Program Delivery Planning Lead
About the Opportunity
The Program Delivery Planning Lead is accountable for establishing, maintaining and governing the integrated delivery planning framework across shipbuilding programs. The role ensures that engineering, procurement, production, test and commissioning activities are logically sequenced, fully integrated, and aligned to contractual milestones and delivery commitments.
Operating within a Defence program environment, the role provides planning leadership across multiple projects, ensuring consistency of methodology, integrity of program baselines, and visibility of delivery risk. The position supports senior program leadership through objective schedule insight, forward-looking forecasts and disciplined planning governance.
About Austal
Austal is Australia’s global shipbuilder, Defence prime contractor; and maritime technology partner of choice. We design, construct, and support defence and commercial vessels for the world’s leading operators with operations spanning Australia, the USA, Philippines, and Vietnam.
Under the Strategic Shipbuilding Agreement, Austal is leading a new era of continuous naval shipbuilding in Western Australia. We’re driving innovation, supporting sovereign capability, and creating long-term opportunities for Australian industry and workers.
Learn more at austal.com/ssa
This is your opportunity to contribute to projects of national significance. The maritime is now.
Key Responsibilities
- Develop and maintain an integrated Program Delivery Plan covering the full shipbuilding lifecycle, ensuring logical sequencing, critical path integrity and alignment across engineering, supply chain, production, test and commissioning.
- Establish, implement and govern planning standards, methodologies, coding structures, baselines and change control processes across the program.
- Ensure alignment between project-level schedules and program-level milestones, managing interfaces, dependencies and cross-project impacts.
- Lead the development and maintenance of accurate forecasts to completion, including schedule-driven ETC/EAC, supported by robust planning logic and progress measurement.
- Analyse schedule performance, trends and variances, identifying emerging delivery risks, constraints and opportunities.
- Provide early visibility of schedule pressures and support the development of realistic recovery, resequencing and mitigation strategies.
- Implement and oversee Earned Value Management (EVM) or equivalent integrated performance frameworks, ensuring alignment between schedule, cost and physical progress.
- Prepare and present program-level planning reports, forecasts and narratives for senior leadership and governance forums.
- Support capability development within the planning function through mentoring, coaching and continuous improvement of planning tools, systems and standards.
About You:
- Diploma or higher qualification in Project Management, Engineering, Construction Management or a related discipline, or equivalent demonstrated experience in complex delivery environments.
- Demonstrated experience in program or project planning roles within shipbuilding, defence, heavy manufacturing, infrastructure or similarly governed industries.
- Formal training and practical experience using Primavera P6 for integrated, logic-driven scheduling.
- Strong understanding of integrated master scheduling, critical path analysis, baseline control and change management.
- Working knowledge of earned value management principles and the integration of schedule, cost and progress measurement.
- Ability to operate across multiple stakeholders and levels of leadership, translating complex planning information into clear, decision-ready insights.
- High level of discipline, attention to detail and commitment to planning governance and data integrity.
Why Join Us?
- Competitive compensation and benefits package.
- Professional development and training opportunities.
- A supportive and dynamic work environment.
- Opportunities for career advancement within our growing organisation.
At Austal we are committed to providing a safe and inclusive work environment for all. We believe that achieving greater diversity will enhance our operations and as such we actively encourage Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islanders, people of all backgrounds, ages, sexual orientation, and those with Disability to apply.
Learn more at Careers at Austal Australia | Austal: Australia
