Project Manager & Budget Controls

AES US•Indianapolis, IN

23h

About The Position

The Project Delivery & Budget Governance partners closely with Central Operations functional leaders (System Operations, Substations & Network, Fleet & Facilities, Operations Technology, Metering & CSI2, Security, and Supply Chain) to ensure OpEx and CapEx budgets are planned, controlled, forecasted, and executed in alignment with operational priorities. This role project manages and/or governs selected initiatives, ensuring scope, schedule, and cost decisions are financially sound and operationally executable. The position also acts as the bridge between execution and finance, translating operational progress and risks into clear financial insights for leadership decision making. In addition, is responsible for tracking financial governance, consolidate forecasting, providing visibility across Central Operations and FP&A of OpEx and CapEx.

Requirements

5–10 years of experience in a combination of: Project management, program management, or operational execution support
Budget management, FP&A, or financial analysis
Demonstrated experience managing CapEx and OpEx budgets in an operational or engineering-driven environment
Proven ability to partner with senior functional leaders and influence decisions without direct authority
Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related field
Understanding and use of SAP (ERP).
Budget controls, forecasting, variance analysis, and financial storytelling.
Strong communications, business partnership and stakeholder management skills.
Strong Project management fundamentals (planning, risk, execution tracking).
Ability to translate complex operational information into clear, actionable financial insights.
Understanding and ability to create Process flowcharts.
Skillful at building Presentations.
Proficient at Microsoft Office Suite of applications.

Nice To Haves

Experience in Power Utility, Transmission and Distribution.
PMP, CAPM, or equivalent structured project delivery experience
Strong understanding of how execution drivers (schedule, scope, productivity) impact financial outcomes.

Responsibilities

Project manage selected initiatives from initiation through closeout, including scope definition, milestone tracking, risk management, and status reporting.
Apply structured delivery practices (charters, workplans, RACI charts, cadence reviews) to ensure predictable execution.
Govern financial performance of projects by enforcing budget baselines, change control, and forecast updates.
Coordinate across functions to plan and resolve execution impacting delivery.
Analyze budgets for Central Operations, including CapEx and OpEx planning, forecasting, variance analysis, and trend management.
Lead monthly and quarterly forecast updates, identifying risks, opportunities, and required corrective actions.
Ensure alignment between operational execution plans and financial forecasts, incorporating schedule, productivity, and scope changes.
Coordinate accruals, close activities, and reporting in partnership with Finance/FP&A.
Develop and maintain dashboards and reporting that provide clear visibility to spend, commitments, forecast-to-complete, and remaining budget.
Work embedded with Central Operations leaders as a trusted financial and execution partner.
Support leaders with budget planning, prioritization, and trade-off decisions, including OpEx vs. CapEx considerations.
Translate operational risks (resource constraints, schedule changes, productivity impacts) into financial implications.
Facilitate regular budget and performance reviews with functional leaders to ensure accountability and alignment.
Establish and maintain budget governance standards for Central Operations initiatives and projects.
Ensure consistent application of approval thresholds, change management, and financial documentation.
Support development of multi-year capital plans and annual budget submissions for Central Operations.
Track and report performance KPIs related to cost, schedule, and financial outcomes.
Identify opportunities to improve budget visibility, forecasting accuracy, and financial processes.
Standardize reporting, tools, and cadence across Central Operations to reduce friction and improve transparency.
Partner with Finance and Operations to improve capitalization practices, cost allocation, and decision support.