Senior Manager, Project Controls

CDM Smith; Deutschland; Hybrid; EUR 134,000 - 234,000; Full time

Job summary

CDM Smith is seeking a Senior Manager, Project Controls to lead our enterprise project controls across a large portfolio for municipal, industrial, and federal clients. You will shape governance, platforms, and analytics to deliver projects safely, profitably and predictably.

This role requires deep experience with integrated design-build, strong leadership, and a track record of digital transformation, focusing on automation, AI-enabled forecasting, and scalable document controls.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required.
• 15+ years of related experience.
• PMP or PgM certification required.
• Experience with municipal, industrial, and federal clients preferred.

Responsibilities

• Define the enterprise project controls strategy and governance.
• Establish controls for design-build, progressive design-build, CMAR, and other integrated delivery models.
• Strengthen budgeting, earned value management, forecasting, variance analysis, and master scheduling.
• Develop dashboards, project health reviews, and actionable risk insights for leadership.
• Lead modernization of project controls platforms, data, and workflows; champion automation and AI-enabled forecasting.
• Establish scalable standards for document management, records, and data quality.
• Collaborate with executives and delivery teams to improve predictability, profitability, and client outcomes.
• Build and mentor a distributed team of schedulers, cost controllers, and document-control professionals.

Skills

Project controls leadership

Integrated design-build

Digital transformation

Analytics & reporting

Forecasting & Earned Value

Stakeholder management

Team development

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

Primavera P6

EcoSys

Acumen Fuse

Oracle

Textura

Power BI

Job description

Company Overview

Check out this video and find out why our team loves to work here! (https://www.cdmsmith.com/resources/videos/meet-cdm-smith)

Join Us! CDM Smith – where amazing career journeys unfold.

Imagine a place committed to offering an unmatched employee experience. Where you work on projects that are meaningful to you. Where you play an active part in shaping your career journey. Where your co-workers are invested in you and your success. Where you are encouraged and supported to do your very best and given the tools and resources to do so. Where it’s a priority that the company takes good care of you and your family.

Our employees are the heart of our company. As an employer of choice, our goal is to provide a challenging, progressive and inclusive work environment which fosters personal leadership, career growth and development for every employee. We value passionate individuals who challenge the norm, deliver world-class solutions and bring diverse perspectives. Join our team, and together we will make a difference and change the world.

Job Description

CDM Smith is seeking a Senior Manager, Project Controls to provide enterprise leadership for our project controls function across a large, complex portfolio of integrated design-build projects for our municipal, industrial, and federal clients. This enterprise role will establish and continuously improve the governance, systems, processes, analytics, and talent needed to deliver projects safely, profitably, and predictably.

The ideal candidate brings deep project controls leadership within the AEC industry, including direct experience with integrated design-build and other alternative delivery models in the water industry. This leader will also advance digital transformation by modernizing project controls platforms, workflows, reporting, automation, and predictive insights across the enterprise.

Key Responsibilities

• Enterprise Leadership and Governance: Define the enterprise project controls strategy, standards, methodologies, and governance model; drive consistent adoption across business units and regions.

• Integrated Design-Build and Alternative Delivery: Establish project controls approaches for design-build, progressive design-build, CMAR, construction management, and other integrated delivery models. Partner with pursuit and delivery teams to align design, procurement, construction, cost, schedule, risk, and commercial controls from planning through closeout.

• Cost, Schedule, and Commercial Controls: Strengthen budgeting, earned value management, forecasting, variance analysis, integrated master scheduling, critical path analysis, change management, contract administration, claims avoidance, and recovery planning.

• Portfolio Performance and Risk: Develop leading indicators, project health reviews, executive dashboards, and actionable insights for margin, backlog, cash flow, labor productivity, schedule performance, forecasting accuracy, and delivery risk.

• Digital Transformation and Innovation: Lead modernization of project controls platforms, data, and workflows. Champion automation, integrated reporting, AI-enabled forecasting, predictive risk identification, and performance monitoring in partnership with Digital Delivery and Technology teams.

• Information and Document Controls: Establish scalable standards for document management, records, configuration control, collaboration platforms, data quality, traceability, and digital project delivery.

• Cross-Functional Partnership: Collaborate with executive leadership, operations, project management, finance, legal, risk management, procurement, and delivery teams to improve project predictability, profitability, and client outcomes.

• Team and Capability Development: Lead and develop a geographically distributed organization of schedulers, cost controllers, and document control professionals. Build career paths, competency models, training, succession plans, and a strong enterprise project controls community.

#LI-LP1

#LI-HYBRID

Skills & Abilities

• Demonstrated leadership of project controls for large, complex integrated design build portfolios, programs, or enterprise initiatives.

• Significant experience supporting integrated design-build, progressive design-build, CMAR, or comparable alternative delivery projects, with the ability to connect design and construction execution through integrated cost, schedule, risk, and commercial controls.

• Proven success leading digital transformation or delivery transformation initiatives involving enterprise platforms, data integration, standardized workflows, dashboards, automation, analytics, or AI-enabled capabilities.

• Deep knowledge of cost engineering, scheduling, forecasting, earned value management, risk management, commercial management, and document controls.

• Strong business and financial acumen, with the ability to translate complex project data into clear recommendations and executive-level decision support.

• Ability to influence and lead change across a large, matrixed organization while building alignment among technical, operational, and corporate stakeholders.

• Proven success in developing talent and building accountable, collaborative, high-performing teams.

• Excellent communication, stakeholder management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree.

• 15 or more years of related experience.

• PMP or PgM certification required.

Domestic and/or international travel may be required. The frequency of travel is contingent on specific duties, responsibilities, and the essential functions of the position, which may vary depending on workload and project demands. Equivalent additional directly related experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.

Preferred Qualifications

• PMP or DBIA certification.

• Experience with Primavera P6, EcoSys, Acumen Fuse, Oracle, Textura, Power BI, or related project controls and reporting technologies.

• Experience implementing advanced analytics, integrated data environments, AI-enabled reporting, or digital project controls solutions at enterprise scale.

• Experience supporting municipal, industrial, and federal clients in the water industry.

Amount of Travel Required

50%

EEO Statement

We attract the best people in the industry, supporting their efforts to learn and grow. We strive to create a challenging and progressive work environment. We provide career opportunities that span a variety of disciplines and geographic locations, with projects that our employees plan, design, build and operate as diverse as the needs of our clients. CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, pregnancy related conditions, childbirth and related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression), national origin, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, veteran status, citizenship status, genetic information or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Background Check and Drug Testing Information

CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries (hereafter collectively referred to as “CDM Smith”) reserves the right to require background checks including criminal, employment, education, licensure, etc. as well as credit and motor vehicle when applicable for certain positions. In addition, CDM Smith may conduct drug testing for designated positions. Background checks are conducted after an offer of employment has been made in the United States. The timing of when background checks will be conducted on candidates for positions outside the United States will vary based on country statutory law but in no case, will the background check precede an interview. CDM Smith will conduct interviews of qualified individuals prior to requesting a criminal background check, and no job application submitted prior to such interview shall inquire into an applicant's criminal history. If this position is subject to a background check for any convictions related to its responsibilities and requirements, employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background investigation including criminal history. Criminal history will not automatically disqualify a candidate. In addition, during employment individuals may be required by CDM Smith or a CDM Smith client to successfully complete additional background checks, including motor vehicle record as well as drug testing.

Massachusetts Applicants

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Additional Pay Range Information

CDM Smith is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. This pay range is a good faith estimate representative of all experience levels for the geographic location assigned to the position. In addition to geographic location, a candidate’s salary is determined by several other factors including, but not limited to, the role, function and associated responsibilities, relevant work experience, skills, required certifications, and education/training.

Additional Compensation

All bonuses at CDM Smith are discretionary and may or may not apply to this position.

Visa Sponsorship Available

No-We will not support sponsorship in the United States, i.e. H-1B or TN Visas for this position

Agency Disclaimer

All vendors must have a signed CDM Smith Placement Agreement from the CDM Smith Talent Acquisition Manager to receive payment for your placement. Verbal or written commitments from any other member of the CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries staff will not be considered binding terms. All unsolicited resumes sent to CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries and any resume submitted to any employee outside of CDM Smith Talent Acquisition Team will be considered property of CDM Smith. CDM Smith Inc. and its divisions and subsidiaries will not be held liable to pay a placement fee.

Pay Range Max

USD $262,787.00

Pay Range Min

USD $150,155.00