Project Controls Director - Aviation

Parsons Oman; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 250,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading engineering firm is seeking a Project Controls Director with a focus on aviation projects in Riyadh. The role involves overseeing planning, scheduling, risk management, and reporting functions for a major airfield development program. Candidates must have at least 25 years of relevant experience and significant exposure to mega-project environments, particularly within the GCC region. Strong analytical and strategic planning skills are essential for success in this role.

Qualifications

• Minimum 25 years of experience in project controls across aviation.
• Significant experience in airfield or airport mega-project environments.
• Proven leadership of large project controls teams on multi-billion-dollar programs.

Responsibilities

• Provide overall leadership to project controls teams.
• Develop and maintain the Project Controls Management Plan.
• Establish governance and procedures for effective project controls.

Skills

Project controls leadership

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Stakeholder engagement

Commercial awareness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering or related discipline

Tools

Primavera P6

Aconex

Primavera Unifier

Job description

Job Description

Parsons are seeking a highly experienced Project Controls Director - Aviation experience required.

Reporting to the Program Director, the Project Controls Director is responsible for overseeing the planning, scheduling, risk management, document control, and reporting functions for a major airfield and airport development program. This role provides strategic leadership to the project controls teams, ensuring full integration of schedule, risk, and reporting data to support the successful project delivery.

The ideal candidate will bring 25 years of expertise in project controls across large-scale infrastructure, aviation, transportation or mega-project environments, with strong analytical, managerial, and strategic planning capabilities.

Prior experience working with a renowned Project Management Consultancy (PMC) and previous work experience in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region are highly desirable for this role.

What You'll Be Doing

• Provide overall leadership and direction to the project controls teams, ensuring alignment with program objectives and delivery requirements.
• Develop, implement and maintain the Project Controls Management Plan, covering schedule, risk, change, document control, and reporting frameworks.
• Establish governance, procedures, and tools to ensure effective project controls across all program phases in line with KSIA requirements and procedures and in collaboration with KSIA Project Controls teams.
• Ensure full integration of project controls activities with engineering, procurement, construction, and commercial functions. This entails close collaboration with the Asset Delivery teams.
• Lead the risk management process both within the Airfield team and with Design Consultants and Contractors., including risk registers, risk workshops, probability impact analysis, and mitigation planning.
• Provide executive-level insight on major risks and opportunities influencing project outcomes.
• Coordinate with delivery teams to track and close risk actions effectively.
• Oversee the implementation and operation of Aconex to ensure proper management of project documentation and records.
• Develop and maintain consolidated project dashboards, performance reports, KPIs, and executive management updates
• Direct the preparation, review, and baseline approval of Design Consultants’ and Contractors’ schedules for all airfield and airport project elements.
• Monitor progress, perform schedule health checks, and implement critical path analysis, delay assessments, and forecasting.
• Identify early warning signs of schedule slippage and recommend recovery strategies.
• Ensure alignment of contractor schedules with the master program and airport operational constraints.
• Ensure data accuracy and integrity across schedule, risk, and procurement systems.
• Support internal and external audits, ensuring compliance with program governance, contractual requirements, and industry standards.
• Present project performance to senior leadership, stakeholders, and authorities.
• Liaise with contractors, consultants, and client teams to ensure alignment of project controls processes and deliverables.
• Lead project controls interface meetings, workshops, and reporting cycles.
• Assist in resolving disputes, validating contractor claims, and verifying entitlement through data-driven analysis.
• Support the Program Director, the leadership team and Delivery Managers with strategic decision-making.

What Required Skills You'll Bring

• Minimum 25 years of experience in project controls across aviation.
• Significant experience in airfield or airport mega-project environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.
• Prior experience working with a renowned Project Management Consultancy (PMC) on large-scale programs.
• Previous work experience in the GCC region, with an understanding of regional project delivery practices, standards.
• Proven leadership of large project controls teams on multi-billion-dollar programs.
• Expertise in Primavera P6, risk management tools, and data analytics platforms.
• Sound understanding of Aconex, Primavera Unifier, or similar project management systems.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to support claims, variations, and contract negotiations.
• Excellent analytical, communication, reporting, and stakeholder engagement skills.
• Ability to drive team performance and maintain high standards of project controls governance.
• Ability to work effectively under time constraints, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.

Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels no matter the race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!

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