Planning Engineer

Role overview

Koch Engineered Solutions is looking for a Planning Engineer to help drive planning and delivery for construction and site services projects across the Middle East. The position focuses on building reliable schedules, tracking progress, controlling costs, and supporting projects so they finish on time.

This role contributes across planning, estimating, tender support, project controls, contract support, site reporting, invoicing, and project documentation. You will work closely with engineering, procurement, construction, subcontractors, and broader project teams to follow progress, surface risks, and help teams make well-informed decisions.

The position is mainly office-based in Dammam, with occasional travel to project sites throughout the Middle East.

Responsibilities

• Create, maintain, and revise project schedules in Primavera P6 and/or Microsoft Project.
• Build baseline plans, short-term look-ahead schedules, recovery plans, resource-loaded schedules, and cost-loaded schedules.
• Track execution progress, study critical paths, spot schedule risks, and suggest corrective or recovery actions.
• Collect and align schedule inputs from engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, subcontractors, and site personnel.
• Prepare management and client updates, including progress reports, dashboards, schedule explanations, and project status summaries.
• Assist with tendering, cost estimating, change orders, claims, extensions of time, and analysis of contract variations.
• Review planning-related construction documents such as method statements, mobilization plans, resource plans, and project schedules.
• Monitor project costs, variations, timesheets, invoices, and payment-related records.
• Travel to sites when needed to confirm progress, support claims, and collect project data.
• Coordinate with internal teams, subcontractors, vendors, and clients to help ensure work is safe, efficient, and completed on schedule.
• Take part in pre-contract clarification meetings and follow-up activities for tenders.
• Prepare construction estimates, schedules, pricing breakdowns, and RFQs for subcontractors.
• Assess third-party bids and contribute to technical, commercial, and schedule evaluations.
• Evaluate project risks, suggest contingencies, and identify opportunities to improve proposals.
• Keep estimate files, work plans, and productive relationships with vendors, subcontractors, clients, and internal stakeholders.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering or another related engineering field is preferred.
• Background in project planning, scheduling, and construction cost estimation in the oil and gas sector.
• Hands-on experience with Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Excel, and other project controls tools.
• Strong analytical, organizational, communication, and coordination abilities.
• Excellent spoken and written English and Arabic.
• Ability to juggle multiple priorities, work under pressure, and coordinate effectively with clients, vendors, subcontractors, and internal teams.
• Preparedness to travel up to 40%.
• PMI-SP, PSP, PMP, or similar certifications will be an advantage.

About Koch Engineered Solutions

Koch Engineered Solutions provides technical and service solutions across industrial value chains. Its equipment businesses deliver engineered solutions in mass and heat transfer, combustion and emissions control, filtration, separation, materials application, automation, and actuation.

The company’s One-Source Solution approach for design, fabrication, and installation offers benefits from improved equipment design through to professional site execution. In the Middle East, the business creates value by supporting installations of John Zink and Koch-Glitsch equipment through specialized product knowledge and a one-team delivery model with OEM project teams. Its work supports refineries, petrochemical facilities, and heavy industrial sites across the region.

Additional information

This position is centered in Dammam, Eastern, Saudi Arabia, with regular office work and periodic site visits across the Middle East. The role also supports construction estimating, tendering, project controls, contract administration, invoicing, and documentation as part of the wider project lifecycle.

The role is full-time and on-site.