Director Project Controls Risk & Operational Assurance

Job Overview

Senior Manager / Director – Project Controls Risk & Operational Assurance

Position Summary We are seeking an experienced project controls and operational risk professional to join Internal Audit in a highly visible role supporting large-scale energy and infrastructure operations. This role is not a traditional compliance audit position. We are seeking an individual with deep project controls, forecasting, cost management, and operational governance experience who can independently assess project execution risk, challenge forecast assumptions, and provide executive leadership with meaningful operational insight across complex projects.

The ideal candidate has firsthand experience supporting large capital or EPC projects and understands how operational conditions, forecasting practices, procurement visibility, contingency management, and project controls execution directly impact project financial performance. This individual will partner closely with executive leadership, finance, operations, and project controls teams to evaluate emerging project risks, operational visibility, forecasting governance, and execution consistency across the organization.

• Assess forecasting, cost management, contingency, accrual, and project controls governance practices across large-scale projects.
• Evaluate operational risk visibility and escalation processes supporting executive decision‑making.
• Analyze project forecasting methodologies, EAC development, contingency utilization, and cost exposure trends.
• Review project controls execution maturity, governance consistency, and operational discipline across projects.
• Identify gaps in executive reporting, operational escalation, and risk management processes.
• Perform deep‑drive reviews into deteriorating projects, cost overruns, schedule pressure, and operational execution challenges.
• Translate operational observations into concise executive‑level reporting and risk insights.
• Partner with Finance, Project Controls, Operations, and Executive leadership on remediation and governance enhancement efforts.
• Support investigations, special reviews, and strategic operational risk initiatives as needed.
• Assist in developing scalable governance, forecasting, and project controls oversight practices across the organization.

• Real‑world project controls and operational execution experience – not solely traditional audit or SOX backgrounds.
• Strong candidates may come from Project Controls, EPC Project Finance, Operational Risk & Assurance, Construction/Energy FP&A, Capital Project Governance, Cost Engineering, Operational Audit within project‑based industries.

• 8+ years in project controls, operational risk, capital project governance, FP&A, or project audit.
• Experience supporting large EPC, construction, utilities, energy, industrial, or infrastructure projects.
• Strong understanding of forecasting / EAC processes, cost controls, procurement and accrual processes, contingency management, executive WIP reporting, operational risk escalation.
• Experience evaluating deteriorating projects and identifying emerging execution risks.
• Ability to challenge assumptions and assess operational risk independently.
• Strong executive communication and presentation skills.
• Experience interacting with senior leadership and executive stakeholders.
• ERP / project systems experience (Eco Sys, Oracle, SAP, Primavera, etc.) preferred.

The successful candidate will bring operational credibility to project reviews, identify emerging project risk before financial deterioration accelerates, improve executive visibility into operational exposure, and help strengthen forecasting governance and project controls maturity across the organization. This role is highly strategic, highly visible, and directly supports executive leadership oversight of operational and project execution risk.

• 401k with employer match
• Health, dental, and vision insurance plans
• Paid time off and 10 paid holidays
• Stock purchase plan

We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We are not accepting resumes from Third Party Recruiting Firms for this position. If you are an Agency or Search firm representative, contact the Primoris Talent Acquisition Manager directly for consideration. Primoris or its subsidiaries will not be responsible for any fees arising from the use of resumes and online response forms through this source.