Lead Programme Planner

Lead Programme Planner (Aerospace / Manufacturing Expansion)

Location: Bangalore / Flexible (Hybrid/Intermittent on-site requirements)

Engagement Type: Short-term / Contract assignment

Department: Project Management / Program Management

Role: Project Planning / Scheduling

Job Summary

We are looking for a hands-on Lead Programme Planner to build and manage an integrated master schedule for a major aerospace manufacturing growth and facility expansion programme. This is not an administrative PMO role. We need a specialist who has personally built complex, multi-stream schedules from scratch, established critical paths, and driven schedule discipline across engineering, supply chain, and site-move operations.

Key Responsibilities

• Schedule Creation & Integration: Build a logic-linked Integrated Master Schedule (IMS) combining facility setup, site moves, supply chain, engineering, and operational readiness streams from decentralized inputs.
• Critical Path & Risk Analysis: Identify critical and near-critical paths, evaluate schedule realism, highlight risks, and model recovery options.
• Baseline & Change Control: Establish formal baselines, progress update cadences, forecasting frameworks, and strict change control processes.
• Cross-Functional Facilitation: Partner with project managers and technical leads to map Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), dependencies, and constraints.
• Coaching & Governance: Upskill local project managers in planning techniques to ensure delivery ownership remains with the execution teams.
• Executive Reporting: Deliver concise, decision-focused status reports and insights for senior leadership.

Who Should Apply? (Ideal Candidate Profile)

• Experience: 5+ years of core planning and scheduling experience, with a proven track record as a Lead or Senior Planner on complex programmes in Aerospace, Manufacturing, Heavy Engineering, Industrialization, or Plant Setup.

• Core Technical Expertise:

• Expert in Critical Path Method (CPM), schedule risk analysis, baseline management, and variance forecasting.

• Demonstrated ability to build complex schedules from scratch or incomplete information (not just updating existing files).

• Tools: Strong command over enterprise planning tools (Microsoft Project, Primavera P6, or equivalent). Tool agility is more important than platform familiarity.

• Soft Skills: Exceptional stakeholder management, cross-cultural collaboration, and the confidence to constructively challenge optimistic assumptions or unsupported dates.

• Qualifications: Relevant professional certifications (e.g., PMI-SP, APM, AACE PSP) are a strong plus.