Digital Infrastructure Planning Manager

Support the Planning Director in translating the city-wide Digital Infrastructure Masterplan into phased implementation plans, which encompass various aspects such as fixed fiber, mobile networks, data centers, smart systems, MMRs/POPs, duct corridors, and district connectivity requirements.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day planning coordination for digital infrastructure packages, including planning baselines, phasing logic, sequencing, dependencies, critical interfaces, constructability inputs, co-build opportunities, and alignment with district CMP/DMP submissions.
• Lead demand forecasting and capacity planning inputs, including fiber demand, mobile coverage needs, data center/edge capacity, smart city use cases, resilience requirements, spare capacity, growth assumptions, and short-/mid-/long-term planning horizons.
• Coordinate planning interfaces with design, construction, utilities, authorities, operators, and consultants, including SEC, NWC, district cooling, CST, MOMRAH, SDAIA, MNOs, TowerCo, FiberCo, data center operators, and external EPC/design consultants.
• Review and validate digital infrastructure planning submissions, ensuring accuracy in fiber routes, tower siting plans, MMR/POP locations, duct-bank layouts, right-of-way requirements, utility dependencies, access corridors, bypass routes, redundancy paths, and commissioning/handover planning inputs.
• Track progress against approved planning baselines and report variances, including planning risks, schedule impacts, change requests, planning deviations, authority dependencies, delayed inputs, and mitigation actions for escalation to the Planning Director.
• Support planning governance and review forums, preparing planning dashboards, issue logs, risk registers, decision papers, steering committee inputs, technical review comments, and planning approval recommendations.
• Ensure compliance with applicable standards and project requirements including CST, SBC, MOMRAH right-of-way requirements, cybersecurity/resilience mandates, sustainability targets, operational readiness, O&M access, maintainability, and future scalability.
• Facilitate operational readiness and transition planning, ensuring that commissioning, integrated system testing, cutover, training, spares, O&M access, as-built documentation, and phased handover requirements are embedded into the planning schedule.
• Lead and mentor planning engineers/coordinators within the digital infrastructure planning team, promoting best practices, maintaining planning trackers, ensuring quality outputs, and enhancing coordination between planning, design, construction, and external consultants.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, ICT, Telecoms, Digital Infrastructure, Urban/Infrastructure Planning, or Project Management.
• Minimum 15+ years’ experience in ICT, telecoms, smart city, data center, utilities, or critical infrastructure planning, preferably on city-wide, giga-project, mixed-use, campus, or major infrastructure programs.
• Strong experience in digital infrastructure planning, including phased implementation plans, fiber/mobile/DC/smart systems, demand forecasting, capacity modelling, district connectivity, MMR/POP planning, duct corridors, and right-of-way coordination.
• Proven coordination experience across design, construction, utilities, authorities, consultants, operators, and contractors such as SEC, NWC, district cooling, CST/MOMRAH/SDAIA, MNOs, TowerCo, FiberCo, and data center operators.
• Strong planning control and reporting capabilities, encompassing baseline tracking, phasing adjustments, change requests, and risk registers.