US Project Controls Lead

Arcadis•Philadelphia, PA

9h•Hybrid

About The Position

The Project Controls Lead manages and develops the project controls function across a portfolio of capital projects, managing the Cost Management, Scheduling, and Project Controls team members. This role is responsible for Capital Project Controls deliverables including estimating, cost management, planning/scheduling, risk management, change management, and contract & commercial aspects. The position is accountable for establishing and enforcing controls governance, ensuring high-quality cost and schedule performance reporting, driving consistent tool usage and best practices, and providing proactive insights to improve project outcomes. The role provides support to the team to ensure targets are met and liaises directly with the Program Manager and leadership team, working on an account for a world-class pharmaceutical client.

Requirements

5 – 10 years of relevant experience
Bachelor’s degree in a relevant discipline (Construction Management, Quantity Surveying) or equivalent work experience, is desired
Lead and develop project controls teams; set standards/governance across estimating, cost, schedule, risk, change, and reporting in a multi-project portfolio.
Cost management expertise: budgets, forecasting/EAC, cash flow, accruals, pay applications, and change control.
Schedule controls expertise: integrated CPM schedules, baselines, progress measurement, and delay/impact analysis (Primavera P6 preferred).
Risk and change management experience, including risk registers, cost/schedule risk analysis, and integration with contractor/supplier controls.
Strong reporting and data integrity skills; ability to translate controls data into actionable insights for clients and leadership.
Controls systems and workflow discipline (e.g., SAP, P6; Power BI a plus) with focus on standardization and adoption.
Commercial/contract acumen (contract terms, negotiation support, and contractor proposal review) with a quality/audit-ready mindset.
Advanced analytical skills, including MS Excel (pivot tables, data visualization) and strong communication/influencing skills.

Nice To Haves

Pharmaceutical/life sciences and regulated facility experience (GMP) preferred.
Ability to travel to client offices within the region as a hybrid role (20–40%).
Professional license or working towards a professional license (RICS, CCM, AACE, PMP)

Responsibilities

Lead and develop the project controls team (cost, schedule, project controls), including goals, performance management, mentoring, and career development.
Plan team resourcing and workload to meet portfolio deliverables and deadlines.
Establish and enforce project controls governance and standards (estimating, cost, schedule, risk, change), ensuring consistent, compliant, audit-ready delivery.
Own cost control across the portfolio: budgets, forecasts (EAC), cash flow, accruals, pay application workflows, and change order tracking/reconciliation.
Own schedule management and QA: integrated CPM schedules (e.g., P6), baselines, coding, progress updates, delay/impact analysis, and recovery planning.
Lead risk integration: facilitate reviews, maintain risk registers, and ensure cost/schedule risk analysis informs forecasts and mitigation plans.
Lead change management across contractors, suppliers, and professional services; capture, evaluate, negotiate as needed, and communicate scope/schedule/cost impacts.
Deliver accurate performance reporting (KPIs, risk, financials); validate data, surface trends, and escalate issues early with recommended actions.
Partner with project managers and client representatives to align scope, cost, schedule, and risk assumptions and support capital planning.
Manage stakeholder relationships to improve cross-discipline collaboration, drive efficiencies, and maintain high client satisfaction.
Champion controls tools and data governance: administer setups/budgets/access, prevent manual workarounds, and drive standardized workflows.
Quality assure estimates and analyses, including scope/quantity/unit cost reconciliations and contractor/subconsultant proposal reviews.
Provide contract and commercial support, ensuring contract requirements are reflected in controls processes, reporting, and negotiations as needed.
Support procurement activities as needed (RFPs, bid analysis, vendor coordination, and annual contract extensions).
Verify progress through site walks and coordination with field teams to align schedule status, pay applications, and documentation.
Promote a strong health and safety culture; ensure controls activities support safe, compliant delivery.
Drive continuous improvement through gap assessments, standardization, training materials, and targeted coaching.