Project Controls Specialist

Scenario Cockram; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

401K with 4% match

Paid vacation

Job summary

Cockram Construction, Inc. in Durham, NC is seeking a dedicated Project Controls Specialist to provide integrated analytics and reporting for cost, schedule, and progress datasets.

You will transform large project data into auditable, decision-ready information with visuals for PMO and site leadership. The role emphasizes data quality, automation, and cross-functional collaboration across Finance, Procurement, and Construction teams.

Qualifications

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Proficiency with Power BI or comparable BI tools.
• Ability to structure and reconcile large datasets from multiple sources.
• Ability to read high-level project schedules and understand earned progress.
• Strong attention to detail and clear communication.

Responsibilities

• Support intake, review, tracking, and reconciliation of invoices and cost codes.
• Maintain invoice logs, aging reports, and audit-ready records.
• Extract, clean, and reconcile data from multiple project-control sources.
• Support reporting products including progress trend, SPI/LPI, and dashboards.
• Produce first-pass analyses highlighting anomalies and reconciliation gaps.
• Assist with schedule data exports and reporting from Primavera Cloud or similar tools.
• Read and interpret high-level schedules and dependencies.
• Develop succinct Power BI dashboards and Excel models for management.

Skills

Excel

Power BI

Data analysis

Schedule reading

Attention to detail

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor's degree

Five+ years project controls experience

Tools

Oracle Primavera Cloud

Microsoft Project

V-Planner

Perform

Job description

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Project Controls Specialist

Seconded Durham, NC, Durham, NC, US

17 days ago Requisition ID: 1210

Cockram Construction, founded in 1861, is an international management-owned, construction services business, headquartered in Melbourne, Australia. Worldwide our locations include the USA, Australia, China, India and New Zealand. We are, at heart, a construction company with an aim to provide top level services to our clients in high-tech and challenging industries. In the US, our staff provide services on client sites coast to coast with a focus in the Pharmaceutical / Bio-Tech, Data Center and Themed/Attraction industries.

The Senior Project Controls Specialist provides integrated analytical and value-added reporting support for datasets including but not limited to invoicing, cost, schedule, earned field progress, and changes for the Bio NC program. The role converts large and often disconnected project datasets into accurate, auditable, and decision-useful information with visuals for Project Controls, Building Leads, the PMO, and Site Leadership.

This position is expected to maintain strong discipline around invoice validation and financial reporting while also supporting schedule and earned field progress analytics. The role does not replace a Cost Lead, Scheduler, Estimator, or Construction Manager. Instead, the analyst provides data quality, integration (interdisciplinary relevance), first-pass analysis, reporting automation, succinct data visualization, and traceability needed for those functions to operate effectively.

An ideal candidate combines advanced data mining and analytical skills with enough construction and scheduling knowledge to interpret what the data means. The candidate should be comfortable working on different project management platforms and through ambiguity, identifying anomalies, improving processes, and experimenting responsibly with AI and automation tools.

Key accountabilities:

• Support the intake, review, tracking, and reconciliation of invoices, including validation of cost codes, work packages, purchase orders, supporting documentation, approval status, and alignment with contract and project requirements.
• Maintain invoice logs, aging reports, exception lists, approval status, and audit-ready supporting records; coordinate resolution of discrepancies with Project Controls, Finance, Procurement, contractors, and project stakeholders.
• Extract, clean, combine, validate, and reconcile data from earned field progress reports, cost reports, invoice systems, dashboards, schedules, spreadsheets, and other project-control sources.
• Support recurring Project Controls analytical tools and reporting products, including progress trend, SPI/LPI, work-package trajectory, exception, and executive key-findings outputs.
• Produce first-pass analysis that identifies anomalies, missing data, forecast movement, unfavorable trends, reconciliation gaps, and items requiring review by the Cost, Schedule, Progress, or PMO leads.
• Support routine schedule-data exports and reporting from Oracle Primavera Cloud, or similar tools as directed by the Scheduling Lead.
• Read and interpret high-level integrated schedules, work-package LOE activities, milestone dates, dependencies, float erosion, critical/near-critical concepts, and planned-versus-earned progress relationships.
• Support development and maintenance of succinct and value-focused Power BI dashboards, Excel models, PowerPoint management reports, and standardized data visualizations using approved project reporting conventions.
• Apply independent quality-control checks to confirm that reporting outputs reconcile to source data and that assumptions, formulas, dates, and mappings are clear and auditable.
• Document business rules, refresh steps, data sources, calculations, and limitations so recurring reports can be maintained consistently and transitioned without single-point dependency.
• Partner with Project Controls, Scheduling, Cost, Finance, Procurement, Building Leads, Construction Management, and external partners to clarify data needs and deliver useful, timely analysis.

Education:

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Data Analytics, Engineering, Construction Management, Information Systems, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• Five or more years of experience in project controls, project analytics, cost administration, construction data analysis, finance operations, scheduling support, or a related environment; large capital-project experience strongly preferred.
• Experience supporting invoice review, financial reconciliation, progress reporting, schedule reporting, dashboards, or project-control data processes.
• Working knowledge of construction-project terminology, work packages, earned progress, SPI/LPI concepts, milestones, float erosion, and critical-path concepts.
• Experience in a pharmaceutical, life-sciences, manufacturing, engineering, or construction environment preferred.

Experience, Skills & Knowledge:

Required:

• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Proficiency with Power BI or comparable business-intelligence and data-visualization tools.
• Ability to structure, reconcile, and analyze large datasets from multiple sources while preserving traceability to the originating records.
• Ability to read and interpret high-level project schedules and understand planned versus earned progress, schedule windows, milestones, dependencies, float erosion, and critical/near-critical concepts.
• Strong attention to detail, organization, written communication, and ability to explain analytical findings clearly to non-technical stakeholders.
• Demonstrated problem-solving, curiosity, and willingness to investigate unfamiliar tools, data sources, and business questions.

Preferred:

• Working experience with Oracle Primavera Cloud, Microsoft Project, V-Planner, Perform, or similar scheduling and progress systems.
• Practical experience using Microsoft Copilot or another approved AI tool for analysis, reporting, automation, or document development.
• Familiarity with earned-value concepts, cost forecasting, cash flow, accruals, invoice controls, change management, and audit-ready project records.
• Experience developing executive PowerPoint reporting, dashboards, and recurring management review products.

Join our team and contribute to exciting projects worldwide. Cockram Construction, Inc. offers competitive salaries and a comprehensive benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, relocation assistance, FSA/HSA/HRA options, life insurance, short and long-term disability, 401K with 4% match, 3 weeks paid vacation, paid sick time, 8 paid holidays + 2 floating holidays, $250 annual wellness stipend, and tuition reimbursement.

Cockram Construction, Inc. is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing employment opportunities to minorities, females, veterans, and disabled individuals.