Planning engineers oversee the operation of a particular project along with the project

manager. This could be either at site or in an office depending on the stage of the project.
The largest projects are carried out on behalf of oil companies, construction companies,
governments and the rail network. Planning engineers are responsible for working out a
sequence of activities that are required to complete a project and linking them all together
using the resources to the best possible effect. Once a sequence of activities has been
developed, planning engineers along with the project manager and engineering manager
are responsible for making sure everything runs smoothly until the project has been
successfully finished. Whilst keeping the initial schedule of work in mind, planning
engineers must also anticipate particular demands which may arise. For example,
different projects will lead to different labour demands, different material needs, different
equipment, and varying technical elements. Changes in scope midway through a project
may also cause resources to become stretched elsewhere. The technical side is
important to the work of a planning engineer, who ensures that the project is completed
to the highest possible standard. Furthermore, they are responsible for calculating
whether a project can finish in the time required by the client. If there is no client then the
planning engineer will determine the timescale. They must also ensure that everyone
involved in the project is aware of how their activities relate to others to avoid any
unnecessary delays. This is extremely important since most project contracts include
clauses which will force the company employing the planning engineer to pay a penalty if
deadlines are not met. This penalty could be millions of pounds. The gender ratio in the
job is one of the more balanced within the engineering sector, although females tend to
prefer cost engineering to planning. The engineering sector as a whole is currently keen
to encourage more women to apply for jobs and the position of a planning engineer may
be particularly suitable for women who do not want to be heavily involved with the action
on site.
SALARY
As a general rule, salaries are very competitive. A planning engineer with more than three
years worth of experience can expect to earn over £40,000 if employed as staff, or
approximately £350 per day if employed as a contractor. Rates depend heavily on the
amount of work available and the industry.
RESPONSIBILITIES
The tasks undertaken on a regular basis by planning engineers include:

 Understanding the scope of the project

 Constructing a network of work appropriate for the specific project
 Identifying the best series of events in the correct order for the project to finish on time
and on budget
 Presenting the schedule of work to others in the company and the client organisation
involved with the project
 Developing detailed yet simple to understand schedules and graphs
 Producing visual aids to help explain the schedule of work, including bar charts and
network diagrams
 Using specialist computer software to help keep the project on course
 Monitoring the progress of the project at different stages of its development
 Making sure the achieved progress on the project fits the progress anticipated in the
schedule
 Keeping in contact with the project manager
 Making adjustments to schedules if necessary
 Liaising with individuals on the project (who may be in another country) via video
conference
 Providing advice to people involved in the project
 Ensuring that all the separate elements of the project fit together and are working
towards a common aim

QUALIFICATIONS
There is no degree level qualification available for planning but a Project Controls NVQ
run by ACostE (Association Of Cost Engineers) is becoming increasingly valued by
employers.
SKILLS
The following skills are required to be a good planning engineer:

 The ability to work as part of a team

 Good leadership skills
 The ability to motivate others and make them aware of an overall aim
 Attention to detail
 Good communication and interpersonal skills
 The ability to see the broader picture and work out how individual elements should
operate as part of an overall aim
 The ability to remain flexible and calm under pressure and in the face of a tight deadline
 Creativity
 Good numeracy skills
 Good literacy skills
 A technical mind
 The motivation and desire to solve complex engineering issues

WORKING CONDITIONS
Planning engineers usually work in an office environment as part of a team but they will
also spend a lot of time working individually in order to produce presentations, network
diagrams, graphs, and reports. Planning engineers will have to attend numerous
meetings during a typical day, to inform other individuals involved in the project of its
progress. These meetings may be held in other offices or may be conducted via video
conference if, for example, the project site is located in another country. Working hours
vary depending upon the stage of the project and the cycle of reports. However, most
 planning engineers work a forty hour week and have weekends free. Exceptions to this
are planners who are on a construction site who may work a six day week, totalling sixty
hours. There are opportunities to attend courses, some of which will be compulsory.
Some courses teach individuals how to develop their leadership skills and others may be
on health and safety issues.
EXPERIENCE
General industry knowledge is helpful but it can also prove detrimental, making you too
involved in the fine details, rather than the bigger picture.
EMPLOYERS

 The oil and gas sector, for example Shell, BP, and Exxon Mobil
 Oil Rich Governments, for example Qatar, Kuwait, Iraq, Russia, and Kazakhstan
 The transport sector, for example the rail network and the Highways Agency
 The construction industry
 Companies involved with one-off events, for example the London Olympic Games

CAREER PROGRESSION
The logical career progression for a planning engineer is eventually to become a Project
Controls Manager. This individual will be responsible for planning the project, controlling
relevant costs, and making complex estimates.

Chris Cook is 24 years of age and is a planning engineer currently employed by a

leading petrochemical company. He has been working in the engineering industry for four
years and has been specifically involved with planning for two years. Before becoming
involved with planning, he worked in interface management. Prior to starting his career in
engineering he studied at Loughborough University. It is difficult to describe a typical day
at work for Chris because this depends largely on the stage of the project. However, he
will typically attend face-to-face meetings as well as conducting video conferences. He
will also interact with individuals via telephone calls and e-mail. Chris produces complex
calculations and constructs diagrams, including graphs. At the start of a project, a typical
day will revolve around looking at the client’s requirements and objectives and
considering any constraints which may apply to the particular project. These restraints
may include time limitations and key contractual milestones. Chris then spends a large
chunk of his day producing graphs which will anticipate the expected progress of the
project. At this stage, he will consider and eventually decide upon the appropriate size of
the workforce. As the project reaches a more advanced stage, his typical day will involve
a lot of liaising with engineers to assess the progress of the project. He will check the
progress made in reality against the base line produced prior to the start of the project. At
this stage, Chris will also spend a lot of time producing reports, graphs, and critical path
analyses. As the particular project reaches its conclusion, Chris will spend a lot of his day
making sure that key deadlines are met, and the thought of the large costs associated
with deadlines not being met and the ultimate completion date being pushed back is
always uppermost on his mind! Chris loves his job and says that there are a lot of positive
features. One of the big pluses in his opinion is that it can be done anywhere in the world
which opens up a lot of avenues for living and working abroad at some stage in the future.
He also enjoys contact with all sorts of people and the job as a whole appeals to his
analytical mind. The only downsides are the pressures as end of month deadlines
approach and the fact that planning engineers are often seen as "the enemy" by the
engineers on the project! For those thinking ahead about a career in planning, Chris
believes that the best degree to study is one in engineering. However, people with other
degrees do end up in the job. He would also say that if you cannot keep your head under
pressure and be prepared to work longer hours at deadline times this is probably not the
job for you. Whilst Chris has been lucky enough to have travelled on business to Norway,
Japan and South Korea, travel opportunities are often to less attractive parts of the world,
some of which may be politically unstable and dangerous. Chris' career aim is to become
a Project Controls Manager.