PMO Director (Enterprise Project Management & Controls)

Meruelo Group • Downey, CA

4h

About The Position

The PMO Director will build and lead an enterprise-wide Project Management Office that standardizes work procedures, governance, project controls, portfolio reporting, and project management system automation across the utility construction business (electric T&D, gas and oil T&D, water infrastructure, underground civil, substations, renewables, transportation infrastructure, commercial electrical, and related services). This leader will drive LEAN process improvement, visual management and dashboard level reporting, elevate schedule/cost performance, and ensure projects meet safety, quality, and regulatory requirements while improving predictability and margin.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business, or related field.
• 10+ years of project/program/portfolio leadership in utility construction (electric T&D, underground, gas distribution, substation, civil).
• PMP (Project Management Professional) in good standing.
• Strong project controls background: cost engineering, EVM, CPM scheduling (P6/MSP), forecasting, and risk management.
• Hands-on with PM tech & data: P6/MS Project, Power BI, SharePoint/Teams, Smartsheet, and ERP integration (e.g., Spectrum/SAP/Oracle).
• Proven success implementing stage‑gate governance, standard work, and scalable SOPs.
• Demonstrated Lean application (e.g., VSM, A3) to reduce cycle times and improve margin predictability.
• Excellent communication, executive reporting, and cross‑functional leadership skills.
• Valid driver’s license; ability to conduct site visits and travel as needed.

Nice To Haves

• PgMP (Program Management), PfMP (Portfolio Management), or Six Sigma Green/Black Belt.
• Prosci/ACMP change management certification.
• Experience with Spectrum ERP System, InEight, Procore, Power Apps/Automate, and Power BI.
• Familiarity with utility client systems & requirements, union/prevailing wage environments, and public agency reporting.
• Knowledge of regulatory and industry standards applicable to utilities (e.g., CPUC, CalOSHA).

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Standards, Governance & Compliance
• Establish and maintain enterprise PM standards (PMBOK-aligned) including stage‑gate/phase‑gate governance, RACI matrices, document control, and change management.
• Create and enforce work procedures/SOPs for scope, schedule, cost, risk, change, quality, commissioning/closeout, and lessons learned.
• Implement and chair governance boards (project intake, prioritization, risk, change, and quarterly portfolio reviews).
• Align with safety, regulatory, and client requirements and ensure audit readiness.
• Project Controls (Cost, Schedule, Risk)
• Stand up enterprise project controls: WBS/CBS standards, cost coding, baseline & change control, EVM, earned schedule, forecasting (EAC), productivity tracking, and claims documentation.
• Oversee master scheduling (e.g., Primavera P6/MS Project), cost-loaded schedules, and integrated CPM logic with field execution reality.
• Build integrated risk management (qualitative/quantitative) with mitigation planning and ongoing risk burn‑down.
• Run the portfolio intake and prioritization process aligned to strategic objectives, capacity, and capital planning.
• Create executive dashboards (Power BI/embedded analytics) for health, risk, cost/schedule variance, change exposure, cash flow, margin-at-complete, and earned value.
• Lead monthly and quarterly Portfolio, Program, Project Reviews (PPRs) with actionable insights and decisions.
• Own enterprise PM tech stack: e.g., Primavera P6, MS Project, Power BI, SharePoint/Teams, Smartsheet Control Center, InEight / Procore, and Spectrum ERP integration.
• Deploy workflow automation for estimate and budget approvals, purchase orders and subcontracts, RFIs, submittals, change orders, time & quantity capture, and closeout.
• Establish data governance: master data, cost codes, naming conventions, metadata, retention, and a single source of truth across systems.
• Lead Lean initiatives (VSM, 5S, A3, Kaizen) to remove waste in estimating, mobilization, procurement, pay apps, change orders, and field reporting.
• Build continuous improvement playbooks and training; scale best practices across subsidiaries/regions.
• Quantify improvements with measurable outcomes (cycle-time reduction, throughput, WIP, rework, and cost per unit).
• Leadership, Change & Stakeholder Engagement
• Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing PMO & Project Controls team.
• Drive organizational change management (OCM) and adoption, partner with Operations, Finance, Safety, and IT.
• Engage with clients, subs, and JV partners to align expectations, reporting protocols, and dispute resolution.
• Commercial, Contracts & Vendor Management
• Support contracts and commercial management: change order strategy, claims support, schedule/time impact analyses, and cost substantiation.
• Oversee PM systems, vendors and implementation partners; manage SLAs, enhancements, and training roadmaps.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager