Project Controls Director

The Project Controls Director is responsible for establishing, leading, and overseeing the project controls function for large-scale data center construction projects. This role provides strategic leadership for cost control, planning and scheduling, progress measurement, reporting, forecasting, and risk management across the project lifecycle. The Project Controls Director ensures project performance is measured accurately and communicated effectively to executive leadership, clients, and project teams while supporting on-time and on-budget delivery of mission-critical facilities.

The role works closely with project management, construction leadership, engineering, procurement, and finance to drive performance, identify risks early, and implement corrective actions to maintain project objectives.

Lead and manage all project controls functions including scheduling, cost control, forecasting, reporting, change management, and risk analysis. Develop and implement standardized project controls procedures and reporting frameworks for data center construction projects. Establish project controls systems aligned with company governance and client requirements. Provide leadership and mentoring to project controls managers, schedulers, and cost engineers.

Oversee development of integrated master schedules for large data center programs and individual projects. Ensure schedules include engineering, procurement, fabrication, logistics, construction, and commissioning activities. Validate critical path activities and schedule risk analysis to ensure achievable delivery milestones. Monitor schedule performance and identify mitigation strategies for potential delays.

Lead development and management of project budgets, cost tracking, and forecasting systems. Implement earned value management (EVM) methodologies where appropriate. Monitor cost performance and provide early identification of cost variances. Develop monthly forecasts and support executive financial reporting.

Establish project KPIs and reporting dashboards for executive leadership and clients. Provide accurate weekly and monthly performance reports including schedule health, cost performance, and risk indicators. Ensure transparency and data integrity in project reporting systems.

Implement structured risk management and contingency tracking processes. Identify schedule, cost, procurement, and construction risks and develop mitigation strategies. Facilitate risk workshops with project teams and stakeholders.

Oversee project change management processes including evaluation of cost and schedule impacts. Ensure changes are properly documented, tracked, and incorporated into project forecasts.

Serve as the primary project controls interface with clients and executive leadership. Present project performance updates and forecasts to senior leadership teams. Support contract compliance and reporting requirements for mission-critical clients.

Implement and manage project controls systems and tools such as:

• Primavera P6
• Power BI / dashboards
• Cost management systems
• Integrated reporting platforms

Ensure consistency of data across project management systems.

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or related discipline.
• Master's degree preferred.

• 12-15+ years of experience in project controls for large capital construction projects.
• Minimum 5 years in a leadership or director-level project controls role.
• Experience on large-scale data center, mission-critical, semiconductor, or power generation projects preferred.
• Experience supporting EPC, design-build, or construction management delivery models.

• Expert knowledge of Primavera P6 scheduling.
• Strong background in cost control and forecasting methodologies.
• Experience with earned value management systems.
• Proficiency in project analytics tools (Power BI, Excel, reporting platforms).

• Strategic project planning and execution
• Data-driven decision making
• Executive communication and reporting
• Risk identification and mitigation
• Cross-functional leadership
• Client relationship management

Originally posted on Himalayas