Baseline Controller: Portfolio Governance Expert

About The Role

We are looking for a Change Controller who is responsible for safeguarding the integrity of the baseline across a portfolio of mega projects within the allocated region. The baseline – encompassing scope, cost, schedule and risk – serves as the integrated control framework against which project performance, variance and strategic decisions are measured. This role ensures that any change to the baseline is rigorously assessed, controlled, and approved through established governance, preserving the credibility and consistency of reporting at both project and portfolio levels.

The individual will act as the subject‑matter expert in baseline management for their portfolio, applying deep knowledge and experience to design, embed, and operate the baseline change control process as well as coordinate and govern all baseline change requests across the projects within the designated region.

We are recruiting for four Change Controllers across the UK. You will be expected to travel to operational and delivery sites 2–3 times a week and attend multiple sites within a region based on project demands.

What we do isn’t just important – it’s essential. We look to recruit experts in their field. We’re looking for someone who:

• Extensive knowledge of baseline management principles and practice, with proven experience applying them across scope, cost, schedule and risk in large‑scale, complex programmes
• Strong working knowledge of project controls disciplines, including scope management, planning, cost control, risk management and how these integrate into a single baseline
• Demonstrable experience of baseline change control: evaluating requests, applying threshold principles or similar, governing approvals, and assuring implementation into core systems
• Experience across the entire lifecycle on major programmes preferably under alliancing models or similar
• Proven ability to chair forums and provide constructive challenge and scrutiny
• Experience with stage‑gate assurance processes, with the ability to provide expert input from a baseline perspective
• Strong analytical skills, able to interrogate complex change requests and reconcile across multiple data sources to establish credibility and traceability
• Demonstrates a high level of accountability and personal ownership
• Promotes respect for people and works collaboratively across disciplines and functions, actively contributing to an environment where high‑performing teams can thrive

• Embed and coordinate the baseline change control process across projects in the designated region
• Govern all baseline change requests, ensuring evaluation across scope, cost, schedule and risk dimensions, with consistent application of thresholds and approval principles
• Chair the Project Change Board for each project within the designated region, ensuring robust discussion, effective decision‑making and proper documentation of outcomes
• Maintain comprehensive and auditable Change Logs for all projects in the designated region, capturing the lifecycle of every baseline change request
• Work in close collaboration with the Project Directors, planners, risk managers, project managers, quantity surveyors and investment accountants to ensure all changes are accurately scoped, costed, scheduled, risk‑assessed and integrated prior to decision‑making, ensuring decisions are made on credible and integrated evidence
• Ensure outputs of approved baseline change requests are fully implemented in core systems, so that the approved baseline position is always current and traceable

• Complete assurance and constructive challenge of sanction (board) papers requesting additional funding and/or significant changes to the baseline, including scrutiny of underpinning data and justifications
• Provide assurance into the gate review process, offering a baseline change perspective on readiness and credibility
• Prepare status updates and project‑level reporting at Project Boards
• Prepare status updates and portfolio‑level reporting on baseline change across the designated region and present at the Portfolio Review Board when required

• Pla…