Senior Project Controls Manager

Location:

Derby / Hybrid

Salary:
Competitive, dependent on experience

Employment Type:

Permanent

Sector:
Nuclear / Defence / Major Infrastructure / Engineering

Westlakes Recruit is currently supporting a leading organisation within the UK nuclear and defence sector in the appointment of a Senior Project Controls Manager to support a major infrastructure programme.

This is a senior and influential opportunity to shape Project Controls across a portfolio of complex capital projects, providing the standards, governance, assurance and leadership required to support successful programme delivery. You will act as the functional authority for Project Controls, providing leadership across a community of Project Controls Managers embedded within individual major projects. The role will provide senior leadership with independent, forward-looking insight into programme performance, identifying trends, emerging risks, dependencies and opportunities for intervention.

This is an ideal opportunity for an experienced Project Controls professional looking to move beyond individual project delivery and take ownership of programme-wide controls, capability and continuous improvement.

• Act as the functional authority for Project Controls across the Major Infrastructure Programme.
• Own and continuously improve the Project Controls framework, standards, governance and ways of working.
• Provide functional leadership, coaching and mentoring to Project Controls Managers across multiple major projects.
• Establish consistent and proportionate approaches to planning, scheduling, cost, risk, change, forecasting, EVM and performance reporting.
• Ensure robust integrated baselines are established across scope, schedule and cost.
• Provide assurance through Project Controls health checks, maturity assessments and targeted reviews.
• Provide constructive challenge to project leadership where controls, performance or governance fall below expectations.
• Integrate information across multiple projects to provide forward-looking programme insight to senior leadership.
• Identify cross-programme trends, emerging risks, dependencies and opportunities.
• Drive effective use of Earned Value Management, critical path analysis, forecasting, trend analysis and scenario planning.
• Work closely with Project Directors, Project Managers, Commercial, Finance, Supply Chain, Risk and Engineering teams.
• Ensure Project Controls effectively supports projects delivered under NEC contractual environments.
• Support effective integration of change, commercial management, risk, cost and schedule information.
• Drive continuous improvement across Project Controls processes, systems, data and capability.
• Support resource and capability planning across the Project Controls function.
• Represent Project Controls within senior governance and programme leadership forums.

We are keen to hear from experienced Project Controls professionals with a strong background in large, complex capital projects, programmes or portfolios.

You will ideally have:

• Significant Project Controls leadership experience within nuclear, defence, infrastructure, engineering or another highly regulated environment.
• Strong knowledge across integrated Project Controls, including:
  • Planning & Scheduling
  • Cost Management
  • Risk & Opportunity
  • Change Control
  • Forecasting
  • Earned Value Management
  • Performance Measurement
  • Reporting
• Experience developing and implementing Project Controls frameworks, standards and governance.
• Strong understanding of integrated performance baselines and critical path analysis.
• Practical experience of NEC contracts and the relationship between contract management and Project Controls.
• Experience providing assurance, challenge and improvement recommendations to senior project leadership.
• The ability to translate complex project information into clear, actionable insight for senior stakeholders.
• Strong leadership and influencing skills, particularly within matrix organisations.
• Experience developing Project Controls capability through coaching and mentoring.
• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills.
• Strong commercial and financial awareness.
• A continuous improvement mindset with evidence of improving controls maturity, processes or systems.
• A relevant professional qualification or membership such as APM or equivalent would be advantageous.

This is an opportunity to play a key role in shaping Project…