Position Overview
The Project Controls Lead is responsible for financial governance, scheduling fidelity, risk management, and change control of large-scale data center construction projects. Working in tight alignment with Project Directors and Project Managers, this role establishes the project baseline, continuously analyzes earned value, forecasts cash flows, and ensures that complex multi-megawatt builds deliver on budget and on schedule.
This is a data-driven, highly analytical advisory and governance role operating at the intersection of capital construction finance and critical infrastructure engineering.
Key Responsibilities
1. Baseline, Cost, & Schedule Control
• WBS/CBS Ownership: Establish, manage, and monitor the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS).
• Budget Management: Serve as the principal lead for budget management, precise cash flow forecasting, invoice reviews, monthly/quarterly accruals, and risk facilitation for a given datacenter site.
• Integrated Master Schedule (IMS): Collaborate with planning teams to maintain resource-loaded schedules (typically Level 1-4 in Primavera P6), ensuring critical path dependencies (such as utility power arrivals, long-lead equipment lead times, and structural handoffs) are accurate.
• EVM Metrics: Drive Project Percentage Completion (PPC) and Earned Value Management (EVM), tracking Schedule Variance (SV), Cost Variance (CV), and generating predictable Estimate at Completion (EAC) models.
2. Cash Flow, Long-Lead Equipment & OFCI Tracking
• Supply Chain Integration: Monitor the financial milestones, delivery schedules, and logistics for Owner-Furnished, Contractor-Installed (OFCI) infrastructure (e.g., MV/LV switchgear, major transformers, generators, and Chilled Water Systems/CDUs).
• Cash Flow Curves: Develop and maintain monthly cash flow curves and milestone payment schedules for major OEM vendors.
3. Change Management & Variance Analysis
• Rigorous Change Control: Manage and audit the project change log. Evaluate and approve the cost and schedule impacts of field change orders, requests for information (RFIs), and engineering design updates before approval.
• Root-Cause Forecasting: Identify early indicators of budget creep or schedule slippage. Conduct variance analysis and partner with construction managers to design actionable recovery plans.
4. Risk Mitigation & Commissioning Alignment
• Quantitative Risk Analysis: Facilitate risk workshops, update the project risk register, and utilize quantitative methods (such as Monte Carlo simulations) to maintain appropriate cost and schedule contingencies.
• Commissioning Continuity: Align cash flows and progress metrics with the distinct Level 1 through Level 5 (L1-L5) commissioning phases, ensuring accurate earned-value recognition through Integrated Systems Testing (IST) and final handover.
5. Executive Governance & Reporting
• Dashboards & KPIs: Design and automate real-time performance dashboards (using tools like Power BI or advanced Excel/Power Query) tracking Cost Performance Index (CPI) and Schedule Performance Index (SPI).
• Stakeholder Briefings: Compile transparent monthly project status reports and deliver data-driven briefings to internal executives, joint-venture partners, or hyper-scale tenants.
Required Technical Skills & Qualifications
• Education: Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Finance, Data Analytics, or a heavily quantitative discipline.
• Experience: 10+ years of dedicated project controls or cost engineering experience on large capital projects ($200M+ value), with a minimum of 2 years directly within the mission-critical, high-performance computing, or data center sector, preferably General Contractor or contractor experience.
• Software Proficiency: * Advanced mastery of scheduling software (Primavera P6).
o Expertise in Microsoft Excel (data modeling, Power Query, advanced formulas).
o Experience with construction management platforms (e.g., Archdesk, Autodesk Construction Cloud).
o Familiarity with business intelligence tools (Power BI or Tableau) for building executive automated reporting is highly preferred.
• Domain Knowledge: Solid grasp of data center architecture, major mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP) layouts, and the sequential nature of critical infrastructure builds.
Core Competencies & Behavioral Traits
• Uncompromising Precision: Strong attention to detail; able to spot systemic forecasting trends or minor discrepancies within massive, multi-tiered spreadsheets and contractor billings.
• Cross-Functional Diplomat: Excellent communication and influence skills. Capable of translating complex financial and scheduling variances into clear, actionable advice for field superintendents, technical engineers, and senior executives alike.
• Thrives in Velocity: Adept at managing changing priorities and overlapping deadlines within the high-speed, high-stress environment of fast-tracked hyperscale or colocation developments.
