Project Controls Lead

Mace; Branchburg Township (NJ); Hybrid; USD 153,000 - 187,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work options

Job summary

Mace is seeking a skilled project controls professional to support the Gateway Program in New York and New Jersey. You will collaborate with delivery managers, interpret schedules, and provide cost forecasts and risk analyses to guide decisions on major transportation infrastructure projects.

Responsibilities include aligning contract and program milestones, interpreting cost trends, and contributing to risk mitigation strategies. Hybrid work options are available for this role.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related field.
• Strong analytical capability and attention to detail.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills suitable for senior stakeholders.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with delivery managers and multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated expertise in: Schedule interpretation and critical path analysis Cost analysis, forecasting, and trend interpretation Risk identification and management

Responsibilities

• Work closely with package‑level schedulers to interpret schedule performance, key drivers, risks, and delivery implications.
• Perform critical path, float, and variance analysis to support Delivery Managers’ understanding of schedule health.
• Advise on schedule impacts related to changes, delays, mitigation strategies, and resequencing.
• Support schedule narratives and time impact analyses from a controls assurance and decision‑support perspective.
• Ensure alignment between contract‑level schedules and program‑level milestones, constraints, and interfaces.
• Interpret cost reports, forecasts, and trends at the contract package level to assess delivery implications.
• Analyze budget and forecast movements, emerging trends, and potential cost exposure.
• Support Delivery Managers by translating cost data into forward‑looking, risk‑informed insights.
• Assist with evaluation of change events and cost impacts in coordination with commercial teams.
• Provide integrated cost and schedule narratives to support leadership decision‑making.
• Maintain and interpret the contract‑level risk register, with a focus on cost and schedule exposure.
• Identify emerging risks through trend analysis and delivery intelligence.
• Support development and tracking of mitigation strategies.
• Support contingency usage discussions and confidence assessments as required.
• Apply project controls quality standards to cost, schedule, and risk information produced by delivery teams and functional support groups.
• Perform consistency and assurance checks across forecasts, schedules, risk logs, and reporting narratives.
• Ensure compliance with the Project Management Plan (PMP), contract requirements, and program controls governance.
• Support audit readiness and responses related to project controls processes.

Skills

Analytical ability

Written & verbal comms

Collaborative working

Schedule interpretation

Cost analysis & forecasting

Risk identification & management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Construction/PM or related field

Job description

At Mace, our purpose is to redefine the boundaries of ambition. We believe in creating places that are responsible, bringing transformative impact to our people, communities, and societies across the globe. To learn more about our purpose, culture, and priorities, visit our strategy site.

Within our consult business we harness our unique combination of leading-edge practical expertise and project deliveryconsultancy to unlock the potential in every project.

The Project

Mace, as part of MPA delivery partner joint venture of Mace-Parsons-Arcadis, have been selected as the Gateway Development Commissions partners of choice to support the GDC across the Gateway Program in New York, inclusive of the Hudson Tunnel Project.

The busiest rail connection between New York, New Jersey, and the Northeast Corridor, the Hudson Tunnel Project will improve capacity, reliability, and resiliency of commuter and intercity rail transit serving 800,000 daily passengers from Washington, D.C. to New York and New England. A milestone project supported by the bipartisan Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), the project is slated to receive nearly $12 billion in federal funding, the largest investment in a mass transit project in modern history.

Our Values Shape The Way We Consult, And Define The People We Want To Join Us On Our Journey, They Are

• Safety First - Going Home Safe and Well.
• Client Focus - Deliver on Our Promise.
• Integrity - Always Do the Right Thing.
• Create Opportunity - For Our People to Excel.

You’ll Be Responsible For

• Work closely with package‑level schedulers to interpret schedule performance, key drivers, risks, and delivery implications.
• Perform critical path, float, and variance analysis to support Delivery Managers’ understanding of schedule health.
• Advise on schedule impacts related to changes, delays, mitigation strategies, and resequencing.
• Support schedule narratives and time impact analyses from a controls assurance and decision‑support perspective.
• Ensure alignment between contract‑level schedules and program‑level milestones, constraints, and interfaces.
• Interpret cost reports, forecasts, and trends at the contract package level to assess delivery implications.
• Analyze budget and forecast movements, emerging trends, and potential cost exposure.
• Support Delivery Managers by translating cost data into forward‑looking, risk‑informed insights.
• Assist with evaluation of change events and cost impacts in coordination with commercial teams.
• Provide integrated cost and schedule narratives to support leadership decision‑making.
• Maintain and interpret the contract‑level risk register, with a focus on cost and schedule exposure.
• Identify emerging risks through trend analysis and delivery intelligence.
• Support development and tracking of mitigation strategies.
• Support contingency usage discussions and confidence assessments as required.
• Apply project controls quality standards to cost, schedule, and risk information produced by delivery teams and functional support groups.
• Perform consistency and assurance checks across forecasts, schedules, risk logs, and reporting narratives.
• Ensure compliance with the Project Management Plan (PMP), contract requirements, and program controls governance.
• Support audit readiness and responses related to project controls processes.

You’ll Need To Have

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related field.
• Experience supporting major infrastructure or transportation projects, preferably at the contract or package level.
• Strong analytical capability and attention to detail.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills suitable for senior stakeholders.
• Proven ability to work collaboratively with delivery managers and multidisciplinary teams.
• Demonstrated expertise in: Schedule interpretation and critical path analysis Cost analysis, forecasting, and trend interpretation Risk identification and management

Note: The estimated starting salary for this position is $170k. Starting salary may vary based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as experience, skills and qualifications.

Mace is an inclusive employer and welcomes interest from a diverse range of candidates.

We are also open to discussing part time, flexible, and hybrid working options if suitable with-in the role.