Project Controls Specialist (00526)

Organizational Responsibilities

• Responsible for overall project and program cost performance analysis and reporting.
• Develops and implements cost control procedures, documents, and tools to support and enhance project budget management.
• Reviews and apply contract documents to define cost obligations and align deliverables.
• Prepares and maintains summary and detailed cost estimates, incorporating early, late, and planned cost calculations.
• Performs cost analysis to identify trends and deviations, including cost underruns and overruns.
• Incorporates progress data into cost updates and develops corrective recommendations.
• Apply target estimates and pinpoints drivers of project cost variances.
• Supports development of what-if analyses to assess cost impacts.
• Develops and maintains CPM logic based, and quantity-loaded schedules and time/cost phased plans used to manage workflow across the project life cycle, using Primavera P6, company standard project templates, and input from the Project Management Team.
• Update, analyze and maintain integrated project schedules for the entire program.
• Continuously analyze projects throughout the project life cycle by identifying and documenting schedule risks, changes, and mitigation strategies, including drivers of schedule variances and recommend mitigation actions.
• Develop and maintain schedule status reports, metrics, dashboards, and executive summaries used to evaluate and measure schedule, project, and program performance for internal and client audiences.
• Assist in conducting what-if scenarios and time impact analyses (TIA) to support schedule risk evaluation and decision-making.
• Understands scheduling fundamentals, including sequencing, activity duration estimation, baseline management, and earned value.
• Supports multi-project scheduling and reporting with minimal oversight.
• Develop and maintain insightful and well-structured cost and schedule status reports, metrics, dashboards, and executive summaries used to evaluate and measure schedule, project, and program performance for internal and external stakeholders.  
• Summarizes cost status, key themes, and performance insights in clear, digestible formats.
• Effectively engages stakeholders to gather required information, even when met with resistance.
• Supports project managers, contractors, and stakeholders to ensure adherence to budgets and timelines.
• Demonstrates a solid understanding of PMA’s products, services, clients, and projects.
• Participates in client engagements and program assignments across industries.
• Identifies and participates in process improvement and contributes to the development and maintenance of scheduling and project controls process guides.
• Demonstrates advanced knowledge of cost and scheduling tools.
• Pursues growth in domain knowledge and shares expertise across teams.
• Exhibits initiative, logical analysis, and decision-making in solving problems and making recommendations.
• Other duties as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, construction management, or a related quantitative or technical field.
• 5+ years of project controls and scheduling experience.
• Proficient in Oracle Primavera P6 and Microsoft Excel.
• Strong understanding of CPM logic theory, quantity-loading and schedule project development fundamentals.
• Familiarity with project lifecycle phases and construction methodologies.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while contributing to a larger team effort.
• Experience with schedule analysis, reporting, and stakeholder collaboration.

• This position includes all benefits and protections required by federal, Illinois, and Chicago law, including paid leave and paid sick leave, workers’ compensation, unemployment insurance, and family and medical leave, as applicable.