Practical Project & PMO Planner - UK based | Relocation path to ME
Are you a bit tired of the standard, old-fashioned way of doing things in the construction industry?
Do you get deep satisfaction from making things run more efficiently using a good dose of common sense and maybe a bit of technology?
Have you always cared about the importance of proper planning and the connection between the schedule and the real, day-to-day delivery of the job?
Have you ever wanted to work a bit more flexibly but still be hands-on in construction and improving the industry?
Sounds like a dream. Well, it isn’t. It’s quite real! Read on.
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We are Laminar Projects!
If you’ve already heard about us, you’re probably reading this because you’re tired of the typical, chaotic ways of doing things in construction. But in case you haven’t, we’re a high-end project management consultancy and tech developer with a focus on upgrading the way construction projects are delivered.
Improving construction strengthens the very foundation of human civilisation. (Check out our short film about it.)
We bring transparency and control to projects through a pragmatic mix of the latest tech, our own processes, and a big dose of common sense. We then take our deep understanding of these projects and we invest heavily into developing the digital solutions that anyone can use to deliver their projects better. (Check out Shape, our construction management tech, to see what we’re doing.)
The core of all this is our true secret sauce: our people. We only recruit the very best, both in capability and personality. We’re deeply focused on designing a new type of organisation that’s optimised for the flourishing of the people in the team first and foremost. People who join us develop fast as a whole person in ways they never imagined. (Read more about our vision and missions.)
This approach has allowed us to grow from just two people in 2017 to over 220 today. We have a stable, repeat client base across infrastructure and complex building projects in the UK and internationally, and we’re still growing fast. Joining us isn’t just some “job”. It’s a transformative educational experience. We challenge you to be your best self in all aspects of life. There are many diverse and interesting challenges available. It’s up to you to guide yourself into whichever areas you’re most interested – we’ll enable it.
Core values for a good life
A life of human flourishing is all about meaningful relationships and challenging yourself to create a positive impact, so our values reflect the four levels of relationships that each of us has:
- Grow yourself – your relationship with yourself
- Care about people – your relationship with others around you
- Execute to greatness – your relationship with your team
- Build civilisation – your relationship with humanity and the world
We enshrined our values in our vision:
We exist so that everyone in our team can flourish in a high-impact community that:
- Connects us with meaningful relationships
- Inspires us to develop ourselves to become better humans
- Empowers us to pursue our own learning adventures
By first doing this, we can achieve the highest levels of value for the world.
And enable the achievement of our vision through our two missions:
- To fully digitalise the construction of human civilisation
- To create a new type of organisation that enables human flourishing while delivering a huge positive impact on society
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The Role
Purpose of the role
This position will initially be based in the UK, where you will join our team and support projects locally. However, as part of our long-term project roadmap, we expect the successful candidate to relocate to the UAE once a specific assignment is confirmed. This relocation will be project-based, and the duration will depend on the project's scope and timeline. Full support for relocation will be provided.
You’ll join our Project Planning Manager/PMO team on some of the most complex construction projects in the world. This is a role for projects in the High-Tech/Data Centres and Infrastructure sectors, where you’ll lead the development of integrated master schedules, project controls, and data-driven reporting systems to ensure precise delivery across every phase.
You won’t just be managing a schedule. You’ll be helping the delivery team get clarity on what really matters, spotting risks early, and keeping everyone aligned so execution is effective and transparent.
You’ll be part of our international team, working alongside others who care deeply about logic, detail, and helping projects run more effectively.
Your team
This role is part of our Planning team which focuses on:
- Understanding what the real problems of projects are
- Implementing the best solutions to those problems
- Developing scalable best practices, tools and technology
More specifically you will be part of our Project Planning Discipline Team who are industry leaders in the planning of complex construction projects. Your initial leader will be one of our UAE directors.
Your top three objectives
1. To make construction projects deliver to near perfection
2. To create scalable and repeatable solutions to common problems
3. To develop yourself and everyone around you
Your top 5 responsibilities
1. Own the plan: Own the project plan for one or more projects and ensure that the project is working to it effectively. Ensure delays are mitigated and managed commercially
2. Own the outcome: You may not be the project manager ultimately responsible for the results but you are sure as heck responsible for putting in your best effort to ensure the project’s understanding and focus on the plan no matter how stubborn they are!
3. Report and inform: Provide simple actionable reports to stakeholders at all levels that help them deliver their part of the project more efficiently and effectively
4. Make scalable solutions: Develop scalable and repeatable best practices and tools in collaboration with the team so that long-term impact is achieved
5. Develop everyone: Coach, support, and grow a high-performing team, while elevating client capabilities and confidence. (Even if you are junior you can help your leader develop too!)
Your Capabilities
We train you in the full breadth of project management skills including planning, commercial, leadership, communication and technology so that you become an expert project leader equipped to transform any project you touch.
You must have:
- A construction engineering background: You have at least 7+ years of experience working on construction projects in roles such as Project Planner, PMO, or Project Controls. You’re proficient in key tools like Primavera P6 and Excel, and have a deep understanding of planning principles. Confidence in tools like Safran, Deltek Acumen Fuse, and Power BI or the drive to learn them quickly.
- Communication skills: You’re proficient in written and verbal English and can communicate clearly across different levels of a project team.
- Leadership capabilities: You take a relentless, hands-on approach to working with people, driving clarity and alignment across teams to get the job done.
- Impact: You have a strong track record of making real improvements on projects - not just showing up, but delivering outcomes that go beyond the basics and make a lasting difference.
Laminar isn’t the place for you if any of the following is true:
- You want an easy, chilled-out role without much challenge
- You like to be the smartest person in the room
- You don’t like continuously receiving honest candid feedback
- You prefer to do your own thing rather than work with a team
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Frequently Asked Questions
What kinds of projects would I be working on?
You’ll be joining a team that’s at the forefront of delivering data centre projects. We’ve delivered over 100 data centres internationally, supporting some of the most innovative and demanding clients in the industry. These projects are often fast-tracked, multi-package, and technically complex - requiring close collaboration, clear communication, and strong problem-solving skills. From greenfield builds to major expansions, we work across the full lifecycle of data centre delivery, helping clients scale their infrastructure at speed while maintaining high standards of quality and performance. These are hands-on, high-impact projects that offer continuous learning and the opportunity to make a real difference in the digital backbone of global business. (Check out our case stories.)
Who are our clients?
Major owners/operators and main contractors with project values between £1m and £1bn+ globally.
Where would I be working?
One week you might be working from home. The next, you might travel to the site to meet the construction teams and help organise them. Maybe you’ll pop into our London office for a workshop or a beer. Maybe you’ll fly out to exotic (and sometimes not!) locations in Europe or the Middle East to visit clients. It really depends on what you want to get involved in and what fits with your life.
How does what I do connect with the long-term impact on the construction industry?
You’re tasked with understanding and solving common problems. We don’t want to reinvent the wheel every time, so you’ll be responsible for documenting new solutions and evolving ones we’ve developed. This goes into our knowledge repository, which we’re going to open source to the industry.
The knowledge you capture will be used by us to build new products. You’ll constantly test those products in the field, so we can rapidly iterate and improve them for anyone in the industry to use.
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Benefits
The standard stuff:
- Health Insurance Scheme. Comprehensive private health coverage – for you and your family. Because your well-being is our priority
- Bonus Scheme. As a permanent member of the team, you’ll share in our success. Our annual bonus is designed to reward both the now and the future – with a flexible mix of cash and high-growth equity that you choose. Bonuses are discretionary and based on performance
- Professional body membership. One fee covered per year – so you can stay connected to your field and develop your craft
The life-changing stuff:
- In-house coaching. Regular 1:1 coaching sessions, fully confidential, to help you navigate challenges, build self-awareness, and grow intentionally – professionally and as a human being
- Equity upside. As we grow, you grow. Our generous equity scheme is especially powerful for those who stay with us on our journey. You help us build the future – and own a piece of it
- Flexible working. Work where it makes sense – most of our team works from home, visiting sites or clients regularly. We care about outcomes, not clock-ins
- Relentless development. Our goal is for every year here to be worth five years of development anywhere else. You’ll get a coach, a mentor, honest feedback, and a culture that challenges you to keep levelling up
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Important! Applying properly
We get thousands of applications so please write us a letter as part of your application explaining:
- Why you want to join us
- What you’ll bring to the team
We aren't a giant, faceless corporation; we really care about the people who want to join our team, so your letter will be read carefully. After that, we’ll reach out to you to schedule a casual conversation to help you get to know us a bit better and tell us a bit about yourself. A couple of technical and personal assessments follow to understand your capability based on our own development matrix.
This is to ensure that when you join, you’re starting at the right level of responsibility.