Project Controls Manager

Leidos•The Woodlands, TX

4d•$92,300 - $166,850•Hybrid

About The Position

Leidos Engineering is seeking an experienced Project Controls Manager (PCM) to support a centralized capital project oversight organization responsible for evaluating and assessing large-scale capital projects prior to funding and stage-gate approvals. This role provides independent project controls reviews across a diverse portfolio of generation, transmission, distribution, nuclear, facilities, and IT projects valued at $30M+. The successful candidate will perform comprehensive project assessments focused on cost, schedule, risk, estimating, earned value management, and overall project readiness. This is a highly visible role with regular interaction and presentations to executive leadership, including Vice Presidents and senior decision-makers responsible for project funding approvals. Unlike traditional project controls positions that focus on developing schedules or managing project execution, this role is centered on independent analysis, evaluation, and governance. The ideal candidate is a well-rounded project controls professional who understands the full project lifecycle and can independently evaluate project performance across cost, schedule, risk, estimating, and execution readiness. This individual combines strong analytical skills with executive-level communication capabilities and is comfortable providing objective assessments that influence major capital funding decisions. This role will function in office in The Woodlands, TX 4 days/week, and the estimated pay range (salaried) is 135-140k.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, Business, or related field.
10+ years of project controls experience supporting large industrial or capital projects.
Demonstrated expertise across multiple project controls disciplines including: Cost management, Scheduling, Risk management, Estimating, Earned Value Management (EVM), Forecasting and performance analysis.
Experience reviewing and assessing projects rather than solely supporting project execution.
Strong analytical and technical writing skills with the ability to synthesize large volumes of information into executive-level reports.
Experience presenting findings and recommendations to senior leadership.
Ability to quickly assess unfamiliar projects and develop informed recommendations within aggressive timelines.

Nice To Haves

Utility industry experience supporting generation, transmission, distribution, nuclear, or major infrastructure projects.
Experience with large industrial capital projects in energy, oil & gas, petrochemical, manufacturing, or heavy construction environments.
Hands-on field experience supporting project execution, construction, commissioning, or project controls activities.
Experience with stage-gate governance processes and capital project funding approvals.
Proficiency with Acumen Fuse, Primavera P6, Crystal Ball, or similar project controls and risk analysis tools.
Background performing quantitative risk analysis and Monte Carlo simulations.
PMP, EVP, PSP, CCP, or related project controls certifications preferred.

Responsibilities

Perform independent project health assessments for capital projects progressing through formal funding and stage-gate approval processes.
Evaluate project readiness, maturity, and overall execution strategy during key project phases.
Review and analyze project controls documentation including: Cost estimates, Schedules, Risk registers and analyses, Earned Value Management (EVM) metrics, Forecasts and contingency plans, Business cases and supporting project documentation.
Utilize project controls best practices to identify gaps, risks, concerns, and improvement opportunities.
Conduct schedule quality reviews utilizing tools such as Acumen Fuse or similar schedule diagnostics software.
Evaluate quantitative risk analyses and Monte Carlo simulation outputs using Crystal Ball or equivalent risk modeling tools.
Engage project teams to obtain required documentation, clarify assumptions, and validate findings.
Develop comprehensive assessment reports and recommendations within established review timelines.
Present findings and recommendations to executive leadership and funding gate review committees.
Provide objective recommendations regarding project advancement, corrective actions, or additional requirements prior to funding approval.
Support oversight of a portfolio of approximately 140 capital projects across multiple business sectors.