The Project Controller supports SSA Marine's centralized Engineering Department by providing project controls; including estimating, cost management, planning and scheduling, trend and change management, progress and performance measurement and project reporting oversight, and governance support across the capital project portfolio. The role is designed to evolve into a core owner and administrator of the Engineering PMO, responsible for maintaining project controls procedures, standards, tools, and reporting frameworks aligned with SSA Marine's FEL stage-gate model and capital governance processes and recommend continual improvement where required.
This position works across multiple projects and initiatives, supporting early-stage development (FEL 1--3), setup planning, execution readiness, and lifecycle reporting, while enabling consistent decision-making, cost discipline, and schedule transparency.
- Develop, maintain, and monitor cost, schedule, and progress controls across the Engineering project portfolio.
- Support preparation and review of project budgets, estimates, and schedules.
- Track project performance against approved baselines and identify variances, trends, and emerging risks.Actively participate in risk identification and mitigation processSupport implementation of trend and management of change processes
- Assist Project Managers and Engineering leadership with monthly reporting, dashboards, and executive summaries.
- Support implementation and ongoing use of the FEL (Front-End Loading) model within the Engineering Department.Maintain schedule, and deliverable maturity tracking aligned with FEL stage-gates.
- Liaison with Financial Controller for cost tracking and reporting
- Support development and upkeep of stage-gate checklists, readiness metrics, and decision support materials.
- Assist with preparation of materials for internal governance reviews (setup, monthly performance, stage-gate -- scaled in accordance with project complexity and size), investment approvals, and executive forums.
- Serve as a key contributor to the establishment, maintenance, and continuous improvement of the Engineering portfolio management process.
- Help define and standardize project controls processes, templates, reporting cadence, and data structures.
- Support administration of engineering tools (scheduling, cost tracking, reporting platforms).
- Maintain portfolio-level visibility of engineering workload, priorities, and resourcing.
- Maintain accurate and auditable project controls data across projects.
- Develop standardized reports and dashboards for leadership review.
- Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, consistency, and data quality across the Engineering department.
- Support lessons learned and continuous improvement initiatives.
- Other duties as assigned.
- Professional degree, BA, in Engineering, Construction Management, or related disciplines
- 5+ years of experience in project controls, estimating, cost control, scheduling, or PMO support, preferably in capital projects or infrastructure environments.
- Certification in project controls or planning (e.g., PMI-SP, AACE, PMP) preferred.
- Working knowledge of FEL / stage-gate project development frameworks.
- Experience in the establishment of reporting standards, formats and frequency.
- Experience supporting multi-project or portfolio environments preferred.
- Proficiency with project controls and reporting tools (e.g., Primavera P6, MS Project, Excel, Power BI or similar).
- Proven track record in developing and managing integrated schedules (Primavera P6 or equivalent).
- Strong analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
- Fluency in English required. Spanish proficiency is a plus.
$140,000 - 175,000 per year
Compensation & BenefitsEligible employees (and their families) may qualify for medical, dental, and vision insurance, as well as having basic life and accidental death insurance, paid disability insurance, including paid parental leave if eligible, and an Employee Assistance Program. Employees will receive paid sick and vacation time, and company holidays if eligible. The company also offers paid bereavement leave, and paid jury duty. Eligible employees can enroll in our company's 401k plan, as well as a retirement plan. Employees will be eligible for discretionary and/or metric-based bonuses dependent on their position.Top Skills
What We Do
Founded by Fred R. Smith in 1949 as Bellingham Stevedoring Company, we began our first cargo handling operations in a small corner of Washington State. Driven by a pioneering spirit, our family-owned company saw steady growth over the years, expanding up and down the West Coast to operate a significant market share of the major international terminals in the eastern Pacific. Today, we have become a global enterprise spanning more than 260 locations across five continents.
We continue to broaden our reach by developing new locations and upgrading existing facilities, providing some of the most technologically advanced facilities in the world.
We partner to move commerce with efficiency, flexibility, and integrity.
With operations across five continents and a vast network of interconnected transportation solutions, we open new opportunities that accelerate the growth and pace of global business. Improving the customer experience is at the heart of everything we do, so we make purposeful investments in people, facilities and technical innovations that deliver the greatest customer value.







