Senior Planning Manager

About Vantage Data Centers

Vantage Data Centers powers, cools, protects and connects the technology of the world’s well-known hyperscalers, cloud providers and large enterprises. Developing and operating across North America, EMEA and Asia Pacific, Vantage has evolved data center design in innovative ways to deliver dramatic gains in reliability, efficiency and sustainability in flexible environments that can scale as quickly as the market demands.

About the Role

As a Senior Planning Manager supporting Data Centre projects in Germany, you will take a central role in governance, control, and management of project schedules across all stages of delivery and development. Based in Berlin or Frankfurt, you will be responsible for ensuring that all project programmes accurately reflect the project scope, design and construction sequences, procurement requirements, and critical interfaces. A key focus of the role is to ensure full compliance with internal VDC planning standards, as well as to verify that all contractors develop, maintain, and report their programmes in accordance with these standards.

You will work in close collaboration with Project Delivery and Development teams (including design, procurement and commercial), contractors, and the Regional Planning Lead to ensure consistent planning governance and clear communication across all stakeholders. The role requires strong technical scheduling capability, hands‑on programme management, and the ability to consolidate multiple contractor schedules into a coherent master programme for reporting to internal leadership and clients.

The Senior Planning Manager will report directly to the Regional Planning Lead and will serve as the primary planning partner for project teams in Germany, providing technical leadership, planning governance, and schedule assurance across multiple delivery and development projects.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project‑Level Planning & Scheduling
   • Ensure that all contractor schedules are prepared and maintained in full compliance with internal Vantage Data Centers planning standards, including format, logic, reporting, and progress measurement requirements.
   • Consolidate all contractor schedules into a controlled master programme, ensuring correct interfaces, milestones, dependencies, and sequencing before reporting internally and to the client.
   • Manage schedule change control processes in strict accordance with VDC change management procedures, including evaluation, impact analysis, approval routing, and documentation of all programme changes.
   • Prepare what‑if scenarios, impact studies, and mitigation options to support decision‑making by project stakeholders.
   • Create and maintain Integrated Master Schedules (IMS) that reflect design processes, permitting timelines, procurement strategies, client approvals, and key decision milestones ensuring regular updates and clear communication to internal stakeholders.
2. Collaboration with Project Teams
   • Work closely with Project Directors, Delivery Managers, Development Managers, design teams, procurement, commercial, and construction teams to ensure schedules correctly reflect all project interfaces and dependencies.
   • Act as the central planning contact for project teams, providing guidance, technical insights, and programme leadership throughout all project stages.
   • Collaborate with the Regional Planning Lead and the wider planning team to ensure consistency in planning practices.
3. Progress Monitoring & Reporting
   • Lead regular schedule reviews, capturing progress updates, analysing deviations, identifying impacts, and proposing corrective actions.
   • Produce clear and concise programme reports for project leadership, the Regional Planning Lead, and other key stakeholders.
   • Ensure transparency around critical path, milestones, procurement actions, and risks.
4. Risk Identification & Mitigation
   • Conduct schedule risk assessments for delivery and development projects.
   • Identify programme risks early, develop mitigation plans, and communicate them effectively to project stakeholders.
   • Support recovery planning when delays or disruptions occur.
5. Quality Assurance & Compliance
   • Ensure all schedules comply with VDC standards, internal governance, and project-specific requirements.
   • Support continuous improvement in planning practices.
   • Support standardisation efforts by working closely with the Regional Planning Lead.
6. Documentation & Stakeholder Communication
   • Maintain accurate documentation of schedules, changes, decisions, and assumptions.
   • Prepare presentations, dashboards, and reports for internal and external stakeholders, ensuring clarity, accuracy, and traceability.
   • Communicate planning insights proactively and confidently at all levels of the project organisation.

We operate with No Ego and No Arrogance. We work to build each other up and support one another, appreciating each other’s strengths and respecting each other’s weaknesses. We find joy in our work and each other, actively seeking opportunities to inject fun into what we do. Our hard and efficient work is rewarded with an above market total compensation package. We offer a comprehensive suite of health and welfare, retirement, and paid leave benefits exceeding local expectations.

Throughout the year, the advantage of being part of the Vantage team is evident with an array of benefits, recognition, training and development, and the knowledge that your contribution adds value to the company and our community.

Don't meet all the requirements? Please still apply if you think you are the right person for the position. We are always keen to speak to people who connect with our mission and values.

Vantage Data Centers is an Equal Opportunity Employer

Vantage Data Centers does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firm agencies. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of Vantage Data Centers.