Tech. Specialist – Planning & Scheduling

What's the role

The role of the Technical Specialist – Planning & Scheduling – Project Services is referring to establishing, delivering, maintaining, and managing a standardized and consistent suite of Project Services including Project Planning Engineering. This TAO Project Services Technical Specialist role will be dedicated to support remotely (from Chennai/Kuala Lumpur/ Manila). TAO teams support partners from Downstream-Manufacturing/Chemicals, Integrated Gas & New Energies, Upstream and Downstream assets and other Shell corporate functions. TAO teams are located across 4 locations: Chennai, Manila, Cyberjaya and Krakow.

What you'll be doing

• Technical Leadership:
  • Support technical competency development of TAO-Project Services team.
  • Coach and mentor staff on technical topics like estimating, scheduling and cost control methodologies, industry best practices equipment, processes, digitalization and tools as well as on soft skills such as stakeholder engagement, communication skills and continuous improvement.
  • Acting as focal or function lead for project services functions

(Planning and Scheduling – Integrating support TAO-PS frontliners for any support on their deliverables.

Operational delivery:

• Develop: -
  • Responsible for developing TAO-PS _ community and acting as a mentor / coach for all the frontlines.
  • Develop Project Schedule basis and Plan detailing how the same will be developed.
  • Develop Project Schedule, activities, logic, resources and progress for the assigned project sub-elements.
  • Translation of a Project’s Technical Scope, Execution Strategy and Risk Profile into the component activities, interrelationships and sequencing required for its delivery.
  • Develop Schedule packages for review and approval at different Decision Gates.

• Support :-
  • Closely working and support Project Leads in controlling the program portfolio and / or specific projects within the program.
  • Closely working with project team in making timely decisions and improve predictability by providing data analysis, highlight early warnings and key opportunities
  • Closely working and support Project Team for the change management process, analyze trends and highlight potential impacts of changes on Schedule.
  • Support reviews and assurance of Project Schedule benchmark against historical performance, industry norms and established KPIs.
  • Closely working with project teams for process to collect actual schedule performance, condition and normalize data for future use, develop metrics and benchmarking information.
  • Closely working with Lead Planner in establishing , reviewing and maintaining the project baseline schedule.
  • Closely working with project team for developing of contract key dates, milestones and plan dates and align with the overall project schedule.
  • Closely working with project team in evaluating contractor schedules and reviewing contractor plans to support contract award recommendations.
  • Closely working with project teams in proper understanding of the key schedule sensitivities and drivers. Propose alternate approaches to optimize the plan(s).
  • Closely working with project team to the change management process, analyze trends and highlight potential impacts of changes on schedule and key milestones.
  • Closely working with project teams for modeling of deterministic schedule model and probabilistic schedule analysis.
  • Closely working with project teams for close-out data to enable knowledge retention

• Run and Maintain :-
  • Update and maintain Project/Portfolio dashboards including automation of reports and integrating with existing tools
  • Update Contingency release / drawdown based on key risks & opportunities, project changes and trends
  • Update and maintain Manpower Resource Plan for the Project/ Program.
  • Maintain awareness of critical and sub-critical paths and track float consumption.
  • Understand the requirements of the contract sections for planning and progress reporting. Review and verify contractors reported progress and incorporate into schedule progress updates.

• Reporting:-
  • Conduct the schedule monthly progress update, forecast, critical path and trend analyses for assigned elements, including any impact from interface areas.

• Provide steer and direction:
  • Provide clarity and direction to the team using GPA & business plans.
  • Provide the technical steer to staff for assigned work stream(s)
  • Enable and develop the usage of automation, digitalization, supporting technologies / IT tools.

• Support Account, Migration & Quality management:
  • Support the TAO Deployment and Capability Leads in managing various activities related to Accounts, Migrations, QA/QC.

• Ensure compliance:
• Ensure that activities are executed in line with Shell’s policies and standards. (Data privacy/protection, Code of Conduct, HSSE&SP, DEP, ORS, PMF, AMS processes & others).

Dimensions -

• The role will be reporting to Sr. Team Lead – Project Services , who in turn will be reporting to TAO Operation Manager
• Very frequent connection with Asset or Projects key Project Services stakeholders (Project Controls Manager, Cost Supervisor, Estimating Lead, Scheduling Supervisor) to manage staff workload, expectations, quality, performance, and timelines.
• Manage complex, diversified projects requiring cross-discipline collaboration.
• Take lead in delivering strategic business plans.
• Manage stakeholders, namely business partners in various Line of Business, as well as TAO internal peers & Extended Leadership Teams.
• Provide scheduling/planner support to Capital projects for Tabangao and Regional Major Project Opportunities through the use of benchmarks for top quartile delivery.
• Lead Capital Project Schedulers and integrate IMP workstream (Inspection, Maintenance and Projects) to deliver TSO Terminal Transformation aspirations through Major Project Organization in Tabangao. Leveraging support from IAPS SME.
• Translate Projects Technical Scope, Execution Strategy and Risk Profile into the component activities, interrelationships and sequencing required for its delivery.
• Support delivery and maintenance of consistent and realistic plans and control structures for the project.
• Understand and monitor the interfaces between assigned project sub-elements and other sub-elements. Develop activities, logic, resources and progress for the assigned project sub-elements.
• Assist in development of contract key dates, milestones and plan dates and align with the overall project schedule.
• Maintain awareness of critical and sub-critical paths and track float consumption.
• Participate in evaluating contractor schedules and reviewing contractor plans to support contract award recommendations.
• Understand the requirements of the contract sections for planning and progress reporting. Review and verify contractors reported progress and incorporate into schedule progress updates.
• Conduct the schedule monthly progress update, forecast, critical path and trend analyses for assigned elements, including any impact from interface areas.
• Provide input to the status reports/Project Dashboards.
• Assist project teams in proper understanding of the key schedule sensitivities and drivers. Propose alternate approaches to optimise the plan(s).
• Support the monthly LE and Quarterly LE process.
• Produce Schedule packages for review and approval at different Decision Gates.
• Contribute to the change management process, analyze trends and highlight potential impacts of changes on schedule and key milestones.
• Support modeling of deterministic schedule model and probabilistic schedule analysis.
• Contribute to close-out data to enable knowledge retention
• Provide leadership to team of schedulers from both Shell and contractors to deliver first quartile IMP services within Tabangao as a major projects site
• Work in a matrix organization to deliver project success through collaboration with other disciplines
• Lead and manage SIMOPs in scheduling/planning
• Provide Safety Leadership through proper schedule and SIMOPS management
• Focal point of IAPS and lead matrix organization to deliver Tabangao IAPS. Delivering:
  • MT and ST plans
  • Integrated scheduling
• Accountable for Integrated Schedule and Progress of Activities for Integrated IMP in Tabangao
• Ensure timely reporting for IMP workstreams
• Deliver business values through activity integration in Tabangao (IMP levers and integrated contracts management)
• Support Tabangao Project Managers to deliver top quartile project delivery through timely and proactive forecast of project developments and execution
• Manage Overall Tabangao Contractor Manpower through resource loading and managing via the IAPS
• Lead capability and capacity building of Tabangao Scheduler/Planner community
• Support initiates formulation of plans to mitigate effects of progress, performance or delivery issues to completion dates
• Participates in review and buy-in of the integrated schedule with key stakeholders
• Lead Project Services Agile delivery through an integrated project services team delivering Tabangao Terminal Transformation levers
• Assist with the continuous improvement and implementation of standardized work processes for effective scheduling and integration
• Deputize for Tabangao Project Services Lead as needed and support the harmonization of project services delivery from TAO to TSO Major Projects Team.

Challenges

• Managing multiple/conflicting priorities.
• Manage multiple asset stakeholder interfaces.
• Manage virtually across multiple SBO locations/time zones.
• Ability to quickly learn, adapt and upskill for changing business requirements.

What we need from you

Education & Experience:

• University Degree in Engineering and/or certification as Project Services Manager/Lead or equivalent
• 12 plus years of work experience in Project Services in Oil & Gas/ Petrochemicals or equivalent industries.
• Experience of implementing change and continuous improvement projects.
• Able to demonstrate in-depth technical knowledge and required skill sets for the role.
• Solid hands-on experience in Project Controls, Scheduling, Cost Engineering, Cost Estimating, Project Management, and other aspects of Project Services is a must.
• Able to proactively manage stakeholder expectations and experience in working across different cultures.
• Preferably strong skills in Excel.
• Certification in Project Management from PMI / IPMA.
• Engineering Degree and/or Certification as a Project Planner or equivalent experience
• 10 years of refinery or petrochemical industry experience in planning and scheduling preferably on capital projects. Experience in maintenance planning and scheduling is a plus.
• Practical understanding of all phases of the project delivery process.
• Working knowledge of a broad range of Project Controls systems, tools, and practices specifically in Oil & Gas industry.
• Team player with good interpersonal skills and proven track record of being self-motivated.
• Able to work across multiple projects and workstreams largely unsupervised and deliver results within challenging deadlines and under pressure.
• Experience in working in multi-discipline and multi-national teams, with well proven interpersonal & communication skills.
• Strong leadership, communication, report-writing, and presentation skills.
• Excellent analytical, oral and written communication skills
• Customer focus and ability to work in a virtual environment/remote support to customers
• Skilled in Primavera (P6) and other industry Planning tools
• Preferred experience in following tools: Power Bi, Primavera Risk Analysis
• Full time based in Tabangao preferred. Otherwise with frequent travel to site (once a week)

Behavioral Competences:

• The Project Services Technical Specialist needs to be a self-starter, taking initiatives and work without close supervision.
• Due to multiple/conflicting priorities, candidate needs to be strong in prioritization, managing stakeholder expectations and be resilient under pressure.
• Sound understanding of business/process workflow and have a mature mindset to deal and behave under tough/challenging situations.