Sr. Project Planner

Job Summary

The Senior Project Planner is responsible for developing material handling project schedules in Microsoft Project to support commercial proposals, as well as developing, maintaining, and analyzing detailed project schedules for projects from order handoff through engineering, procurement, manufacturing, installation, commissioning, and project closeout. This role serves as a key planning support resource to Project Managers by translating proposal schedules into logic-driven execution schedules, monitoring schedule performance, identifying risks to milestone achievement, and supporting mitigation and recovery actions on complex and high-risk-rated projects.

Serves as a critical support role to the Project Manager on complex and high-risk-rated projects by providing schedule development, progress analysis, milestone forecasting, schedule risk visibility, and recovery planning support needed to achieve contractual and customer commitments.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop customer‑facing Microsoft Project schedules to support commercial pursuits, proposals, and sales negotiations for key accounts including Parcel and Distribution & Fulfillment customers.

• Own commercial‑phase scheduling by translating proposal documents and commercial commitments into credible, execution‑informed timelines.

• Convert proposal and sales schedules into fully developed Microsoft Project schedules with clear work breakdown structure, activity logic, durations, milestones, calendars, and constraints.

• Build and maintain project schedules covering engineering, controls, procurement, manufacturing, factory testing, shipping, site activities, installation, commissioning, and turnover.

• Coordinate with Project Managers and cross-functional teams to define sequencing, dependencies, key deliverables, and milestone dates.

• Maintain schedule baselines and perform regular progress updates, forecast revisions, and variance analysis.

• Monitor critical path, near-critical path, float erosion, long-lead items, customer deliverables, site readiness, subcontractor activities, and installation windows.

• Prepare look-ahead schedules, milestone reports, schedule narratives, and other planning deliverables for internal and customer-facing project reviews.

• Support Project Managers with schedule impact analysis for changes in scope, customer delays, procurement issues, manufacturing constraints, and field conditions.

• Participate in risk reviews and project status meetings; identify schedule threats and assist in developing mitigation and recovery plans.

• Ensure schedule integrity, logic quality, and compliance with company planning standards and project controls procedures.

• Support continuous improvement of scheduling templates, reporting methods, and proposal-to-execution planning handoff processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Operations, Project Management, or a related field; equivalent experience may be considered.

• Typically 5–8 years of project planning/scheduling experience, preferably in material handling, automation, capital equipment, manufacturing, or EPC/project-based environments.

• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Project.

• Working knowledge of project lifecycle execution, including engineering, procurement, fabrication, installation, and commissioning.

• Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.

• Ability to work independently while collaborating effectively with Project Managers and cross-functional teams.

Base Salary Range and Other Relevant Information

The base salary range for this role is $87,600 to $131,300. This base salary range represents the low and high end of the base salary range for this position. Actual base salary offered will vary based on various factors including but not limited to location, level, job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and performance.

This job description describes the general nature and level of work expected of a person assigned to this position. All job requirements listed indicate the minimum level of knowledge, skills and/or ability deemed necessary to perform the job proficiently. Employees may be required to perform any other job-related duties as requested by their supervisor.

It is the policy of FORTNA and its affiliated companies to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, pregnancy or pregnancy-related condition, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, citizenship status (if authorized to work in the U.S.), or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. In addition, FORTNA will provide reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities.