Personnel Workload & Resource Allocation: Plan and manage the distribution of internal department resources, ensuring workloads are balanced and staff is available to meet operational demands.
• Training & Development Coordination: Develop and schedule training programs to ensure staff are equipped with the necessary skills for both project work and day-to-day operations.
• Holiday & Leave Management: Maintain department calendars and track employee leaves, ensuring smooth operations and appropriate resource coverage.
• Budget & Forecasting: Manage internal departmental budgets, track expenditures, and forecast resource requirements for upcoming months/quarters.
• Workforce Optimization: Analyze team capacity and optimize resource utilization to ensure the department operates efficiently without resource bottlenecks.
• Internal Communication & Reporting: Provide regular updates on resource availability, project budgets, and forecasts to department heads and key stakeholders.

2. Project Planning Activities

• Project Scheduling & Coordination: Lead the creation and management of detailed project timelines, ensuring projects are completed on time, within scope, and within budget using Primavera and Microsoft Project.
• Resource Allocation for Projects: Oversee resource allocation (personnel, materials, equipment) for each project, ensuring availability and minimizing delays.
• Assistance During Pre-Sales: Collaborate with Sales and Pre-Sales teams to provide planning expertise during the proposal phase, helping to estimate project timelines, costs, and resource needs.
• Budget & Forecasting for Projects: Monitor and manage project budgets, making sure resources are allocated efficiently, and provide regular forecasts for cost and resource needs throughout the project lifecycle.
• Progress Tracking & Reporting: Track project progress, identify risks and potential delays, and generate status reports for stakeholders, ensuring the project stays on track.
• Risk Management: Proactively identify risks to project timelines, costs, or quality, and develop strategies to mitigate or resolve those risks.
• Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with project managers and other stakeholders to align timelines and resource availability for project success.
• Post-Project Evaluation: Contribute to post-project reviews, helping to refine planning processes and ensure lessons are applied to future projects.

3. Inter-Department Resource Planning (Cross-Department Coordination)

• Shared Resource Coordination: Coordinate and manage shared resources (personnel, equipment) across departments such as Sales, Pre-Sales, Operations & Maintenance (O&M), ensuring optimal allocation and avoiding conflicts.
• Budget & Forecasting for Shared Resources: Oversee budget forecasting and resource allocation for shared resources, balancing cross-departmental needs with available capacity.
• Resource Allocation Strategy: Develop strategies for managing and forecasting demand for shared resources, ensuring that resources are used efficiently across departments.
• Cross-Department Communication: Serve as the liaison between departments (Sales, Pre-Sales, O&M, etc.) to ensure clear communication and alignment on resource requirements, availability, and usage.
• Capacity Planning: Work with department leads to forecast resource needs and identify gaps or surpluses, making adjustments as needed to prevent resource shortages.
• Operational Alignment: Ensure that resource planning across departments is aligned with overall company goals, optimizing resource utilization without overloading any department.

Required Qualifications:

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Supply Chain Management, Operations, or related field. (A Master’s degree or relevant certifications is a plus.)
• Experience: Minimum of [X] years of experience in project planning, resource management, and/or operations planning, preferably within [specific industry or field].
• Skills & Competencies:
• Proficiency in Primavera and Microsoft Project, … for project scheduling, resource planning, and reporting.
• Strong experience in budget management and forecasting across projects and internal departmental activities.
• Excellent organizational skills and the ability to prioritize tasks effectively across multiple areas of responsibility.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, particularly in resource allocation and budget management.
• Effective communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to manage multiple complex activities simultaneously while maintaining high attention to detail.
• Experience with pre-sales planning, including estimating resources, timelines, and costs during the proposal phase.

Desired Attributes:

• Ability to adapt to shifting project priorities and departmental needs.
• Proven ability to manage and optimize shared resources across multiple departments.
• Self-starter with a proactive mindset in identifying opportunities for process improvement.
• Strong multitasking and organizational capabilities to manage competing priorities effectively.