Planning Engineer

Planning Engineer Location: Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates About Iris Executives Iris Executives is a leading executive search firm specializing in Emiratisation and senior-level recruitment since 2010. We partner with government entities and strategic organisations across the UAE to identify exceptional leadership and advisory talent. We are currently supporting a major UAE federal government entity in the search for an experienced Planning Engineer. Role Overview Join a leading UAE federal government entity as Planning Engineer, where you will be the operational backbone of an engineering projects team managing a diverse portfolio of building projects across multiple locations. This is not a passive coordination role — it is a hands-on planning and data-driven position where your rigour, output quality, and ability to coordinate across stakeholders directly shapes how projects are planned and executed. Your mandate: collect, validate, and maintain the project data that drives planning decisions. You will build and update building project databases, prepare cost estimates and feasibility inputs, and produce the technical reports that senior stakeholders rely on to prioritise, budget, and track the organisation's building programme. You will coordinate with departments and field locations to gather project requirements, develop detailed timelines, and ensure that all planning documentation is organised, archived, and accessible. If you are systematic, persistent, and precise — and you thrive in environments where multiple projects are running simultaneously — this role is built for you. The ideal candidate brings 5+ years of experience in building project planning, a strong background in technical reporting and database management, and a track record of coordinating successfully across diverse stakeholder groups. Key Responsibilities Collect and structure building project data — gather initial project information from departments and missions, enter it into approved databases, and maintain accuracy over time Develop and maintain cost estimation databases — build and periodically update cost benchmarks for building project types to support feasibility assessments and budget planning Prepare technical reports and statistical analyses — produce regular progress reports, benchmark comparisons, and financial estimates that support planning decisions Coordinate planning meetings and timelines — organise and technically coordinate meetings to develop executive plans and detailed project schedules according to approved methodologies Monitor progress against operational plans — track actual achievement rates against approved timelines, identify deviations, and escalate issues as needed Develop contingency plans — participate in risk assessments and help develop alternative solutions to protect project timelines and budgets Gather requirements from field stakeholders — communicate with missions, departments, and relevant units to collect building project needs aligned with strategic priorities Archive and document all project records — maintain organised, accessible archives of all project plans, reports, correspondence, and meeting minutes Prepare all departmental correspondence — draft official communications, circulars, and meeting records in accordance with the Section Head's direction Ideal Candidate Profile Experience Minimum 5 years of experience in building or infrastructure project planning Proven ability to build, manage, and maintain structured project databases from multiple data sources Track record of producing technical progress reports, cost statistics, and feasibility inputs for government building projects Experience coordinating project requirements across multiple departments or field locations simultaneously Education Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Architecture, or an equivalent technical discipline (required) Professional certifications in project planning or project management are an advantage Professional Background (examples may include) Federal government entity engineering or infrastructure departments Abu Dhabi government infrastructure bodies (ADHA, Musanada, Urban Planning Council) Municipal engineering departments (Dubai Municipality, Sharjah Municipality) State-owned enterprises with large building or facilities portfolios Government project management offices with multi-site operations Skills Technical report writing for building projects — clear, structured, accurate Building project database management — data collection, structuring, and periodic updating Feasibility study support — cost estimation and benchmark analysis Multi-stakeholder coordination — consistent follow-up, requirements gathering, documentation Arabic and English proficiency — written and spoken (both required) Application Qualified candidates interested in this opportunity are invited to request the candidate data form and submit their updated CV for confidential consideration. Shortlisted candidates will be contacted by Iris Executives to discuss the role and compensation details. All applications will be handled with strict confidentiality.