Director, Project Controls
About The Position
The Director, Project Controls serves as the primary audit, controls, and financial partner for Terawatt’s Site Delivery organization. The role bridges construction operations and corporate finance, combining hands-on project controls expertise—including cost tracking, schedule integration, and change management—with FP&A-level rigor in auditing, variance analysis, rolling forecasts, capital planning, and executive reporting. The position ensures project budgets, forecasts, and schedules are accurate and current across Terawatt’s nationwide portfolio. It manages project cost and schedule status across complex real estate acquisitions, utility interconnections, and high-voltage construction projects, requiring strong attention to detail, collaboration across teams, and the ability to keep pace with frequent changes. The Director works closely with the Site Delivery organization and helps assess schedule and budget variances as the portfolio and capital deployment grow.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Finance, Accounting, Economics, or a related quantitative field.
- At least 9 years of progressive experience in project controls, cost/schedule audit, capital project management, financial analysis, FP&A, corporate finance, or cost accounting for complex capital projects.
- Experience with construction accounting principles, project finance mechanics, AIA billing processes (G702/G703 standards), lien waivers, and EPC/GC contracting structures.
- Advanced ability to build, maintain, and track large-scale capital project budgets at both line-item and overall portfolio levels, and identify and communicate variance drivers.
- Advanced Excel skills, including data modeling and variance visualization.
- Experience with modern construction and financial software platforms such as Procore, Yardi, NetSuite, MRI, or Sage 300 CRE.
- Ability to translate complex financial and schedule variance data into plain-language, actionable advice for operational partners such as site engineers, project managers, and utility coordinators.
- Experience using data visualization tools and dashboards for communication and reporting.
- Ability to exercise independent judgment, clearly communicate unwelcome variance or audit findings to project owners and leadership, and stand behind findings under pressure.
- Exceptional attention to detail and curiosity, including the ability to examine schedule logic and line-item actuals to identify root causes.
- Ability to gain project manager and external vendor adoption of new processes and ensure established processes are followed.
- Ability to take ownership and navigate ambiguity in high-growth, fast-paced environments.
Nice To Haves
- Background in EV charging infrastructure, utility-scale power generation, data centers, renewable energy (solar, wind, or storage), or heavy civil/commercial construction.
- Professional certifications such as Certified Cost Professional (CCP), Certified Cost Associate (CCA), Planning & Scheduling Professional (PSP), PMP, CAPM, or AACE credentials.
Responsibilities
- Audit and reconcile project budgets, commitments, actual spend, work in progress (WIP), and forecast at completion (FAC) across active development sites.
- Categorize budget variances by root cause, including scope changes, vendor overruns, utility escalation, estimating errors, and carrying cost slips.
- Establish and enforce review cadences, checklists, and sign-off gates.
- Maintain the Project Change Order log and review scope changes, budget impacts, and vendor proposals before routing them for approval.
- Partner with FP&A and Accounting to reconcile site-level actuals and prepare corporate reporting.
- Oversee development draw requests, review and code monthly contractor pay applications using AIA G702/G703 standards, and manage lien waivers.
- Assist with cash flow projections and draw schedules.
- Ensure identified budget, contract, and schedule discrepancies are addressed, escalated, and closed on a defined timeline.
- Own and maintain the Plan of Record in Smartsheet as the trusted single source of truth for project schedules.
- Design processes to surface schedule updates in near-real time, lead weekly project reviews, and hold project managers accountable for schedule hygiene.
- Conduct regular schedule variance and critical path analyses to flag risks early and provide cross-functional teams with updated information.
- Partner with Supply Chain and Procurement to monitor long-lead equipment deliveries and balance internal and vendor resource demands to safeguard key milestones.
- Develop and maintain real-time dashboards and prepare audit-ready board-level and executive reporting packages.
- Develop and implement Site Delivery standard operating procedures, RACI assignments, and playbook documentation.
- Initiate cost and schedule benchmarking based on audit findings.
- Design and deliver project controls training for new hires.
- Maintain unified communications on project budget and schedule status across Finance, Sales, Business Development, Technology, and Operations teams.
Benefits
- Comprehensive benefits package.
- Performance-based incentives, where applicable.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Director
