Project Controls Specialist

TechServ Engineering & Consulting•Conroe, TX

17h

About The Position

TechServ is seeking a Project Controls Specialist to support engineering teams through project budgeting, financial tracking, billing coordination, and operational reporting. The role works closely with the Manager of Engineering, Project Managers, Project Coordinators, and Accounting to maintain accurate project information, identify financial and operational concerns, and support informed decisions across multiple programs. The specialist maintains visibility into project budgets, costs, billing, production, schedules, and resource needs across assigned engineering teams. The role connects project activity with financial performance, investigates discrepancies, and follows issues through resolution. The successful candidate brings practical experience with budgets and accounting, strong Excel skills, and the ability to explain what financial and operational data means. They maintain reliable reports and tools while helping improve processes for collecting, reconciling, and sharing project information. TechServ has provided consulting and engineering services to the electric utility industry since 1992. The company describes itself as growing and dedicated to hiring and developing a skilled, engaged workforce to meet client needs.

Requirements

Experience in project controls, project accounting, financial analysis, or a related role, including direct responsibility for budgets and financial reconciliation.
Working knowledge of project costs, labor charging, billing, forecasting, and budget variance analysis.
Strong Microsoft Excel skills, including formulas, lookup functions, PivotTables, and reconciliation of multiple data sources.
Experience using accounting, project management, or reporting systems.
Ability to investigate discrepancies, explain findings clearly, and follow corrective actions through completion.
Strong attention to detail and ability to manage recurring deadlines across multiple projects.
Effective communication skills and ability to work with project teams, Accounting, and leadership.
Proficiency in Microsoft Office, including Word, Outlook, and Teams.
High school diploma or GED equivalent.
Current eligibility to work in the United States.
Ability to meet company pre-employment screening requirements.

Nice To Haves

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
Experience supporting engineering, utility, construction, or professional services projects.
Experience with Vista.
Experience with Power Query, Power BI, SharePoint, or reporting automation.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain project budgets, authorized funding, and financial tracking records.
Monitor actual labor hours and costs against budgets, production progress, and remaining scope.
Work with Project Managers to develop and update cost, revenue, and completion forecasts.
Identify budget variances, declining margins, and projects approaching funding limits.
Track scope changes, additional funding needs, and outstanding authorizations.
Reconcile project dashboards and reports with accounting records and resolve discrepancies.
Review invoices for accurate hours, billing rates, work order assignments, and supporting documentation.
Coordinate with Accounting and Project Managers to resolve billing discrepancies and ensure corrections are completed.
Maintain employee classifications and billing rate information used in project reporting.
Review labor charges, identify incorrect coding, and coordinate transfers between projects or work orders.
Track unbilled work, billing readiness, outstanding invoices, and accounts receivable aging.
Prepare billing summaries and support month-end financial reviews.
Support financial closeout by confirming outstanding charges, billing, and corrections have been addressed.
Coordinate setup and maintenance of clients, contracts, jobs, and work orders in Vista and related systems.
Maintain statements of work, purchase orders, authorized amounts, amendments, and project identifiers.
Verify project records reflect approved scope, funding, rates, and billing requirements.
Support Project Managers and project staff with project record updates and corrections.
Maintain dashboards and trackers showing production, backlog, milestones, and project status.
Consolidate updates from Project Managers and Project Coordinators to support consistent reporting.
Analyze hours charged against completed work and identify trends requiring management attention.
Support workload and staffing forecasts by comparing current and anticipated work with available capacity.
Flag schedule delays, resource gaps, and other issues affecting project delivery or financial performance.
Prepare recurring reports summarizing performance, risks, and actions needed.
Verify the accuracy and consistency of information across project, accounting, and reporting systems.
Investigate missing information, unusual balances, and conflicting records.
Improve reporting tools and automate recurring tasks to reduce manual effort.
Document reporting procedures and maintain supporting records.
Complete additional analysis and related assignments based on engineering leadership priorities.