Principal Project Controls Manager - Major Capital Projects (EPC)

KBR, Inc.•Houston, TX

About The Position

KBR ISA is seeking a Principal Project Controls Manager to provide enterprise-level leadership for integrated cost, schedule, change, risk, and performance management on major, complex capital projects. The role spans the project lifecycle from FEL/FEED through engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and closeout. It establishes a reconciled source of truth for project performance, advises senior project and business leaders, and provides an early, quantified view of project outcomes. This principal-level functional leadership position is accountable for project controls strategy, governance, assurance, and execution across the discipline. The manager leads and develops senior planning, cost, change, risk, and reporting professionals; influences project directors, clients, partners, and executive stakeholders; and independently challenges forecasts, recovery plans, and commercial positions. Success is measured by forecast credibility, timely identification of deviations, strong governance and assurance, and the defensibility of the project’s position in commercial disputes. The role owns project controls across cost control and forecasting, schedule oversight, change and risk management, performance reporting, commercial support, systems and data governance, and team leadership. The controls framework and tools include Primavera P6, SAP, and Power BI. The position also supports tender evaluations, contract administration, claims and variation assessments, stage-gate reviews, audits, and assurance processes.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Finance, or a related discipline; equivalent experience with strong technical grounding will be considered.
At least 18 years of progressive project controls experience on major EPC or EPCM capital projects.
At least 8 years leading integrated project controls functions on complex projects or programs exceeding $1 billion.
Recognized subject-matter expertise across cost engineering, planning and scheduling, change management, risk, forecasting, and performance reporting.
Ability to independently challenge complex project positions.
Proven ownership of change control and contingency management on a project through closeout.
Expert command of earned value management, forecasting methodology, and progress measurement in a contractual EPC setting.
Extensive experience leading large, geographically dispersed, multidisciplinary project controls teams.
Experience influencing senior stakeholders across owner, EPC contractor, joint venture, and executive governance environments.

Nice To Haves

Sector experience in oil and gas, LNG, chemical, nuclear, power and renewables, pharmaceutical, semiconductor, or data center projects.
AACE, PMI, or equivalent professional credentials.
Hands-on capability with Primavera P6, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, and Power BI.
Experience with FIDIC, LSTK, reimbursable, or alliance contract forms and associated delay and quantum analysis.
Familiarity with advanced work packaging, systems completion methodologies, and stage-gate (FEL) governance frameworks.
Prior experience in a joint venture environment.

Responsibilities

Own the project budget architecture, including the Cost Breakdown Structure, control accounts, contingency and management reserve structures, and mapping between CBS, WBS, and the general ledger.
Establish and maintain the cost control baseline and govern budget transfers, contingency drawdown, and reserve release.
Produce monthly cost reports covering commitments, accruals, actuals, value of work done, and variance by control account.
Deliver documented, challengeable Estimate at Completion and Cost to Complete forecasts based on trends.
Oversee cash flow forecasts, funding drawdown profiles, and currency and escalation exposure reporting.
Set planning standards and hold the Planning Manager accountable for schedule integrity, critical path credibility, and baseline control.
Ensure cost and schedule integration through resource loading, time phasing, and reconciliation to common scope and progress data.
Review and challenge forecast completion dates, translating schedule slippage into cost impacts and EAC updates.
Own end-to-end project change control, including identification, cost and time impact quantification, approval routing, and baseline incorporation.
Chair or provide secretariat support to the Change Control Board and maintain the trend register.
Maintain the project risk register in partnership with risk and project leadership; ensure risks have cost and schedule impacts.
Run quantitative cost and schedule risk analysis using Monte Carlo methods, establish P50/P80 positions, and use outputs to size and defend contingency.
Track risk drawdown against contingency consumption and report divergence.
Define the reporting calendar, KPI set, and dashboard suite for project leadership and other stakeholders.
Implement earned value management, including rules of credit, progress measurement, SPI and CPI trending, and performance-based forecasting.
Produce integrated monthly project reports reconciled across cost, schedule, and risk narratives.
Provide analysis for investment decisions, recovery planning, and scope trade-offs.
Provide controls input to tender evaluations, contract schedules and exhibits, milestone payment structures, and incentive and liquidated damages mechanisms.
Review contractor cost and schedule submissions for contractual compliance and drive resolution of non-compliance.
Support assessment and defence of variations, claims, extensions of time, and disruption arguments with commercial and legal teams.
Interface with procurement and supply chain on commitment tracking, purchase order status, and vendor payment milestones.
Own the project controls toolset and data architecture, including Primavera P6, SAP, and Power BI, and ensure data integrity, coding discipline, and system interfaces.
Develop and enforce project controls procedures, templates, and standards, promoting consistency across the capital portfolio.
Prepare and defend submissions to stage gates, independent project reviews, internal audit, and partner or lender assurance processes.
Build, resource, and develop the project controls team across planning, cost, estimating, and reporting, matching team structure to project phase.
Mentor discipline leads to become credible advisors to package managers and the Project Director.
Manage controls work performed by contractors, consultants, or a PMC, including deliverable quality and staffing adequacy.