Project Controls Specialist

Solar Turbines; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 113,000 - 169,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision benefits

Paid time off

401(k) savings plans

Health Savings Account

Flexible Spending Accounts

Career Development

Incentive bonus

Life Insurance

Parental leave

Tuition Reimbursement

These benefits also apply to part-time

Job summary

Caterpillar is seeking a Project Controls Specialist to join our global team in a role focused on planning, scheduling, cost control, and reporting for BOP scope across oil & gas and power projects.

The ideal candidate brings strong experience in industrial infrastructure projects, with emphasis on utilities and supporting systems for power facilities. This onsite role requires collaboration across disciplines and looks for robust analytical and communication skills.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or 3–5 years' experience in cost control, planning, or project performance.
• Strong analytical problem-solving skills and ability to communicate statistics and corrective actions.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills for dealing with sensitive issues and cross-functional collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and update integrated project schedules for BOP scope.
• Coordinate with engineering, procurement, and construction teams to ensure schedule alignment.
• Identify critical path activities, float erosion, and schedule risks.
• Support lookahead planning and construction sequencing.
• Track project budgets, commitments, actuals, and forecasts for BOP scope.
• Support development and maintenance of cost reports, cash flow forecasts, and ETC.
• Monitor cost performance and identify variances against baseline budgets.
• Establish and maintain progress measurement systems for ENG, procurement, and construction.
• Produce biweekly and monthly reports including progress curves, earned value metrics, and variance analysis.
• Support client and internal reporting requirements.
• Support risk identification, quantification, and mitigation tracking.
• Maintain risk registers and contribute to schedule and cost risk analysis.
• Track and evaluate change orders and scope growth, assessing schedule and cost impacts.
• Work closely with project managers, construction teams, and discipline leads to ensure alignment across all BOP systems (electrical, piping, utilities, interconnects).
• Coordinate across multiple workstreams including gas supply, cooling systems, substations, and plant infrastructure.

Skills

Cost control

Project planning

Scheduling

Risk analysis

Data analysis

Problem solving

Interpersonal skills

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

Job Description

When you join Caterpillar, you're joining a global team who cares not just about the work we do - but also about each other. We are the makers, problem solvers, and future world builders who are creating stronger, more sustainable communities. We don't just talk about progress and innovation here - we make it happen, with our customers, where we work and live. Together, we are building a better world, so we can all enjoy living in it.

Career Area: Strategy

The Project Controls Specialist will support planning, scheduling, cost control, and reporting for balance of plant (BOP) scope across oil & gas and power generation projects. This role is responsible for ensuring accurate project performance tracking, forecasting, and risk identification across multi-discipline engineering, procurement, and construction activities.

The ideal candidate brings strong experience in industrial infrastructure projects, with a focus on utilities, interconnects, and supporting systems associated with power and energy facilities.

Key Responsibilities

Planning & Scheduling

• Develop, maintain, and update integrated project schedules for BOP scope.
• Coordinate with engineering, procurement, and construction teams to ensure schedule alignment
• Identify critical path activities, float erosion, and schedule risks.
• Support lookahead planning and construction sequencing.

Cost Control

• Track project budgets, commitments, actuals, and forecasts for BOP scope.
• Support development and maintenance of cost reports, cash flow forecasts, and estimate-to-complete (ETC).
• Monitor cost performance and identify variances against baseline budgets.

Progress Measurement & Reporting

• Establish and maintain progress measurement systems for engineering, procurement, and construction.
• Produce biweekly and monthly reports including progress curves, earned value metrics, and variance analysis when required.
• Support client and internal reporting requirements.

Risk & Change Management

• Support risk identification, quantification, and mitigation tracking
• Maintain risk registers and contribute to schedule and cost risk analysis
• Track and evaluate change orders and scope growth, assessing schedule and cost impacts

Interface & Coordination

• Work closely with project managers, construction teams, and discipline leads to ensure alignment across all BOP systems (e.g., electrical, piping, utilities, interconnects)
• Coordinate across multiple workstreams including gas supply, cooling systems, substations, and plant infrastructure

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or 3-5 years' experience desired. Experience in cost control, project planning, or material planning within a manufacturing or project-based environment preferred.
• Strong analytical problem-solving skills, ability to use and communicate statistical and problem-solving tools including root cause analysis and corrective action skills.
• Well-developed interpersonal skills strongly preferred in dealing with sensitive issues, developing others, and reaching consensus on specific actions, inside and outside of Solar.

Summary Pay Range

$112,704.00 - $169,056.00

Compensation and benefits offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, job level, market location, job-related knowledge, skills, individual performance and experience. Please note that salary is only one component of total compensation at Caterpillar.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision benefits*
• Paid time off plan (Vacation, Holidays, Volunteer, etc.)*
• 401(k) savings plans*
• Health Savings Account (HSA)*
• Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)*
• Health Lifestyle Programs*
• Employee Assistance Program*
• Voluntary Benefits and Employee Discounts*
• Career Development*
• Incentive bonus*
• Disability benefits
• Life Insurance
• Parental leave
• Adoption benefits
• Tuition Reimbursement
• These benefits also apply to part-time employees

This position requires working onsite five days a week.

Visa Sponsorship is not available for this position.

Posting Dates

Any offer of employment is conditioned upon the successful completion of a drug screen.

Caterpillar is an Equal Opportunity Employer, Including Veterans and Individuals with Disabilities. Qualified applicants of any age are encouraged to apply.