Principal Specialist, Scheduling/Planning

KBR•Houston, TX

About The Position

KBR is seeking a Principal Specialist, Scheduling/Planning for Major Capital Projects. The Principal Specialist, Scheduling/Planning is responsible for developing, maintaining, analyzing, and forecasting integrated project schedules for major capital projects in the $500M-$10B+ range, spanning FEL/FEED through engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, commissioning, and handover. This role serves as a subject matter expert in project planning and scheduling, providing objective schedule analysis, identifying emerging risks, and supporting project leadership with accurate schedule performance insights and forecasts. Success in this role is measured by the quality, accuracy, and reliability of project schedules, forecasts, schedule risk assessments, and planning deliverables that support effective project execution and decision-making.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Project Management, or a related technical discipline. Equivalent experience with strong technical grounding will be considered.
10+ years of planning and scheduling experience supporting EPC or EPCM capital projects.
Demonstrated experience developing and maintaining integrated project schedules throughout the project lifecycle, from FEED through commissioning and handover.
Advanced proficiency with Primavera P6, including multi-project scheduling environments.
Strong understanding of Critical Path Method (CPM), earned value management (EVM), progress measurement systems, and schedule forecasting techniques.
Experience integrating and analyzing contractor, subcontractor, and vendor schedules on large capital projects.
Experience supporting schedule risk analysis, change management, and schedule performance assessment.
Strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder engagement skills.

Nice To Haves

Sector experience in oil & gas, LNG, mining & minerals, power & renewables, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, data center, or water infrastructure projects.
AACE Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP), Certified Cost Professional (CCP), PMI Scheduling Professional (PMI-SP), RICS, or equivalent professional certification.
Experience with Deltek Acumen Fuse, Acumen Risk, Primavera Risk Analysis, Safran Risk, or comparable schedule risk analysis tools.
Experience using Power BI, EcoSys, SAP PS, or other project controls and reporting platforms.
Familiarity with Advanced Work Packaging (AWP), systems completion methodologies, commissioning planning, and 4D planning techniques.
Experience with FIDIC, NEC, lump-sum turnkey (LSTK), reimbursable, or similar contract structures and associated delay analysis methodologies.

Responsibilities

Develop Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), activity coding structures, and schedule architecture aligned with project execution plans, cost structures, and contract deliverables.
Build, integrate, maintain, and baseline Level 1-4 project schedules in Primavera P6, incorporating engineering, procurement, fabrication, construction, systems completion, commissioning, and handover activities.
Prepare planning basis documents, schedule narratives, and schedule assumptions to support schedule development and baseline approval.
Maintain schedule baseline integrity through established change management processes and ensure all schedule modifications are appropriately documented and traceable.
Integrate contractor, subcontractor, vendor, and client schedules into a consolidated master schedule and identify interface impacts across project workstreams.
Coordinate schedule interfaces associated with operations, shutdowns, tie-ins, regulatory approvals, permitting activities, logistics, and third-party stakeholders.
Facilitate planning workshops, schedule reviews, and coordination sessions with project stakeholders to ensure alignment on execution sequences and key milestones.
Define and apply progress measurement methodologies, rules of credit, and earned value principles consistent with project requirements.
Validate reported progress against objective evidence and support schedule updates using established project controls procedures.
Develop and maintain schedule reporting including milestone tracking, critical path analysis, near-critical path analysis, float consumption, manpower histograms, earned value metrics, and look-ahead schedules.
Prepare schedule forecasts based on trend analysis, productivity metrics, performance data, and project execution realities.
Identify schedule risks and opportunities and communicate potential impacts along with mitigation or recovery options.
Perform quantitative schedule risk analyses, including Monte Carlo simulations, to support confidence-level forecasting and contingency assessments.
Conduct schedule quality reviews and health checks utilizing DCMA 14-point assessments and established project controls standards.
Support project reviews, audits, stage-gate assessments, and independent evaluations through preparation and presentation of planning and scheduling deliverables.
Ensure compliance with project, client, and contractual scheduling requirements.
Review contractor and subcontractor schedule submissions for compliance with contractual requirements and accepted scheduling practices.
Support preparation and evaluation of time impact analyses, extension-of-time requests, delay analyses, and schedule-related claims documentation.
Provide planning and scheduling expertise during contract development, bid evaluations, and commercial reviews.
Support development of schedule provisions, milestones, reporting requirements, and performance metrics for project contracts.
Support the development and implementation of planning procedures, templates, coding structures, scheduling standards, and reporting methodologies.
Promote best practices in scheduling, forecasting, and schedule risk management across projects.
Provide technical guidance and subject matter expertise to project teams regarding planning and scheduling methodologies, tools, and processes.
Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives within Project Controls and Planning functions.