Job Title:
Project Controls Specialist (Cost & Schedule)
Department: Project Controls
Reports To: Director Of Project Controls
Location:
FLSA Status:
Summary:
The Project Controls Specialist is a dual-discipline role responsible for executing both comprehensive project cost control and advanced schedule management. This position is a distinct step up from a standalone cost controller or scheduler; it requires a professional capable of managing both sides of the project controls equation simultaneously to provide a unified look at project health.
The ideal candidate possesses a strong financial and analytical mindset for budget forecasting alongside hands-on proficiency in Primavera P6. Operating as the controls lead for assigned projects, this individual analyzes integrated data, manages change control, and produces the critical reports necessary to drive project performance and decision-making.
Duties and Responsibilities:
Integrated Project Controls Leadership
- Lead Project Controls Function: Take full ownership of both the cost baseline and the schedule baseline for assigned projects, ensuring they are perfectly mirrored and synchronized.
- Project Team Facilitation: Lead regular project status and financial review meetings, holding cross-functional teams accountable for budget updates, progress data, and schedule logic.
- Management Reporting: Consolidate complex cost and schedule data into clear, executive-ready monthly performance reports, variance narratives, and dashboards for the Project Controls Manager.
Project Cost Control & Forecasting (50%)
- Budget & Spend Management: Establish and maintain the project cost baseline, tracking actual expenditure, commitments, and open purchase orders against the approved budget.
- Financial Forecasting: Conduct rigorous variance analysis and generate accurate Estimate at Completion (EAC) and Estimate to Complete (ETC) cash-flow forecasts.
- Earned Value & Progress Tracking: Apply Earned Value Management Systems (EVMS) to track cost efficiency (CPI) and quantify physical progress against financial spend.
- Change Management: Evaluate, cost-justify, and process change orders, ensuring budget adjustments are accurately coded and integrated into the financial baseline.
Schedule Management & Analysis (50%)
- Primavera P6 Scheduling: Build, update, and maintain logically linked project schedules within Primavera P6, ensuring proper sequencing and resource loading.
- Schedule Health & Progress: Monitor schedule efficiency (SPI), track physical percent complete, and analyze the Critical Path to identify potential delays before they impact the project end-date.
- Impact Analysis: Perform time-impact analysis for proposed modifications or change orders to determine their exact effect on the project timeline.
Interface & Compliance
- Cross-Functional Alignment: Serve as the primary bridge connecting Engineering, Procurement, Construction, and Project Finance/Accounting to ensure data consistency.
- Standards & Quality Control: Ensure all cost tracking and scheduling practices comply with corporate project controls, governance and contractual requirements.
Required Skills and Abilities:
- Highly organized, able to manage multiple priorities in fast-paced environments.
- Team player – able to communicate and relate well with others
- Proficient in both cost and scheduling systems
- Education: Bachelor’s degree in finance, Construction Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field.
- Experience: 5–7 years of direct experience in project controls, with a strictly balanced background executing both comprehensive cost engineering and P6 scheduling functions.
- Certifications (Preferred): CCP (Certified Cost Professional), PSP (Planning & Scheduling Professional), or progress toward certification.
- Financial & Cost Acumen: Deep understanding of project accounting, budgeting, forecasting methodologies, variance analysis, and cash flow modeling.
- Scheduling Proficiency: Strong, practical knowledge of Primavera P6, including critical path method (CPM) scheduling, logic constraints, and baseline management.
- Data Analytics & Excel Fluency: Advanced mastery of MS Excel (pivot tables, complex formulas, lookups) for deep-dive financial and data analysis; experience with Power BI is highly valued.
- Communication: Strong interpersonal and presentation skills, with the ability to translate technical scheduling metrics and financial data into clear, actionable insights for project teams.
Physical Requirements:
- Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer
- Occasional lifting of office supplies or equipment up to 20 pounds
- Ability to move around the office for daily tasks and meetings
- Location: Office-based with frequent, direct collaboration with project management and execution teams.
- Travel: Occasional travel to project sites or fabrication facilities as required to verify physical progress against reported costs and schedules.
Onward Solutions offers unprecedented opportunity for career advancement to those who seek reward for excellent performance, sound judgement and strong work ethic. We envision a future where energy and associated infrastructure projects are delivered with unmatched safety, precision, reliability, and integrity. Our commitment to inclusion and diversity, and dedication to high ethical standards echoes throughout our workforce.
Benefits:
The successful candidate will receive a competitive salary and will be eligible to participate in a comprehensive benefits package which includes medical, dental, and vision, basic life insurance, AD&D insurance, 401k, and PTO.
All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, physical or mental disability, veteran status, or any other classification protected by federal, state or local law.
Skills Required
- Bachelor's degree in finance, Construction Management, Engineering, Business Administration, or a related field
- 5-7 years of direct project controls experience with balanced cost engineering and Primavera P6 scheduling experience
- Proficiency in cost and scheduling systems
- Strong understanding of project accounting, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and cash flow modeling
- Practical proficiency with Primavera P6, CPM scheduling, logic constraints, and baseline management
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including pivot tables, complex formulas, and lookups
- Strong interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills
- CCP certification, PSP certification, or progress toward certification
- Power BI experience
What We Do
Onward Resources, operating as Onward Solutions, provides engineering, survey, procurement, project management, and construction management services for energy and infrastructure projects, particularly midstream pipelines and facilities. Its work includes pipeline and facilities engineering, land surveying and geographic information systems, project delivery, construction, and integrity and maintenance. The company supports upstream, midstream, and downstream clients with solutions spanning project conceptualization and design through construction, commissioning, and startup.
