PMO Planner

Our client: A leading conglomerate in UAE

Job Purpose:
We are seeking an experienced and highly organised individual to lead planning for a large-scale ERP transformation program, as part of the Project Management Office (PMO).

The purpose of the Project Planner role is to develop and maintain all project schedules in accordance with the relevant contracts through directly liaising with other business functions, while ensuring the integrity of data throughout the project life cycle.

Essential roles & responsibilities:
**Single source of truth of overall programme plan**: setup the governance and relationships within the company and all vendors to track all programme streams and be the true source of information on all programme activities.

Technical:

- Develop and maintain the project master schedule in accordance with the work breakdown structure, contracted scope, delivery dates and financial baseline. If multiple sub projects exist, coordinate, control and integrate the interfaces creating logical links and maintaining updates.
- Assess progress and analyse the impact of forecast changes (schedule and financial) to identify threats at the earliest opportunity.
- Perform critical path and 'what if; analysis, including the development of work-around plans, capturing, monitoring and driving associated actions.
- Control the project baseline (schedule and financial) to reflect any contracted amendments.
- Control the allocation of contingency reserve and updates to the schedule baseline ensuring alignment to the risk register.
- Produce internal and customer reports to confirm the project cost, schedule variance and forecast.
- Monitor and analyze project effectiveness using qualitative and quantitative tools.
- Recommend and implement modifications to improve effectiveness and attain project milestones. Prepare short and long-term resource allocation plans based on input from all key players and team members.
- Ensure to take appropriate planning measures with all clients to reassess, renegotiate and amend scope of work responsibilities, proposals, contracts and budgets.
- Ensure to convey required project data and information to project teams.
- Evaluate and analyse with team risks and issues compromising project schedules and develop plans to mitigate them

Operational:

- Compile detailed-level schedules, manpower histograms and S-curves.
- Gather actual data, update project schedules and develop reliable schedule forecasts with support from the project team.
- Prepare and present regular internal and external project reports for management.

Interpersonal:

- Lead development of baseline schedule and support Project Manager (PM).
- Liaising with the project team to discuss the progress of the project and address any issues that arise.
- Liaise with external contractors and suppliers to organize the phases of the overall programme.

Job requirements:
**Education**:
A relevant University degree in Business Administration, Information Technology, Computer Science, Engineering or related field

Years of experience:

- 8-10 years of project/programme management/PMO, with at least 2 years of experience of PMO in a SAP ERP transformations with integrations to multiple in-house and external systems.
- Relevant experience in a similar industry; retail and finance

Knowledge & skills:

- Strong verbal and written communication, especially in the areas of teamwork, stakeholder management, and ability to influence; ability to facilitate dynamic meetings and discussions.
- Thorough understanding of project/programme management techniques and methods including Agile.
- Excellent knowledge of MS Office; working knowledge of program/project management.
- Excellent logical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

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