Senior Project Controls Manager

Jacobs; Riyadh Region; On-site; SAR 500,000 - 750,000; Full time

Job summary

Jacobs is seeking a Senior Manager – Project Controls to lead the project controls function for a major Saudi Arabian programme near Riyadh. You will oversee scheduling, risk, information management, and change control, ensuring data quality and transparent reporting across the lifecycle.

You will coach a project controls team, coordinate with cross-functional teams, and drive continuous improvement in controls systems to deliver on time, within budget and to quality standards.

Qualifications

• Extensive project controls, planning, and scheduling experience in construction or infrastructure delivery.
• Experience across contractor and consultancy organisations.
• Strong leadership, objective setting, and delivery under deadlines.
• Advanced knowledge of Primavera P6 and MS Office applications.
• Experience developing schedules, risk registers, change controls, and interface registers.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication with stakeholders.
• PM/PRINCE2 certification preferred; Primavera certification advantageous.
• Experience in Saudi Arabia or wider Middle East is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the project controls function across the project lifecycle.
• Prepare, maintain, and review internal schedules aligned with governance and obligations.
• Review contractor baseline schedules and coordinate outcomes with teams and contractors.
• Develop progress measurement, forecasting, and reporting tools for visibility.
• Review progress reports and ensure accuracy and calendar compliance.
• Coordinate with cross-functional teams to validate project information.
• Maintain risk registers, run workshops, monitor mitigations, and analyze performance.
• Oversee document control, change control, and interface registers.
• Provide reports and insights to senior leadership; coach the controls team.

Skills

Project controls

Scheduling

Leadership

Risk management

Communication

English proficiency

PM/PRINCE2

Advanced Primavera P6

Education

Bachelor’s or postgraduate in Engineering/Construction Management/Architecture/Business Management

Tools

Primavera P6

MS Office (Excel/Word/PowerPoint/Visio)

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

At Jacobs, we push the limits of what’s possible to make the world smarter and more connected. We are a key delivery partner on one of Saudi Arabia’s flagship giga projects and a central pillar of Vision 2030, located approximately 45 km southwest of Riyadh. Designed as the Kingdom’s future capital of entertainment, sports, and culture, this landmark development aims to diversify the economy and enhance quality of life through a mix of world-class attractions, residential communities, and natural landscapes, while generating significant employment and enabling long-term, sustainable growth.

About The Opportunity

The Senior Manager – Project Controls will lead and coordinate the project controls function across a major programme of works, ensuring the effective integration of schedule management, reporting, risk, information management, change control, and interface management throughout the project lifecycle.

Providing leadership and technical guidance to the project controls team, the role will ensure that project information is accurate, consistent, and transparent, enabling informed decision‑making and effective project delivery.

The Senior Manager – Project Controls will work closely with project leadership, delivery teams, contractors, consultants, and cross‑functional stakeholders to monitor performance, identify emerging risks, and support the delivery of projects safely, on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards.

The position will also drive the continual improvement of project controls systems, processes, and reporting standards while coaching and developing team members and promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing across the programme.

Role responsibilities

• Lead and coordinate the project controls function, integrating schedule, reporting, risk, information management, change control, and interface management activities across the project lifecycle.
• Prepare, maintain, and review internal project schedules, ensuring alignment with programme governance, reporting requirements, contractual obligations, and established project controls standards.
• Review contractor baseline schedules and periodic updates, identify discrepancies and emerging issues, and coordinate schedule review outcomes with internal teams and contractors.
• Develop and maintain progress measurement, forecasting, performance reporting, and schedule management tools to provide clear visibility of project status and delivery performance.
• Review contractor daily, weekly, and monthly progress reports, ensuring submissions are accurate, appropriately justified, and completed in accordance with the reporting calendar.
• Coordinate with project delivery, commercial, procurement, design, engineering, construction, and other cross‑functional teams to obtain, validate, and consolidate project information.
• Prepare and maintain project risk registers, facilitate risk workshops, monitor mitigation actions, and undertake performance analysis to proactively identify delivery risks and opportunities.
• Oversee project information and document control processes, including workflow registers, document version control, multi‑stakeholder reviews, and the maintenance of accurate historical records within SharePoint.
• Establish and manage project change control processes, ensuring changes are effectively recorded, assessed, tracked, communicated, and integrated into project schedules and reporting.
• Develop and maintain project and asset interface registers, working with relevant stakeholders to monitor dependencies, resolve interface issues, and maintain accurate and transparent records throughout the project lifecycle.
• Provide advice, reporting, presentations, and project controls insights to senior leadership, supporting effective decision‑making and the successful resolution of project issues.
• Lead, coach, and develop the project controls team, promoting accountability, collaboration, knowledge sharing, continuous improvement, and consistently high‑quality outputs.

Here’s what you’ll need

• Bachelor’s degree or postgraduate qualification in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Business Management, or a related discipline.
• Extensive project controls, planning, and scheduling experience within the construction or infrastructure delivery environment, ideally gained across both contractor and consultancy organisations.
• Strong hands‑on experience supporting the delivery of complex projects, with sound technical, contractual, and commercial knowledge.
• Advanced knowledge of Primavera P6 and proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Visio.
• Demonstrable experience developing and managing project schedules, performance reports, risk registers, change controls, interface registers, and project information systems.
• Strong leadership capability, with experience setting clear objectives, prioritising team workloads, developing colleagues, and delivering results against demanding deadlines.
• Excellent analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to connect project information, identify emerging issues, and drive timely and practical responses.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills in English, with the ability to clearly present project performance, risks, strategies, and recommendations to a range of audiences.
• Recognised project management certification, such as PMP or PRINCE2, is preferred; Primavera certification would also be advantageous.
• Previous experience within Saudi Arabia, the wider Middle East, major developments, or complex multi‑stakeholder programmes is preferred.

Jacobs. A world where you can. From our inclusive employee networks to our positive mental health champions, we’re committed to driving a culture of caring where you can be you. Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally, and together, our diverse perspectives and unique backgrounds power our collective strength.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means, and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits, and opportunities to do good too, from participating in our global giving and volunteering program to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place.

Start your Jacobs career with a company that inspires and empowers you to deliver your best work so you can evolve, grow, and succeed, today and into tomorrow.

From our inclusive employee networks to our positive mental health champions – we’re committed to driving a culture of caring where you can be you. Joining Jacobs not only connects you locally but globally - and together, our diverse perspectives and unique backgrounds power our collective strength. We collaborate and share! By supporting one another, we all succeed.

With safety and flexibility always top of mind, we’ve gone beyond traditional ways of working so you have the support, means and space to maximize your potential. You’ll uncover flexible working arrangements, benefits and opportunities to do good too – from participating in our global giving and volunteering program, to exploring new and inventive ways to help our clients make the world a better place.

No matter what drives you, you’ll discover how you can cultivate, nurture and achieve your goals – all at a single global company.

Onsite employees are expected to attend a Jacobs Workplace on a full-time basis, as required by the nature of their role.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.