Chief Project Planner

About the Company

KoBold Metals Zambia Limited is a Zambian-led company exploring for the ore deposits that will become the next generation of new mines in Zambia.

KoBold Metals Zambia is the Zambian affiliate of KoBold Metals, a U.S.-based company exploring around the world for battery metals using proprietary AI to guide exploration decisions. Our business is discovering, defining, expanding, and developing mineral resources, and our objective is to achieve a step-change improvement in exploration success resulting in more tier 1 resources discovered faster, with fewer failures, and with far less exploration capital.

KoBold is privately held, and its investors include institutional asset managers T. Rowe Price and Canada Pension Plan Investments; technology venture capitalists Andreessen Horowitz, Bill Gates’s Breakthrough Energy Ventures, BOND Capital, Standard Investments, and Sam Altman’s Apollo Projects; and leading natural resources companies Equinor, Mitsubishi, and BHP.

KoBold Metals Zambia is building a rapidly growing team of Zambian geologists, operators, and executives to identify, acquire, explore, and develop exploration opportunities and mineral resources drawing upon KoBold’s technology and the expertise of colleagues worldwide.

About the position

This role will be a key member of our team in Zambia, responsible for leading project planning efforts across the organization. You will work closely with business and technical teams to develop, maintain, and optimize project schedules, ensuring alignment with overall strategic goals. Additionally, you will provide analytical insights and planning tools to monitor project performance and support data-driven decision-making. Since KoBold is a startup company operating globally, your role will be dynamic and your role and responsibilities will grow as the company grows.

Responsibilities

The Project Planner will:

• Lead development of integrated, resource-loaded master schedules (Primavera P6) from concept through commissioning and close out, aligned to WBS/CBS standards.

• Establish the schedule governance model (coding structures, calendars, fragnets, interfaces, and data quality checks) for all workstreams and contractors.

• Drive baseline development (scope freeze assumptions, logic, critical/near‑critical path, milestones) and obtain formal approvals.

• Build and maintain robust WBS/OBS/RBS structures and activity coding to enable multi-level reporting (program; project; area; system; subsystem).

• Perform logic integrity audits (lags, open ends, constraints, out‑of‑sequence work) and enforce schedule hygiene standards (DCMA 14‑point compliance).

• Implement resource and crew planning, leveling/stacking rules, and labor/equipment calendars consistent with field realities.

• Conduct critical path and driving-path analysis, total/ free float consumption tracking, and pathway-of-risk reviews.

• Run trend analysis (SPI(t), schedule variance, progress curves, productivity indices) and produce leading indicators and early‑warning signals.

• Build what‑if simulations and scenario models (alternate execution sequences, resequencing for access/permits, weather or logistics constraints).

• Perform probabilistic schedule risk analysis (e.g., Monte Carlo) to quantify P‑dates, confidence levels, and criticality/sensitivity indices; propose mitigation and contingency plans.

• Integrate with cost control to support Earned Value Management (EVM); reconcile schedule and cost performance (SPI/CPI) and explain variances.

• Define progress measurement rules of credit and automate performance tracking at work‑package and system levels.

• Generate rolling lookaheads (2–6 weeks), constraint logs, and readiness checks to support field execution.

• Facilitate schedule risk reviews; maintain risk registers and link mitigations to schedule activities with measurable impacts.

• Manage change control; quantify time impacts (TIA), maintain fragnet libraries, and support claims/extension‑of‑time narratives with forensic schedule analysis.

• Lead recovery and resequencing plans when thresholds or KPIs are breached.

• Integrate P6 with cost systems/ERP, document management, field progress apps, and (where applicable) 4D/BIM tools.

• Establish data pipelines between P6 and BI tools (e.g., SQL/Power Query/DAX; Python a plus) to automate reporting and analytics.

• Coach project teams and junior planners; codify playbooks, checklists, and reusable templates for the planning function.

Qualifications

A great candidate will have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related field.

• Minimum 8–10 years of relevant experience in project planning on major capital projects, preferably in sectors such as mining, oil & gas, infrastructure, or heavy industry.

• Expert proficiency in Primavera P6 and scheduling best practices.

• Strong knowledge of project management frameworks (PMBOK, PRINCE2) and familiarity with earned value analysis.

• Proven experience in developing and managing detailed EPC schedules on projects >$500M.

• Excellent analytical, organizational, and communication skills.

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and reporting tools (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, or similar) is an asset.

• Experience with planning software integrations (e.g., cost systems, ERP, BIM tools) is desirable.

• Ability to work effectively in a fast-paced, multi-disciplinary, and multicultural team environment.

• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail

• Flexibility to accommodate meetings with staff overseas and occasional travel

• Interest in contributing broadly to the success of the company and eager to pitch in where needed

• Clear Ethics Record

We are committed to equal employment opportunities for all people.

This position is a full-time contract role.

Currently, we are only accepting applications from Zambian nationals.

Location: Zambia.