Associate Director - Project Controls (Life Sciences)

Turner & Townsend; Wide Ruins (AZ); On-site; USD 155,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Associate Director – Project Controls to manage a multi-billion dollar pharmaceutical project. This role demands a proven track record in client delivery and project control management. Candidates should have a bachelor’s degree in a related field and 12+ years of experience in project controls.

Effective leaders with strong communication skills and advanced proficiency in project management software like Primavera P6 and Microsoft Excel will thrive in this challenging position.

Qualifications

• 12+ years of relevant project controls experience.
• 2+ years managing high performing project control teams.
• Proven success with schedules and cost control.

Responsibilities

• Establish and execute strategic direction of project controls.
• Lead risk workshops with the project team.
• Oversee the risk management process for the project.

Skills

Project controls management

Cost management

Risk management

Schedule management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in construction management or related field

Graduate degree preferred

Tools

Primavera P6

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Job Description

Turner & Townsend are seeking an experienced Associate Director – Project Controls to join our team and lead the delivery of a multi‑billion dollar pharmaceutical project. The ideal candidate has a proven track record of successful client delivery and managing project control teams, with an emphasis in cost controls. This individual will lead project controls services for major client accounts and will help with wider business initiatives as needed.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for establishing and executing the high‑level strategic direction of project controls including cost management, risk management, and schedule management.
• Responsible for the project budget approval process.
• Leads risk workshops with the project team to identify risks, establish likelihood/severity, mitigation actions and owners.
• Take the lead for project controls deliverables that require cross‑functional input.
• Motivate the team by providing clear direction and goals.
• Assist with weekly team meetings to discuss progress on initiatives and to drive performance.
• Lead the development and production of regular reporting.
• Prepares documentation for project gateway and approval processes.
• Develop overall guidelines for project level chartering and partnering.
• Review the Project Master Schedule for sequencing, interface milestones, and critical path elements (developed by others).
• Develop and recommend the project budget, cash flow and financial plan.
• Oversee the risk management process for the project.
• Develop the work plan that forms the Project Execution Plan (PEP) for the project.
• Review, critique and submit for approval the Project implementation plans as developed by the project supporting PMCM teams.
• Manage Project Estimating and life cycle (total cost of ownership) asset costing, including contingency methodology and estimate evolution through the project lifecycle.
• Develop and submit for approval change management and impact mitigation strategies throughout the life of the project. This includes, but is not limited to scope, cost, schedule control, and cost reduction initiatives.
• Develop a set of controls to assure team performance against the Project baseline metrics.
• Develop protocols and guidelines for Diversity Compliance, Monitoring, and Reporting.
• Establish the metrics and basis for progress reporting against the Project, Projects, and Contracts. Reporting shall include Performance Measurement, Forecasting, Trending, Issues, Actions, Progress, and Overall Status.
• Develop project guidelines and protocols for cost reduction initiatives. Review project level cost reduction recommendations.
• Review project level diversity recommendations.
• Review construction progress and approve recovery plans.
• Review the claims resolutions recommendations.
• Collaborate with appropriate internal and external stakeholders to achieve consent.
• Establishes ongoing risk process and coordinates regular Monte Carlo analyses.
• Project intake: Consider expansion of deliverables to ensure more robust business cases/estimates/schedules are developed.
• Consider the development of an end‑to‑end process that captures the project controls information from intake through to closeout. Including incorporating a feedback loop for intake/cost/scheduling closeout information.
• Consider the integration of intake/cost/scheduling reporting to provide a holistic approach to project controls.
• Leads the Project Controls Team and ensures deliverables with quality control and assurance.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering or field related to construction.
• Graduate degree in quantity surveying, cost management, construction management, or engineering is preferred.
• 12+ years of relevant project controls experience.
• 2+ years managing high performing project control teams in a consulting environment.
• Knowledge of multiple contract delivery methods and the merits of each.
• Displays track record of proven success with schedules, cost control, estimating and risk management.
• Proven and demonstrated experience in implementing and managing a project controls system, including financial and scheduling controls, for a major capital project.
• Experience in establishing and monitoring project baselines and performance metrics.
• Proficiency in project management software (e.g., Primavera P6, Microsoft Project) and advanced knowledge of Microsoft Excel for data analysis and reporting.
• Exceptional analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to interpret complex project data and provide meaningful insights and recommendations.
• Knowledge of regulatory requirements, industry standards, and compliance frameworks relevant to the project domain.
• Demonstrates leadership skills and the ability to influence and motivate project teams towards achieving project control objectives.
• Demonstrates excellent presentation, verbal, written, organizational and communication skills.

Additional Information

Turner & Townsend is an affirmative action and equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, or protected veteran status and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

Turner & Townsend carefully considers multiple factors to determine compensation, including a candidate's education, training, and experience. The minimum salary for the Associate Director position is $155,000 annually and the maximum salary is $190,000 annually. The compensation that is offered to a successful candidate will depend on the candidate’s skills, qualifications, and experience.

Turner & Townsend is a global professional services company with over 22,000 people in more than 60 countries. We transform outcomes to improve people’s lives through real estate, infrastructure, energy, and natural resources projects.