Project Controls Director - Aviation

Job Description

Parsons are seeking a highly experienced Project Controls Director - Aviation experience required.

Reporting to the Program Director, the Project Controls Director is responsible for overseeing the planning, scheduling, risk management, document control, and reporting functions for a major airfield and airport development program. This role provides strategic leadership to the project controls teams, ensuring full integration of schedule, risk, and reporting data to support the successful project delivery.

The ideal candidate will bring 25 years of expertise in project controls across large-scale infrastructure, aviation, transportation or mega-project environments, with strong analytical, managerial, and strategic planning capabilities.

Prior experience working with a renowned Project Management Consultancy (PMC) and previous work experience in the GCC (Gulf Cooperation Council) region are highly desirable for this role.

• Provide overall leadership and direction to the project controls teams, ensuring alignment with program objectives and delivery requirements.
• Develop, implement and maintain the Project Controls Management Plan, covering schedule, risk, change, document control, and reporting frameworks.
• Establish governance, procedures, and tools to ensure effective project controls across all program phases in line with KSIA requirements and procedures and in collaboration with KSIA Project Controls teams.
• Ensure full integration of project controls activities with engineering, procurement, construction, and commercial functions. This entails close collaboration with the Asset Delivery teams.
• Lead the risk management process both within the Airfield team and with Design Consultants and Contractors., including risk registers, risk workshops, probability impact analysis, and mitigation planning.
• Provide executive-level insight on major risks and opportunities influencing project outcomes.
• Coordinate with delivery teams to track and close risk actions effectively.
• Oversee the implementation and operation of Aconex to ensure proper management of project documentation and records.
• Develop and maintain consolidated project dashboards, performance reports, KPIs, and executive management updates
• Direct the preparation, review, and baseline approval of Design Consultants’ and Contractors’ schedules for all airfield and airport project elements.
• Monitor progress, perform schedule health checks, and implement critical path analysis, delay assessments, and forecasting.
• Identify early warning signs of schedule slippage and recommend recovery strategies.
• Ensure alignment of contractor schedules with the master program and airport operational constraints.
• Ensure data accuracy and integrity across schedule, risk, and procurement systems.
• Support internal and external audits, ensuring compliance with program governance, contractual requirements, and industry standards.
• Present project performance to senior leadership, stakeholders, and authorities.
• Liaise with contractors, consultants, and client teams to ensure alignment of project controls processes and deliverables.
• Lead project controls interface meetings, workshops, and reporting cycles.
• Assist in resolving disputes, validating contractor claims, and verifying entitlement through data-driven analysis.
• Support the Program Director, the leadership team and Delivery Managers with strategic decision-making.

• Minimum 25 years of experience in project controls across aviation.
• Significant experience in airfield or airport mega-project environments.
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related discipline.
• Prior experience working with a renowned Project Management Consultancy (PMC) on large-scale programs.
• Previous work experience in the GCC region, with an understanding of regional project delivery practices, standards.
• Proven leadership of large project controls teams on multi-billion-dollar programs.
• Expertise in Primavera P6, risk management tools, and data analytics platforms.
• Sound understanding of Aconex, Primavera Unifier, or similar project management systems.
• Stron…