Data Centre Campus Planning Lead - The Netherlands

Position

Data Centre Campus Planning Lead

Location

Groningen, The Netherlands

Salary

Excellent, plus bonus + benefits

This is an exciting opportunity for an driven Campus Planning Lead to oversee the end-to-end project planning and coordination of multiple large-scale hyperscale data center projects on a single campus in Groningen, Netherlands. This is a senior leadership role requiring exceptional organisational capability, deep infrastructure project knowledge, and the ability to align complex, interdependent workstreams across multiple stakeholders simultaneously.

Key Responsibilities

Campus Programme Planning

• Develop, maintain, and own the integrated master programme schedule across all three hyperscale data center projects on the Groningen campus.
• Identify and manage cross‑project dependencies, shared infrastructure milestones, and critical‑path activities.
• Establish and enforce planning standards, methodologies, and reporting cadences across the programme.
• Lead planning governance forums, schedule review meetings, and risk workshops with senior stakeholders.

Project Schedule Management

• Collaborate with individual project planners and construction leads to develop detailed Level 3/4 schedules that roll up into the campus master programme.
• Monitor schedule performance, identify variances, and drive corrective actions to maintain planned delivery dates.
• Produce regular schedule performance reports, earned‑value analysis, and forecasting updates for programme leadership and client.

Stakeholder & Interface Management

• Act as the primary planning interface between the campus programme team, client representatives, and third‑party contractors.
• Coordinate planning activities across civil, structural, MEP, and fit‑out workstreams, ensuring seamless integration.
• Present schedule status, risks, and mitigation strategies clearly to executive‑level audiences.

Risk & Change Management

• Lead schedule risk assessments and maintain the programme risk register in relation to schedule impacts.
• Manage the impact of change events on the integrated master schedule and provide timely change‑impact assessments.
• Proactively identify schedule risks and opportunities and work with the team to develop mitigation strategies.

Requirements

Essential

• Minimum 10 years of experience in project planning or programme controls on major construction or infrastructure projects.
• Proven track record of delivering complex, multi‑project programmes as a lead planner or planning manager.
• Strong proficiency in Primavera P6 (required); familiarity with MS Project and planning analytics tools is advantageous.
• Deep understanding of construction planning methodologies, including critical‑path method (CPM), earned‑value management (EVM), and schedule risk analysis (SRA).
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to engage confidently with technical teams and senior client stakeholders.
• Holder of a valid European Union passport.
• Willingness to relocate to Groningen, Netherlands, or able to commit to working on‑site in Groningen five days per week.

Preferred

• Prior experience planning hyperscale or large‑scale data center construction projects (strongly preferred).
• Background in mission‑critical facilities, large industrial, or campus‑scale infrastructure programmes.
• Experience working within a multi‑contractor, multi‑workstream campus environment.
• Relevant professional qualification such as APM, PMI‑SP, or equivalent planning/project management accreditation.

Applicants without EU work authorisation will not be considered.