Senior Project Controls Manager

Westlakes Recruit Limited; East Midlands; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

Westlakes Recruit Limited is supporting a major UK infrastructure programme in Derby for a Senior Project Controls Manager. The role leads the Project Controls community across multiple large projects, delivering governance, assurance and continuous improvement.

You will shape controls maturity, establish robust baselines, and provide forward‑looking programme insight to senior leadership within a nuclear/defence context.

Qualifications

• Significant leadership experience in Project Controls within regulated environments (nuclear/defence/infrastructure).
• Experience implementing Project Controls frameworks, governance and standards.
• Strong grasp of integrated baselines, critical path analysis and contract-management relationships.

Responsibilities

• Act as the functional authority for Project Controls across the Major Infrastructure Programme.
• Own and improve the Project Controls framework, standards and governance.
• Provide leadership, coaching and mentoring to Project Controls Managers across multiple projects.
• Establish consistent planning, scheduling, cost, risk, change, forecasting, EVM and reporting approaches.
• Ensure robust integrated baselines across scope, schedule and cost.
• Provide assurance via health checks, maturity assessments and reviews.
• Identify cross-project trends and opportunities for intervention.
• Drive continuous improvement in processes, data and capability.
• Represent Project Controls in senior governance forums.

Skills

Project Controls leadership

Planning & Scheduling

Cost Management

Risk & Opportunity

Change Control

Forecasting

Earned Value Management

Performance Measurement

Reporting

Education

APM or equivalent professional qualification

Job description

Senior Project Controls Manager - Major Infrastructure Programme

Location: Derby / Hybrid

Salary: Competitive, dependent on experience

Employment Type: Permanent

Sector: Nuclear / Defence / Major Infrastructure / Engineering

About the Opportunity

Westlakes Recruit is currently supporting a leading organisation within the UK nuclear and defence sector in the appointment of a Senior Project Controls Manager to support a major infrastructure programme.

This is a senior and influential opportunity to shape Project Controls across a portfolio of complex capital projects, providing the standards, governance, assurance and leadership required to support successful programme delivery. You will act as the functional authority for Project Controls, providing leadership across a community of Project Controls Managers embedded within individual major projects. The role will provide senior leadership with independent, forward-looking insight into programme performance, identifying trends, emerging risks, dependencies and opportunities for intervention. This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced Project Controls professional looking to move beyond individual project delivery and take ownership of programme-wide controls, capability and continuous improvement.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the functional authority for Project Controls across the Major Infrastructure Programme.
• Own and continuously improve the Project Controls framework, standards, governance and ways of working.
• Provide functional leadership, coaching and mentoring to Project Controls Managers across multiple major projects.
• Establish consistent and proportionate approaches to planning, scheduling, cost, risk, change, forecasting, EVM and performance reporting.
• Ensure robust integrated baselines are established across scope, schedule and cost.
• Provide assurance through Project Controls health checks, maturity assessments and targeted reviews.
• Provide constructive challenge to project leadership where controls, performance or governance fall below expectations.
• Integrate information across multiple projects to provide forward-looking programme insight to senior leadership.
• Identify cross-programme trends, emerging risks, dependencies and opportunities.
• Drive effective use of Earned Value Management, critical path analysis, forecasting, trend analysis and scenario planning.
• Work closely with Project Directors, Project Managers, Commercial, Finance, Supply Chain, Risk and Engineering teams.
• Ensure Project Controls effectively supports projects delivered under NEC contractual environments.
• Support effective integration of change, commercial management, risk, cost and schedule information.
• Drive continuous improvement across Project Controls processes, systems, data and capability.
• Support resource and capability planning across the Project Controls function.
• Represent Project Controls within senior governance and programme leadership forums.

About You

We are keen to hear from experienced Project Controls professionals with a strong background in large, complex capital projects, programmes or portfolios.

You will ideally have:

• Significant Project Controls leadership experience within nuclear, defence, infrastructure, engineering or another highly regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge across integrated Project Controls, including:
  • Planning & Scheduling
  • Cost Management
  • Risk & Opportunity
  • Change Control
  • Forecasting
  • Earned Value Management
  • Performance Measurement
  • Reporting
• Experience developing and implementing Project Controls frameworks, standards and governance.
• Strong understanding of integrated performance baselines and critical path analysis.
• Practical experience of NEC contracts and the relationship between contract management and Project Controls.
• Experience providing assurance, challenge and improvement recommendations to senior project leadership.
• The ability to translate complex project information into clear, actionable insight for senior stakeholders.
• Strong leadership and influencing skills, particularly within matrix organisations.
• Experience developing Project Controls capability through coaching and mentoring.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong commercial and financial awareness.
• A continuous improvement mindset with evidence of improving controls maturity, processes or systems.
• A relevant professional qualification or membership such as APM or equivalent would be advantageous.

Why Consider This Opportunity?

This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping Project Controls across a significant UK nuclear and defence infrastructure programme. Rather than focusing on a single project, you will influence how Project Controls is delivered across a portfolio of major projects, helping establish consistent standards while providing senior leadership with the insight required to make informed decisions.

Your impact will be seen through:

• Improved Project Controls maturity across the programme.
• More credible cost and schedule forecasts.
• Earlier identification of emerging risks and issues.
• Stronger integration between cost, schedule, risk and change.
• Improved programme performance and decision-making.
• Development of a high-performing Project Controls community.

Security Clearance

Due to the nature of the work, candidates will be required to obtain and maintain Security Check (SC) clearance. Candidates must meet the relevant UK nationality requirements for security clearance. Where required, support will be provided throughout the clearance process