Project Controls Manager - Rail Systems

Parsons; Al Ruways Industrial City; On-site; AED 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Parsons Corporation is seeking a Senior Project Controls Manager for a major rail program in Abu Dhabi. You will oversee integrated planning, scheduling, cost control, risk, and change management to ensure timely delivery and contractual compliance.

The role requires extensive experience in Primavera P6, integrated master scheduling, and EOT claim assessment, with leadership of a multi-disciplinary controls team across design, construction, and testing phases.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in civil/Mechanical engineering, construction management, or related field.
• Minimum 15 years of professional project controls experience on major rail projects.
• Extensive experience in planning, scheduling, cost control, risk analysis, and EOT claims.
• Strong knowledge of Primavera P6, MS Project, and integrated master scheduling.

Responsibilities

• Lead the project controls function across the full rail project lifecycle.
• Develop and maintain Integrated Master Schedule and baseline schedules.
• Manage planning, scheduling, cost control, risk, change management, and progress reporting.

Skills

Project controls

Rail project controls

Planning and scheduling

Primavera P6

Integrated Master Schedule

Cost control

Risk management

Change management

EOT claims

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil/Mechanical Engineering or Construction Management

Tools

Primavera P6

Power BI

Microsoft Project

Primavera Risk Analysis

Job description

Project Controls Manager - Rail Systems Job Snapshot Role: Project Controls Manager - Rail Systems Location: Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates Industry: Construction Function: Project-Program Management Experience: 15 years in rail project controls, planning, scheduling, cost control, risk analysis, and EOT claims Job Type: Full-time

Overview Project Controls Manager - Rail Systems in Abu Dhabi Emirate, United Arab Emirates is a senior Construction opportunity overseeing integrated planning, scheduling, cost control, risk management, change control, progress measurement, and reporting for a major rail program. Parsons Corporation is hiring an experienced project controls professional to establish robust control systems, manage Primavera P6 planning environments, develop integrated master schedules, assess contractor programs, analyze delay and change impacts, and challenge Extension of Time claims across complex rail systems delivery.

Job Details Country: United Arab Emirates City: Abu Dhabi Emirate Industry: Construction Function: Project-Program Management Salary: 40000-60000 Estimated salary range based on similar jobs in the job city; please confirm the final offer with the employer. Gender: Any Candidate Nationality: Any Job Type: Full-time

Role Context

The Project Controls Manager will provide the management framework that connects schedule, cost, risk, change, progress, and contractual performance across a major rail project. The position will create a single integrated view of delivery performance so project leadership can identify emerging delays, forecast outcomes, assess change, and make informed decisions. Effective controls will be particularly important across interdependent design, construction, systems, testing, commissioning, and stakeholder activities where schedule slippage in one area can affect the wider rail program.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the project controls function across the full rail project lifecycle.
• Provide direction for planning, scheduling, cost control, risk, change management, progress measurement, and reporting.
• Establish project controls governance aligned with Client and contractual requirements.
• Develop project-specific procedures covering schedule management, reporting, risk, change, and controls assurance.
• Monitor compliance with approved project controls processes and standards.
• Provide specialist guidance to planning and risk personnel.
• Coordinate project controls activities with Client representatives and senior project leadership.
• Attend regular management and progress meetings.
• Establish Primavera P6 as the primary scheduling environment for the project.
• Configure appropriate planning structures, coding systems, calendars, and schedule governance.
• Coordinate common scheduling requirements across contractors, consultants, and stakeholders.
• Develop and maintain the Integrated Master Program.
• Ensure individual contractor and consultant schedules can be integrated into the master planning framework.
• Review baseline schedules for logic, sequencing, milestones, constraints, and contractual compliance.
• Challenge unrealistic assumptions, excessive constraints, missing interfaces, and weak schedule logic.
• Assess schedule quality before recommending acceptance.
• Monitor actual progress against approved baselines.
• Evaluate critical and near-critical paths affecting project completion.
• Identify emerging schedule slippage and potential milestone impacts.
• Require appropriate recovery or mitigation measures where performance falls behind plan.
• Analyze the effect of design changes on current and future project activities.
• Assess construction changes for schedule, cost, and interface consequences.
• Evaluate the cumulative impact of multiple changes across the wider program.
• Support formal change control processes with schedule and project controls analysis.
• Review contractor and consultant programs submitted throughout project delivery.
• Compare submitted schedules with contractual requirements and approved baselines.
• Verify incorporation of agreed changes into updated programs.
• Analyze sequencing between civil works, rail systems, interfaces, testing, and commissioning.
• Coordinate planning interfaces between multiple packages and workstreams.
• Establish formal progress measurement methodologies.
• Verify that reported progress is supported by objective evidence.
• Reconcile inconsistencies between physical progress, schedule status, and reported performance.
• Develop project reporting cycles suitable for Client and management decision-making.
• Produce consolidated progress reports covering schedule, cost, risk, change, and key performance indicators.
• Develop executive-level dashboards and management presentations.
• Use Power BI and other reporting tools to improve visibility of project controls information.
• Maintain transparent reporting of critical issues requiring leadership intervention.
• Lead project controls workshops with contractors and consultants.
• Use workshops to resolve schedule, reporting, risk, interface, and control-system deficiencies.
• Assign actions and monitor closure of unresolved project controls issues.
• Support structured schedule review sessions with delivery teams.
• Review Extension of Time submissions.
• Challenge entitlement, causation, critical-path impact, and claimed delay periods.
• Assess delay analysis methodologies used in contractor submissions.
• Review contemporaneous schedule records supporting EOT claims.
• Coordinate with commercial and contract teams on schedule-related claims.
• Provide project controls input into dispute avoidance and claims assessment.
• Perform quantitative schedule risk analysis for key project milestones where required.
• Coordinate identification and assessment of project schedule risks.
• Maintain integration between project risk registers and schedule forecasts.
• Evaluate the potential impact of identified risks on completion dates.
• Support development of risk mitigation strategies.
• Coordinate effective Project Risk Management across the project.
• Monitor risk exposure throughout design and construction.
• Escalate significant threats to schedule, cost, or contractual performance.
• Support cost control and forecasting activities through integrated project data.
• Coordinate schedule information with cost and earned-value reporting where applicable.
• Verify consistency between approved scope, budget, schedule, and forecast.
• Track change impacts across schedule and project controls systems.
• Maintain clear audit trails supporting management and contractual decisions.
• Apply recognized project controls best practices across the program.
• Mentor planners, schedulers, and risk personnel.
• Improve consistency and technical quality within the project controls team.
• Support project leadership with scenario analysis and recovery planning.
• Provide objective controls information to support strategic decisions.
• Maintain focus on timely delivery of major rail milestones and overall project completion.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor 's degree in Civil Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Construction Management, or a closely related discipline.
• Minimum 15 years of professional project controls experience.
• Strong background in major rail infrastructure projects.
• Previous High-Speed Rail experience is highly desirable.
• Extensive experience in planning and scheduling.
• Strong cost control capability.
• Practical expertise in quantitative schedule risk analysis.
• Demonstrated experience reviewing Extension of Time claims.
• Deep understanding of critical path methodology.
• Able to review and challenge complex contractor schedules.
• Strong knowledge of integrated master scheduling.
• Experienced in project progress measurement and performance reporting.
• Familiar with change control and its effect on schedule and cost.
• Able to assess design and construction changes quantitatively.
• Experienced in project risk management.
• Advanced Primavera P6 capability.
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Project.
• Experience using Primavera Risk Analysis or equivalent quantitative risk tools.
• Proficient with Power BI for project controls reporting and visualization.
• Familiar with integrated reporting and project controls dashboards.
• Strong understanding of industry project controls practices and governance.
• Able to lead multi-party planning and controls workshops.
• Experienced in coordinating Client, consultant, and contractor controls teams.
• Strong analytical capability for complex schedule and delay issues.
• Able to work effectively within a fast-moving, multidisciplinary rail environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong stakeholder management and presentation capability.
• Demonstrated ability to lead project controls personnel and influence project decision-making.

Skills Set

• Project controls
• Rail project controls
• Rail systems
• High-Speed Rail
• Planning and scheduling
• Primavera P6
• Integrated Master Program
• Integrated Master Schedule
• Critical path analysis
• Baseline schedules
• Schedule updates
• Schedule recovery
• Progress measurement
• Cost control
• Earned value
• Forecasting
• Change management
• Change control
• Delay analysis
• Extension of Time claims
• EOT assessment
• Claims analysis
• Quantitative schedule risk analysis
• Primavera Risk Analysis
• Project risk management
• Risk registers
• Schedule risk
• Design change analysis
• Construction change analysis
• Contractor schedule review
• Consultant schedule review
• Interface management
• Rail construction
• Rail systems integration
• Testing and commissioning planning
• Project reporting
• Executive dashboards
• Power BI
• Microsoft Project
• Project controls workshops
• Performance reporting
• Contractual schedule compliance
• Project governance
• Stakeholder coordination

Why Join Us

Major rail programs in the United Arab Emirates require sophisticated project controls because design, civil works, rail systems, interfaces, testing, commissioning, and contractual milestones must remain tightly synchronized. This senior role offers the opportunity to influence program-wide decision-making through schedule intelligence, risk analysis, change evaluation, and performance reporting while strengthening expertise in complex rail and potentially High-Speed Rail delivery.

About the Company

Parsons Corporation delivers engineering, program management, construction supervision, and technology solutions for large-scale transportation and infrastructure programs. In the United Arab Emirates, Parsons supports complex projects through multidisciplinary engineering, integrated project controls, risk management, commercial oversight, and program delivery expertise.