Project Controls Specialist

We are looking for a Project Controls Specialist to support engineering design projects from initial setup through project closeout. This person will work closely with Project Managers and Accounting to manage project budgets, schedules, forecasts, reporting, and overall project performance.

What You’ll Do

• Set up new projects, including project codes, WBS structures, budgets, and contract fee lines
• Translate approved proposals into labor hour and cost budgets by discipline, phase, and deliverable
• Track actual hours, costs, and commitments against project budgets
• Identify budget variances, potential overruns, and schedule concerns
• Maintain project forecasts, including remaining hours, estimate to complete, and forecast cost at completion
• Track project schedules, milestones, deliverables, and overdue activities
• Support resource and staffing forecasts across multiple projects
• Maintain change logs and update budgets and schedules for approved changes
• Prepare project reports covering budget performance, schedule status, forecasts, and outstanding issues
• Coordinate project review meetings, document action items, and follow up on open items
• Work with Accounting on billing reviews, project reconciliation, and closeout
• Maintain standard project controls templates and help improve processes and reporting accuracy

What We’re Looking For

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Engineering, Construction Management, Finance, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Experience in project controls, project coordination, project accounting, or a related role
• Strong Excel skills
• Experience with project management or ERP systems
• Unanet experience preferred
• Understanding of labor hour budgets, project cost reporting, forecasting, and project schedules
• Experience working with time and materials and fixed fee contracts
• Engineering or professional services experience preferred

What Will Make You Successful

• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to identify and clearly explain project variances
• Comfortable working across multiple projects and deadlines
• Proactive communication when budgets, schedules, or forecasts are trending in the wrong direction
• Strong follow through on open items
• Ability to work closely with Project Managers, technical teams, and Accounting
• Comfortable questioning incomplete or inconsistent project information

The ideal person for this role understands both the numbers and the project. You should be able to look at project costs, hours, schedules, and forecasts and identify potential problems before they become larger issues.