Project Planning and Controls Manager

CDI Engineering Services•Houston, TX

9d•Onsite

About The Position

Tata Consulting Engineers USA, LLC, (TCE), is a multi-disciplinary engineering organization offering a full range of integrated engineering design, project support, procurement and construction management services to the energy and chemicals industries. During project EPC phase, the Project Controls C Reporting Lead is responsible for ensuring disciplined cost, schedule, risk, and change control across all construction and commissioning activities. You will oversee contractor performance, maintain the integrity of project baselines, and provide clear, data-driven insights that support safe, predictable delivery through mechanical completion and start-up. Spanish speaking would be a distinct advantage along with ability to be in attendance at job site in Paraguay for first 3-6 months.

Requirements

Significant experience in project controls leadership during EPC execution on major capital projects.
Strong understanding of construction sequencing, field progress measurement, and contractor performance management.
Demonstrated ability to challenge contractor data and drive accountability.
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills in a fastmoving site environment.
Proficiency in Primavera P6, cost management systems, field progress tools.

Nice To Haves

Ideally experience with green ammonia, fertilizer, hydrogen, or renewable energy EPC projects.
Ideally familiarity with modular construction, international supply chains, and complex commissioning scopes.
Bi-lingual in Spanish a plus.
Ideally professional certifications (AACE, PMISP, PMIRMP).

Responsibilities

Oversee EPC contractor project controls deliverables, ensuring compliance with contract requirements, execution plans, and reporting standards.
Validate contractor schedules, progress curves, manpower plans, and productivity metrics.
Monitor construction progress in the field, including earned value, installation rates, and critical path performance.
Challenge contractor forecasts and recovery plans where deviations emerge.
Establish and maintain the Owner’s Integrated (L3) Master Schedule, incorporating EPC contractor schedules, interface milestones, procurement status, and commissioning logic.
Lead schedule risk assessments and scenario modelling to support decision-making.
Track key EPC milestones (e.g., module delivery, mechanical completion, pre-commissioning, commissioning, startup readiness).
Monitor schedule performance, including critical path, float, and interface risks, and perform independent schedule reviews.
Perform gap analysis against baseline and prior forecasts, identifying deviations, trends, and required corrective actions.
Consolidate inputs from Project Director, Work Package owners, and Project Controller into a coherent, time-phased project forecast.
Manage the project cost control framework for the EPC phase, including commitments, incurred costs, cash flow, and forecast to complete.
Validate EPC contractor cost reports, progress valuations, and change driven cost impacts.
Provide early warning of cost trends, productivity issues, or commercial risks
Lead the Owner’s change control process, ensuring all changes are properly assessed for cost, schedule, and risk impacts.
Coordinate with engineering, procurement, construction management, and contracts teams to ensure timely evaluation and approval of change orders.
Ensure full alignment of changes across cost, schedule, and risk to prevent scope creep and cost escalation.
Support evaluation of EOT, delays, and commercial claims from a controls and planning perspective.
Establish and maintain integrated risk control framework across the project.
Facilitate regular EPC phase risk reviews, ensuring risks are quantified, mitigations are tracked, and opportunities are captured.
Conduct ǪRA to support time and cost contingency planning.
Support claims avoidance through proactive identification of emerging issues.
Freeze and control Early Works baselines (cost, schedule, quantities) and ensure alignment with EPC mobilization and procurement.
Validate contractor progress claims through site walkdowns, quantity verification, and cross functional coordination.
Ensure alignment between engineering deliverables, procurement status, and construction Workfront readiness.
Produce high quality weekly and monthly EPC performance reports, including dashboards, KPIs, and narrative insights.
Support project leadership in readiness reviews, construction progress meetings, and commissioning status updates.
Ensure transparent, accurate, and timely reporting to the Project Director, Steering Committee, and external stakeholders.
Act as the focal point for project controls interactions with the EPC contractor and major subcontractors.
Coordinate closely with engineering, procurement, construction management, commissioning, HSE, and commercial teams to ensure integrated project performance.
Validate EPC scope, interface assumptions, and execution boundaries to eliminate gaps and latent risks.