Project Controls Engineer – Defence

Turner & Townsend; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend is seeking a Project Controls Engineer to join our defence-focused portfolio in the UK. The role involves leading workstreams, establishing robust baselines, and coordinating cross-disciplinary project controls across scope, cost, risk and schedule.

You will collaborate with Integrated Project Teams, manage performance data, and support decision-making for complex commissions while maintaining UK MoD SC clearance requirements.

Qualifications

• Experience delivering projects within a cross-disciplinary Project Controls environment.
• Experience across one or more Project Controls disciplines (Planning & Scheduling, Cost Estimation, Cost Control, Risk Management, Performance Reporting).
• Understanding of how Integrated Project Controls disciplines operate.
• Proactive, curious, can-do attitude in uncertain project environments.
• Strong communication skills with ability to influence outcomes.
• Interest in building a professional network and knowledge sharing beyond delivery.
• Undergraduate technical/management degree or equivalent qualifications and experience.
• Membership of a relevant professional body (APM/PMI) or working towards it.
• Competence in using the software required for Project Controls roles.
• Willingness to work across various sectors and clients.

Responsibilities

• Lead specific workstreams within a cross-discipline Project Controls team.
• Contribute to scope definition using exclusions, assumptions, interfaces and dependencies to enable WBS.
• Support establishment of Performance Measurement Baseline and change control processes.
• Collaborate with suppliers to integrate and analyse performance data per contractual requirements.
• Assist with scope, cost, risk and schedule integration and alignment.
• Analyse Earned Value Management data to inform delivery decisions.
• Liaise with Finance to generate prospective financial positions (e.g., ETC and EAC).
• Support risk identification, quantification, treatment and oversight.

Skills

Project delivery

Project Controls

Scope & WBS

Performance reporting

Stakeholder communication

Analytical thinking

Adaptability

Team collaboration

Education

Undergraduate degree in a relevant technical or management field

Professional body membership (APM/PMI)

Job description

At Turner & Townsend, we’re passionate about making the difference. That means delivering better outcomes for our clients, helping our people to realise their potential, and doing our part to create a prosperous society. Every day, we help our clients deliver ambitious and highly technical projects in 64 countries using our global team of over 23,000 people.

Within the UK, Turner & Townsend has a wide range of key clients across a broad spectrum of sectors, including Health, Local Authorities, Higher Education, Highways, Utilities, Rail, and Defence. Our diverse portfolio of clients provides our team members with unique and rewarding opportunities to gain experience across a broad range of major programmes and projects.

We play a crucial role in supporting the defence of the United Kingdom as a key provider of project and programme management services to the Ministry of Defence and strategic Defence suppliers.

Due to growing demand for our services, we are actively looking to expand the team with talented individuals who wish to support our Defence client portfolio and further their career by working on a range of complex and challenging commissions.

We are seeking like-minded passionate people to join our organisation who have a positive outlook, are seeking development opportunities, have a strong foundation of technical understanding and experience within the Defence or other highly regulated industries.

Job Description

Important: Before applying, due to the sensitive nature of these projects, you must be a Sole UK National who is able to achieve and maintain UK MoD Security Clearance (SC).

As a Project Controls Engineer, you will have experience of:

• Working within and leading on specific workstreams within a cross-discipline Project Controls team.
• Contributing to project the scope definition through the use of exclusions, assumptions, interfaces, and dependencies, and coordinating the scope’s decomposition to enable the establishment of a Work Breakdown Structure.
• Working with the Integrated Project Team to support the establishment a robust, accurate Performance Measurement Baseline and manage the change control process.
• Supporting collaboration with suppliers to integrate and analyse project performance data in accordance with Supplier Project Controls contractual requirements.
• Supporting scope, cost, risk and schedule integration and alignment.
• Supporting the analysis of performance data, including Earned Value Management, to provide insight and to facilitate delivery decisions.
• Supporting the liaison with Finance to generate relevant prospective financial positions, including Cash Estimate to Complete and Estimate At Complete profiles.
• Supporting effective risk management through the appropriate identification, quantification, treatment and oversight of project risk.
• Supporting Project Managers in the deployment of resource in-line with the resource-loaded schedules.
• Assuring the quality, accuracy, and integrity of your output.
• Working with the Integrated Project Team to communicate and contextualise delivery performance and influence stakeholders.
• Promoting learning from experience and influencing process improvements.

Qualifications

As a Project Controls Engineer, you will;

• Have experience of delivering projects.
• Have Project Controls experience across a one or more stages within the Project lifecycle.
• Have experience in the application of one or more Project Controls disciplines, including Planning and Scheduling, Cost Estimation, Cost Control, Risk Management or Performance Reporting and their associated software / tools.
• Have a basic understanding of the way in which the Integrated Project Controls disciplines operate.
• Hold a proactive, curious and ‘can-do’ attitude, as well as being an individual who is comfortable in uncertain and unclear project environments.
• Be a good communicator with ability to influence outcomes.
• Have a passion to build a community and support network beyond your delivery role.
• Have an undergraduate degree in a relevant technical or management field or suitable equivalent qualifications and experience.
• Hold or are working towards holding membership of a relevant professional body e.g. Association for Project Management, Project Management Institute.
• Be competent in using the software needed to perform the role.
• Have a desire to work within various sectors and with a range of clients.

Additional Information

Security Clearance

Important: Before applying, due to the sensitive nature of these projects, you must be a Sole UK National who is able to achieve and maintain UK MoD Security Clearance (SC).

Many of the clients and projects we support are subject to MoD security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change, such as to current processes through networks such as our maternity steering groups.

We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work‑life balance and working parents.

Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and have active networks who are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community. Our “One Employee Network (OEN)” is a unified umbrella, developed to influence, champion and support Turner & Townsend’s ambition to become a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization. As well as advocating for employees who identify with specific groups and communities, our networks such as but not limited to DE&I, Unity, Womens Network, Wellbeing, Military, Parents and Carers enhance and share best practice and encourage dialogue across our business.

Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com/.

SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

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