Project Controls Director

About the Role

At Parsons, envision a career path filled with growth and innovation where exceptional individuals flourish. The Project Controls Director will oversee the comprehensive management of cost, schedule, risk, and changes on a multifaceted development program. This leadership position demands deep technical expertise in project controls along with strong managerial skills to ensure governance, precise forecasting, transparent updates, and effective project delivery while upholding schedule and financial discipline.

Key Responsibilities

• Define, implement, and enforce the project's overall control strategies, systems, and reporting structures aligned with client and program goals.
• Create project control plans and governance frameworks that measure and drive performance throughout the program.
• Integrate cost management, scheduling, risk assessment, and change control processes during every project phase.
• Apply best practices and standards for controls across all project components and delivery teams.
• Supervise development, validation, and approval of the master schedule coordinating engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover activities.
• Track schedule progress, detect delays or impacts, and formulate mitigation strategies.
• Assess contractor schedules for contractual compliance and milestone achievement.
• Utilize advanced scheduling techniques including critical path method, schedule risk analyses, and resource leveling.
• Provide accurate schedule forecasts and formulate recovery plans to support project management.
• Lead all aspects of cost engineering such as estimating, budgeting, monitoring expenses, and cash flow forecasting.
• Establish budget baselines and ensure expenses are tracked meticulously against them.
• Produce monthly cost reports including forecasts and variance evaluations to maintain financial clarity and control.
• Analyze cost trends and recommend corrective measures as needed.
• Ensure project measurement aligns with frameworks like Earned Value Management.
• Create and implement thorough risk management processes, including risk workshops, qualitative and quantitative assessments, and mitigation plans.
• Oversee risk modeling associated with schedule and cost to aid strategic decisions and contingency planning.
• Monitor risk exposures, effectiveness of mitigation actions, and escalate critical issues appropriately.
• Maintain an active and detailed risk register to manage project uncertainties proactively.
• Manage change requests and variations with strict evaluation, documentation, and integration into project baselines.
• Set up and uphold structured change control processes including Change Control Board facilitation and governance.
• Collaborate with commercial and contractual teams to evaluate claims and negotiate entitlements.
• Track trending issues early and identify potential claims risks.
• Supervise preparation of executive-level reports, dashboards, and KPIs for transparent and timely communication.
• Interpret and present complex project performance data clearly to leadership and stakeholders.
• Offer strategic guidance to aid senior decision-making at the program level.
• Drive continuous improvement by deploying and optimizing project control systems and digital platforms.
• Promote automation, advanced analytics, and monitoring tools to enhance forecasting accuracy and reporting efficiency.
• Ensure data integrity and standardization to maintain audit readiness.
• Introduce innovative methods to improve project controls processes.
• Lead a multidisciplinary project controls team including schedulers, cost engineers, risk specialists, and analysts fostering collaboration and excellence.
• Conduct performance assessments and facilitate ongoing professional development.
• Encourage a culture emphasizing data accuracy, operational discipline, and continuous improvement.
• Coordinate across engineering, construction, procurement, contracts, and finance teams to align project efforts.
• Engage with senior stakeholders, partners, contractors, and consultants to ensure cohesive project execution.
• Anticipate and resolve integration issues in project controls strategies.
• Ensure effective communication and coordination across all project delivery units.

Qualification and Experience Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or related fields.
• Master’s degree in Project Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or comparable disciplines preferred.
• At least 25 years of comprehensive experience in project controls for large-scale capital projects.
• A minimum of 15 years in senior leadership roles managing sizable project control teams.
• Proven expertise in cost control, planning/scheduling, risk management, and performance reporting.
• Extensive background managing complex, multi-contractor programs with substantial budgets.
• Strong proficiency in Primavera P6, cost management software, and project analytics tools.
• Deep understanding of project lifecycle, construction sequencing, and design development processes.
• Exceptional leadership skills with experience managing large multidisciplinary teams.
• Advanced analytical abilities, problem-solving skills, and meticulous attention to detail.
• Excellent organization, decision-making, and executive-level communication skills.
• Knowledge of contract and procurement management, claims processing, and evaluation.
• Professional certifications such as PMP, PSP, CCP, EVP, PMI-SP, RMP, or equivalents.
• Experience leading project controls on large, complex programs.
• Expertise with digital project control platforms and data visualization tools like Power BI or Tableau.
• Familiarity with international contract frameworks like FIDIC.
• Strong business insight to interpret performance data and drive strategic decisions.
• Ability to thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure environments with multiple stakeholders.

Additional Information

Parsons is committed to equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, or genetic information. We invest deeply in employee welfare and provide boundless opportunities for growth. Join us and reach for the stars as part of our innovative journey. Parsons also takes a firm stance against fraudulent recruitment practices.