We are supporting a progressive mining company with the appointment of an experienced Project Planner (Primavera P6) for a major mining project in West Africa.

This is a key site-based role for a planning professional with strong experience in project scheduling, progress monitoring, critical path analysis, and project controls within mining, minerals processing, or major capital project environments.

The successful candidate will work closely with the Project Manager, Construction Manager, engineering teams, contractors, and project controls function to develop, maintain, and optimise integrated project schedules using Oracle Primavera P6, ensuring project activities are effectively planned, coordinated, monitored, and delivered against key milestones.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and regularly update detailed project schedules using Primavera P6, covering engineering, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning, and handover.
• Establish and maintain integrated master schedules, baseline programmes, detailed execution schedules, and short-term lookahead plans.
• Monitor actual progress against approved baseline schedules, identifying deviations, potential delays, and areas requiring corrective action.
• Conduct critical path analysis, identifying schedule risks, constraints, dependencies, and opportunities to optimise project delivery.
• Work closely with construction, engineering, procurement, and commissioning teams to ensure activities are appropriately sequenced and integrated.
• Review and challenge contractor schedules to ensure alignment with the overall project execution strategy and contractual milestones.
• Consolidate contractor schedules into the integrated project master schedule, ensuring interfaces and dependencies are accurately reflected.
• Monitor contractor progress, productivity, resource allocation, and schedule performance against agreed targets.
• Develop and maintain resource-loaded and, where required, cost-loaded schedules to support project planning and forecasting.
• Produce weekly and monthly progress reports, including schedule updates, milestone tracking, S-curves, progress dashboards, and critical path assessments.
• Identify emerging schedule risks and work with project leadership to develop practical mitigation strategies and recovery plans.
• Conduct schedule impact assessments, delay analysis, and scenario planning to support informed project decisions.
• Facilitate planning and scheduling meetings with contractors, construction supervisors, engineering teams, and project management.
• Support progress measurement systems, ensuring reported physical progress accurately reflects work completed on site.
• Monitor procurement and long-lead equipment delivery schedules to identify potential impacts on construction and commissioning activities.
• Support the development of construction sequencing, work packages, and short-term lookahead schedules to improve execution efficiency.
• Ensure schedule changes, variations, and delays are appropriately documented and reflected through formal schedule control processes.
• Provide reliable forecasts for key project milestones, mechanical completion, commissioning, and overall project completion.
• Maintain accurate planning records, schedule narratives, progress reports, and supporting documentation.
• Promote a proactive planning culture that supports accountability, transparency, and effective coordination across all project stakeholders.

Candidate Profile

• Strong experience in project planning and scheduling within mining, minerals processing, EPC/EPCM, heavy industrial, infrastructure, or major capital projects.
• Advanced proficiency in Oracle Primavera P6 is essential, including schedule development, baselining, updating, resource loading, and critical path analysis.
• Proven experience developing and managing complex, multidisciplinary project schedules within construction and project execution environments.
• Strong understanding of engineering, procurement, construction, pre-commissioning, commissioning, and project handover activities.
• Demonstrated experience integrating contractor schedules into an overall project master programme.
• Strong knowledge of critical path methodology (CPM), schedule logic, dependencies, float analysis, and progress measurement.
• Experience identifying schedule delays, assessing impacts, and developing realistic mitigation and recovery plans.
• Ability to analyse project progress and translate complex scheduling information into clear, actionable reports for project leadership.
• Strong working knowledge of Excel and project reporting tools, with experience using Power BI or similar platforms advantageous.
• Ability to challenge contractor programmes, assess schedule credibility, and maintain realistic completion forecasts.
• Strong communication, coordination, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, remote, and multicultural project environment.
• Previous experience working on mining projects in Africa or other remote international jurisdictions would be highly advantageous.

Ideal Background

The successful candidate may come from an owner’s project team, EPC/EPCM organisation, major engineering and construction contractor, or mining project delivery environment.

Experience supporting large-scale mining or process plant developments through engineering, procurement, construction, mechanical completion, pre-commissioning, commissioning, and ramp-up would be particularly relevant.

Candidates should have demonstrable experience developing and managing fully integrated project schedules in Primavera P6, ideally across multiple engineering and construction disciplines operating simultaneously.

Experience working on gold processing plants, mineral processing facilities, bulk earthworks, civil infrastructure, structural steel, mechanical installation, piping, electrical and instrumentation, or associated mining infrastructure would be advantageous.

The ideal candidate will be a hands-on planner who understands the realities of construction execution, rather than someone focused solely on producing schedules. They must be comfortable engaging directly with site teams, challenging progress assumptions, identifying potential delays, and providing practical scheduling solutions that support successful project delivery.

Why This Role

This is an opportunity to play an important role in the successful delivery of a significant mining project in West Africa.

You will work closely with project leadership and multidisciplinary execution teams, providing the planning expertise and schedule visibility required to support critical project decisions.

With direct exposure to project execution, contractor coordination, and major construction milestones, this position offers the opportunity to make a tangible impact on project performance and delivery outcomes.

For an experienced Project Planner with strong Primavera P6 capabilities, who enjoys working in challenging project environments and takes pride in producing accurate, realistic, and actionable schedules, this represents an excellent opportunity to contribute to a major mining development.

Qualifications/Certifications

• Degree or diploma in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, Quantity Surveying, or a related technical discipline.
• Demonstrable project planning and scheduling experience within mining, EPC/EPCM, construction, heavy industrial, or major capital project environments.
• Advanced Primavera P6 proficiency is essential.
• Strong knowledge of Critical Path Method (CPM) scheduling, schedule development, baselining, progress measurement, and schedule control.
• Experience managing integrated project schedules covering engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning activities.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel and project reporting applications.
• Experience with resource-loaded schedules, S-curves, productivity analysis, and progress forecasting.
• Primavera P6 professional training or certification would be advantageous.
• AACE, PMI-SP, PMP, or other relevant project controls qualifications would be beneficial.
• Strong analytical, organisational, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Previous international or African mining project experience preferred.

How to Apply

If you’re an experienced Project Planner with strong Primavera P6 expertise and are ready for a challenging and rewarding opportunity on a major mining project in West Africa, please send your CV to applicants@williamsmining.com.