Project Operations Lead

AtkinsRéalis•Mississauga, ON

6d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Project Operations Lead reports to the Project Manager or Project Director and is responsible for leading, supporting, and delivering assigned program initiatives in alignment with program objectives and governance requirements. This role requires leadership of project team members and coordination across Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Project Controls, Commercial, and internal and external stakeholders, including clients, suppliers, utilities, and partner organizations. The Project Operations Lead is expected to have sound project management experience and a practical understanding of engineering, procurement, construction, project controls, contract management, and project governance principles.

Requirements

University or College Degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Project Management, STEM, or a related discipline.
7+ years of experience supporting construction, manufacturing, engineering design/services, consulting, or technical projects.
Experience in large, multidisciplinary project environments is required.
Understanding of project delivery methodologies, including earned value, critical path scheduling, prime contract and subcontract management, procurement and supply chain methodology, construction work packaging, and associated inspection and test plans.
Understanding of large engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) work, including subcontracts and prime contract management.
Demonstrated ability to manage structured trackers and databases and produce clear status reporting using Excel, SharePoint, Power BI, or similar tools.
Experience in strategic planning and execution.
Ability to understand, plan, and execute work in alignment with overall business unit strategies and needs.
Ability to support contract administration, supplier management, and commercial decision-making.
Proven ability to innovate during project execution and support operational improvements.
Ability to make data-driven decisions using a variety of tools and structured reporting methods.
Ability to identify issues early, maintain accurate action logs, and escalate in a timely manner.
Working knowledge of industrial safety and nuclear safety culture.
Appreciation of the importance of Quality Assurance Programs and their significance to the nuclear industry.
Ability to manage sensitive or confidential information professionally.
Excellent organizational, communication, presentation, and customer relationship skills.
Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Demonstrated ability to engage effectively with customers, suppliers, partners, senior executives, utilities, technical teams, and functional managers.
Comfort working with distributed teams and coordinating across multiple stakeholders.
Strategic Thinking.
Commercial Savvy.
Detail-oriented with proven writing skills.
Initiative and decisiveness.
Effective planning and communication.
Accountability and ownership.
Sound judgment and application of knowledge.
Performance under pressure.
Effective delegation.
Problem solving.
Integrity and trust.
Customer focus.
Team collaboration and knowledge sharing.
Project governance.
Leadership and influence.

Nice To Haves

Project Management Professional (PMP) designation is considered an asset.
Experience on international projects is an asset.
Experience managing Primavera P6 project schedules is an asset.
3+ years of experience leading individuals and teams is an asset.
Servant leader with the ability to inspire teams to work collaboratively toward common goals.
Ability to lead through influence and collaboration, including where team members do not report directly to the role.
Lead by example and set high standards for Health and Safety and Nuclear Safety Culture.
Experience in Joint Venture, consortium, alliance, or Integrated Project Delivery models is a considerable asset.
Support quantitative risk analysis where required, including Monte Carlo methodology and contingency drawdown curves.

Responsibilities

Develop project scope, WBS, deliverables, resource plans, estimates, and schedules in compliance with governing contract documents, quality requirements, and customer expectations.
Develop and implement project execution plans and monitor execution through structured reporting to clients, project leadership, and senior management.
Coordinate interfaces across engineering, procurement, project controls, commercial, construction, customers, suppliers, and partner organizations.
Support program initiatives as assigned, including process improvements, tool enhancements, onboarding and communications, workshop coordination, and operational support activities.
Implement and maintain project governance processes, reporting structures, dashboards, and management review routines.
Track and monitor key project commitments, deliverables, milestones, actions, decisions, risks, issues, and obligations.
Maintain trackers and dashboards, identify emerging slippages, and escalate risks or issues through defined governance channels.
Facilitate recurring coordination meetings, including agenda development, minutes, action logs, and follow-up to closure.
Prepare routine status updates and summary reports for internal and external stakeholders.
Own and maintain project databases, scope tracking tools, and operational reporting systems, ensuring data quality, configuration control, traceability, and timely reporting.
Manage OPEX and lessons learned collection processes, including intake, screening, categorization, database logging, action tracking, and periodic reporting for management review.
Support development of metrics, key performance indicators, benchmarking, and improvement plans to measure initiative effectiveness.
Drive continuous improvement opportunities and support disciplined knowledge management across assigned initiatives.
Support contract development and negotiations, including scope and change control, requirements management, subcontractor and supplier management, and governance of flow-down requirements.
Support procurement and subcontract management activities, including subcontractor and supplier oversight and supply chain strategies aligned with risk, quality, schedule, budget, and performance requirements.
Manage assigned small-value subcontracts under the direction of the Project Manager, including scope of work definition, coordination with Procurement and Commercial, performance monitoring, deliverable tracking, and invoice verification.
Support resolution of commercial issues and maintain effective working relationships with suppliers, subcontractors, clients, and partner organizations.
Apply appropriate KPIs to monitor project health and performance and establish rigorous reporting protocols that meet contract requirements, corporate standards, and project-specific oversight requirements.
Apply project controls methodologies related to planning and scheduling, baseline management, cost control, cost/revenue forecasting, resource management, and performance reporting.
Support earned value management, critical path schedule monitoring, forecasting, and variance analysis as appropriate.
Support resource forecasting activities, including information gathering, analysis, and reporting to project leadership.
Support risk identification, analysis, mitigation planning, monitoring, and reporting in accordance with corporate standards and industry best practices.
Support quantitative risk analysis where required, including Monte Carlo methodology and contingency drawdown curves.
Support change control activities by gathering inputs, documenting impacts, coordinating approvals, and tracking implementation of approved changes.
Maintain visibility of risks, issues, and changes to support timely management decision-making.
Provide leadership and coordination to multidisciplinary project teams and support effective collaboration across functional groups.
Make effective decisions and/or recommendations regarding project resourcing requirements.
Mentor junior project personnel and support professional development, onboarding, and knowledge transfer activities.
Promote a collaborative, accountable, and results-oriented team environment.
Comply with all aspects of nuclear and industrial safety, including corporate and customer safety programs, required training, corrective action programs, and performance standards.
Promote a safety-first mindset and ensure work and deliverables align with quality assurance requirements, applicable procedures, and client expectations.
Ensure project activities are performed in accordance with corporate standards for ethical compliance, cybersecurity, import/export regulations, intellectual property protection, and security clearance protocols.
Support corrective action and continuous improvement processes as required.