Senior Project Controls Manager - Utilities

Parsons; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

Parsons in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia seeks a Senior Project Controls Manager – Utilities to lead planning, scheduling, cost control, risk, change, and reporting for complex utility compounds. The role covers substations, hubs, and related infrastructure across multi-contract delivery.

The ideal candidate has 15+ years in project controls, with advanced PrimaveraP6 and MS Project skills, and a track record of governance and executive reporting in large-scale utilities projects.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of project controls, planning, cost control, risk management, or programme controls.
• Experience leading controls on complex multi-contract programmes in utilities/industrial sectors.
• Strong knowledge of earned value, baseline schedules, and forecasting.
• Familiarity with FIDIC or similar contract forms and their impact on reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead the project controls strategy for utility compounds and related infrastructure.
• Develop integrated controls plans: planning, scheduling, cost, risk, change, and governance.
• Provide guidance to PMs, engineers, and commercial teams on controls best practices.
• Ensure standardized controls procedures across contracts and workstreams.
• Establish, review, and approve baseline schedules with planning engineers and delivery leads.
• Integrate multiple contractor schedules into a single programme master schedule.
• Monitor schedule performance, perform critical path and risk analyses, and update forecasts.
• Lead schedule risk analysis, recovery planning, and mitigation actions.
• Oversee cost tracking, EVM reviews, and forecast final cost updates.
• Produce monthly and ad-hoc project controls reports for stakeholders.
• Coordinate controls interfaces between utilities compounds and related packages.

Skills

Project controls

Utilities

Substations

Master schedule

Earned value

Cost forecasting

Risk management

Change control

Contractor coordination

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Master's degree (preferred)

Tools

Primavera P6

MS Project

Cost management tools

Job description

Senior Project Controls Manager – Utilities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia is a senior utilities opportunity with Parsons Corporation for an experienced project controls leader who can establish and manage planning, scheduling, cost control, risk, change, and reporting functions across utility compound programmes. The role supports substations, utility hubs, associated infrastructure, multi‑contract delivery, schedule assurance, cost forecasting, earned value analysis, governance, and transparent reporting for complex utility developments.

Location: Riyadh, Saudi Arabia | Industry: Utilities | Function: Project Management | Experience: 15 years project controls experience | Salary: 45,000‑65,000 (estimated)

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the project controls strategy and implementation for utility compound programmes and associated infrastructure works.
• Develop and maintain integrated project controls plans covering planning, scheduling, cost control, risk management, change control, reporting, and governance.
• Provide expert guidance to project managers, engineers, commercial teams, planners, cost engineers, and contractors on project controls best practices.
• Ensure project controls procedures are standardized and consistently applied across all contracts, packages, phases, and workstreams.
• Establish, review, and approve baseline schedules in coordination with planning engineers, project managers, delivery leads, and contractor teams.
• Integrate multiple contractor schedules and internal schedules into a single programme‑level master schedule.
• Monitor schedule performance, analyze critical paths, float movement, interface risks, and dependencies between utility compounds and wider network works.
• Lead schedule risk analysis, delay scenario reviews, recovery planning, and mitigation assessments for potential programme impacts.
• Review contractor recovery plans and assess whether proposed actions are realistic, resourced, and aligned with project priorities.
• Develop and manage project budgets, cash flow forecasts, cost control frameworks, commitment tracking, and cost reporting processes.
• Oversee monthly cost tracking, cost‑value reconciliations, earned value reviews, estimate‑at‑completion updates, and forecast final cost reviews.
• Identify cost variances, trends, potential overruns, savings opportunities, and optimization measures for management action.
• Set up and manage formal change control processes, ensuring impact assessments cover scope, time, cost, risk, quality, and contractual consequences.
• Chair or support change control boards and ensure changes are properly reviewed, approved, documented, and reflected in schedules and forecasts.
• Establish and maintain project risk registers, facilitating risk identification, qualitative assessment, quantitative assessment, mitigation planning, and contingency reviews.
• Coordinate schedule and cost risk analyses and integrate risk outputs into forecasts, executive dashboards, and management reports.
• Implement earned value management or equivalent performance measurement techniques across major work packages.
• Define, monitor, and report KPIs for schedule adherence, cost performance, productivity, change control, risk response, and reporting accuracy.
• Produce clear monthly and ad‑hoc project controls reports for senior management, clients, consultants, contractors, and key stakeholders.
• Provide early warning on emerging schedule, cost, risk, change, productivity, and interface issues with practical mitigation recommendations.
• Oversee the configuration and use of PrimaveraP6, MSProject, cost management systems, reporting tools, and project controls platforms.
• Ensure data integrity, version control, coding structures, baseline control, and alignment between planning, cost, risk, change, and reporting systems.
• Develop project controls templates, reporting standards, procedures, dashboards, and management routines tailored to utility compound delivery.
• Support internal and external audits by maintaining complete records and demonstrating compliance with company governance and client requirements.
• Act as the primary project controls contact for clients, consultants, contractors, project directors, commercial teams, and internal leadership.
• Coordinate controls interfaces between utility compounds and related packages such as transmission, distribution, MEP systems, building works, enabling works, and infrastructure connections.
• Present project performance, trends, risks, recovery options, and recommended actions in steering committees, progress meetings, and executive reviews.
• Lead, mentor, and develop planners, cost engineers, risk analysts, reporting specialists, and project controls team members.
• Allocate project controls resources effectively across projects, phases, critical milestones, and reporting cycles.
• Promote accountability, data discipline, continuous improvement, and knowledge sharing across the project controls function.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, Quantity Surveying, or a related field.
• Minimum 15 years of experience in project controls, planning, cost control, risk management, reporting, or programme controls.
• At least 5‑10 years of experience on major construction, infrastructure, utilities, industrial, or compound‑type development projects.
• Demonstrated experience leading project controls on complex multi‑contract programmes from initiation through closeout.
• Strong understanding of planning, scheduling, cost control, earned value management, risk management, change control, and project reporting principles.
• Significant exposure to utilities, industrial compounds, substations, utility hubs, process plants, power infrastructure, or similar technical developments.
• Advanced proficiency in PrimaveraP6, MSProject, cost management tools, reporting systems, and project controls platforms.
• Experience integrating contractor schedules into programme‑level master schedules and analyzing critical path, float, logic, interfaces, and recovery plans.
• Strong cost control capability covering budgets, commitments, cash flow, cost‑value reconciliation, estimate‑at‑completion, and forecast final cost.
• Familiarity with FIDIC or similar standard forms of contract and their impact on schedule, cost, change, claims, and commercial reporting.
• Master's degree in Project Management, Engineering, Business, or a related discipline is preferred.
• Professional certification in project controls, planning, cost management, project management, or risk management is desirable.
• Strong analytical and quantitative skills with the ability to interpret complex datasets and convert them into clear management actions.
• Excellent communication and presentation skills with the ability to explain project controls information to technical and non‑technical audiences.
• Proven leadership ability with experience managing project controls teams, consultants, contractors, and multidisciplinary stakeholders.
• High level of commercial awareness and understanding of how project controls affect contractual entitlement, financial outcomes, and project governance.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple priorities, reporting deadlines, data cycles, and stakeholder expectations under pressure.

Skills Set

• Project controls management
• Utilities project controls
• Utility compounds
• Substations
• Utility hubs
• Programme controls
• Planning and scheduling
• PrimaveraP6
• MSProject
• Baseline schedules
• Master schedule integration
• Critical path analysis
• Float analysis
• Schedule risk analysis
• Recovery planning
• Cost control
• Cost forecasting
• Cash flow forecasting
• Cost‑value reconciliation
• Earned value management
• Estimate at completion
• Forecast final cost
• Budget management
• Commitment tracking
• Change control
• Change control boards
• Impact assessment
• Risk management
• Risk registers
• Quantitative risk analysis
• Qualitative risk analysis
• KPI reporting
• Performance measurement
• Project controls reports
• Executive dashboards
• Data integrity
• Version control
• Governance compliance
• Audit support
• Cost management tools
• Reporting systems
• FIDIC awareness
• Contractor schedule review
• Interface management
• Stakeholder reporting
• Team leadership

Why Join Us

This role gives a Senior Project Controls Manager the opportunity to lead planning, cost, risk, change, and reporting assurance across major utility compound programmes in Riyadh. The position offers senior exposure to complex multi‑contract delivery, substations, utility hubs, programme‑level controls, executive reporting, commercial interfaces, and data‑driven recovery planning. It is a strong opportunity for a project controls leader who wants to strengthen delivery certainty, improve governance, and contribute to reliable utilities infrastructure development in Saudi Arabia.