Project Controls Manager

Development & Origination

USA Data Centers permanent #14878

Project Controls Manager – Hyperscale Data Center Developments

Company: Development Consultancy
Position: Project Controls Manager
Business Sector: Hyperscale Data Centers / Mission Critical Infrastructure
Department: Development & Construction
Reporting To: Project Director / Development Director
Location: Project Dependent
Employment Type: Full-Time

About the client:

Samuel Knight's partner operates within the development and delivery of large-scale, mission-critical infrastructure, with a focus on Hyperscale Data Center projects.

Our developments demand exceptional standards of planning, commercial oversight, programme management, and execution to meet the requirements of hyperscale customers and investors.

We are seeking an experienced and commercially astute Project Controls Manager to establish, manage, and continuously improve the project controls framework across our Hyperscale Data Center development portfolio.

Role Overview:

The Project Controls Manager will be responsible for the implementation, management, and oversight of integrated project controls across all stages of Hyperscale Data Center development, from initial feasibility and pre-construction through procurement, construction, commissioning, and final handover.

Working as a key member of the developer's project delivery team, the successful candidate will provide independent visibility of project performance, ensuring that programme, cost, risk, change, and reporting processes are effectively managed and aligned with the client's commercial objectives and contractual commitments.

The role requires a proactive, analytical, and delivery-focused individual capable of challenging contractor performance, identifying emerging risks, and providing accurate, timely information to support senior management decision-making.

The Project Controls Manager will work closely with internal development teams, external project managers, cost consultants, principal contractors, design consultants, utility providers, and hyperscale customers to maintain robust control over complex, fast-track development programmes.

Key Responsibilities

1. Project Controls Strategy & Governance

Develop, implement, and maintain a comprehensive project controls framework appropriate for large-scale Hyperscale Data Center developments.
Establish consistent project controls procedures, reporting standards, governance structures, and performance metrics across multiple projects.
Define and maintain project baselines covering scope, programme, cost, risk, and key delivery milestones.
Ensure project controls processes align with development agreements, construction contracts, funding requirements, and customer delivery obligations.
Provide independent project performance assessments and recommendations to the Project Director and senior leadership team.
Establish clear accountability for the quality, accuracy, and timely submission of project controls information.

2. Programme Management & Schedule Control

Oversee the development, review, and management of integrated master programmes covering design, permitting, procurement, construction, utility connections, commissioning, and operational readiness.
Review and challenge contractor baseline programmes, progress updates, recovery schedules, and associated planning narratives.
Ensure project schedules accurately reflect critical paths, interface milestones, procurement lead times, and contractual completion dates.
Monitor progress against approved baselines and identify potential delays or threats to key milestones.
Undertake schedule risk assessments and evaluate the impact of programme changes.
Coordinate programme interfaces between construction activities, utility infrastructure, specialist equipment installation, commissioning, and customer fit-out requirements.
Review contractor mitigation and acceleration proposals, ensuring recovery plans are realistic, measurable, and commercially understood.
Support the assessment of delay events, extensions of time, and associated contractual implications in conjunction with commercial and legal teams.
Maintain oversight of critical long-lead equipment, including transformers, switchgear, generators, cooling systems, and other mission-critical infrastructure.

3. Cost Control & Financial Performance

Work closely with the Commercial and Finance teams to establish and maintain robust project cost control and forecasting processes.
Monitor approved development budgets, committed expenditure, actual costs, forecast costs, and anticipated final project outturn.
Review cost reports prepared by external cost consultants and contractors to ensure accuracy, completeness, and consistency.
Track cost movements, emerging liabilities, contingency utilisation, and potential budget overruns.
Support the development and maintenance of project cash flow forecasts aligned with construction progress, procurement commitments, and funding requirements.
Ensure that programme changes, risk exposure, and commercial variations are accurately reflected in financial forecasts.
Provide clear analysis of cost trends, variances, and corrective actions to senior management.
Support the preparation of financial and project performance information for investors, lenders, and other key stakeholders.

4. Change Management

Establish and administer a structured project change control process across the development lifecycle.
Maintain a comprehensive change register identifying proposed, pending, approved, and rejected changes.
Ensure changes to scope, design, programme, budget, and technical requirements are appropriately assessed before approval.
Coordinate the evaluation of change impacts with project management, commercial, design, and construction teams.
Ensure that approved changes are incorporated into the relevant project baselines and forecasts.
Monitor the cumulative impact of changes on overall project cost, schedule, and delivery commitments.
Support the management of customer-driven changes and their implications for contractual milestones and development obligations.

5. Risk & Opportunity Management

Develop and maintain integrated project risk and opportunity registers.
Facilitate regular risk identification, assessment, mitigation, and review workshops.
Quantify the potential cost and schedule impacts of identified risks where appropriate.
Monitor high-priority development risks, including planning approvals, utility availability, design maturity, procurement delays, contractor performance, and commissioning readiness.
Ensure risks are assigned to accountable owners with clearly defined mitigation actions and review dates.
Provide regular reporting on risk exposure, contingency requirements, and emerging threats to project delivery.
Identify opportunities for programme optimisation, cost efficiency, and improved delivery certainty.

6. Project Reporting & Performance Management

Develop and maintain a consistent suite of project controls reports, dashboards, and key performance indicators.
Prepare weekly and monthly project performance reports for the Project Director, Development Director, and executive management team.
Consolidate information from contractors, consultants, and internal stakeholders into a single, reliable view of project performance.
Produce clear reporting on:
- Overall project delivery status and milestone achievement.
- Baseline versus actual programme performance.
- Critical path and near-critical activities.
- Budget performance and forecast final cost.
- Cash flow and financial commitments.
- Change control and contingency utilisation.
- Key risks, opportunities, and mitigation actions.
- Procurement and long-lead equipment status.
- Commissioning readiness and handover milestones.
Identify performance trends and provide forward-looking assessments rather than relying solely on historical progress reporting.
Escalate material programme, cost, and delivery concerns with clearly defined recommendations and corrective actions.

7. Contractor & Consultant Oversight

Provide project controls oversight of external project managers, principal contractors, cost consultants, planners, and other delivery partners.
Review contractor reporting submissions and challenge inconsistencies, unsupported progress claims, and unrealistic forecasts.
Ensure contractors maintain appropriate planning, cost reporting, risk management, and change control systems.
Participate in project progress meetings, programme reviews, commercial reviews, and risk workshops.
Monitor the performance of contractors against agreed milestones, deliverables, and contractual obligations.
Support procurement and tender evaluations through the review of proposed construction programmes, methodologies, and delivery strategies.
Promote a collaborative but accountable approach to contractor performance management.

8. Hyperscale Data Center Delivery & Commissioning

Maintain integrated oversight of the key delivery interfaces associated with Hyperscale Data Center projects.
Ensure project programmes appropriately incorporate power availability, grid connections, substations, mechanical and electrical infrastructure, specialist equipment procurement, and phased capacity delivery.
Monitor the alignment of base-build construction, MEP installation, testing, commissioning, and customer operational readiness activities.
Work with commissioning managers and technical teams to ensure commissioning activities are fully integrated into the master programme.
Track the achievement of critical delivery milestones, including mechanical completion, energisation, integrated systems testing, customer acceptance, and handover.
Support the management of phased development and sectional completion strategies where applicable.
Ensure project controls reporting provides clear visibility of readiness for customer access, fit-out, and operational commencement.

9. Stakeholder Management & Leadership

Act as the principal point of contact for project controls matters within the development team.
Build effective working relationships with internal departments, external consultants, contractors, investors, and hyperscale customers.
Communicate complex programme, cost, and risk information in a clear, concise, and commercially relevant manner.
Support the Project Director in making informed decisions regarding project priorities, mitigation strategies, and resource allocation.
Provide leadership and technical guidance to project controls personnel and external planning resources where applicable.
Drive continuous improvement in project controls systems, processes, and reporting standards across the wider development portfolio.

Candidate Requirements

Essential Qualifications & Experience

Degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Project Management, or a related discipline.
Significant experience in project controls, planning, or project management within major construction, infrastructure, or mission-critical developments.
Demonstrable experience working on large-scale, technically complex construction projects.
Strong understanding of integrated project controls covering programme, cost, risk, change, and reporting.
Experience reviewing and managing detailed construction programmes, including critical path analysis and schedule recovery planning.
Strong commercial awareness and an understanding of construction procurement, contract administration, and cost management.
Experience working with principal contractors, specialist subcontractors, consultants, and multidisciplinary project delivery teams.
Ability to analyse complex project information, identify emerging issues, and present clear recommendations to senior stakeholders.
Excellent communication, stakeholder management, and problem-solving skills.
Advanced proficiency in project planning and reporting tools, including Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, and Microsoft Excel.

Desirable Experience

Direct experience delivering Hyperscale Data Centers, colocation facilities, or other mission-critical infrastructure.
Previous experience in a developer, client-side, or owner's representative role.
Knowledge of large-scale electrical and mechanical infrastructure, including high-voltage power distribution, cooling systems, and associated utility interfaces.
Experience managing fast-track construction programmes with phased handover and customer-driven milestones.
Familiarity with data center commissioning processes, integrated systems testing, and operational readiness requirements.
Experience with Power BI, project management information systems, and automated reporting dashboards.
Knowledge of NEC, JCT, FIDIC, or other relevant construction contract forms.
Professional accreditation such as APM, RICS, PMI, or an equivalent recognised qualification.

Key Competencies

The successful candidate will demonstrate:

Commercial Awareness: Understands the relationship between programme performance, project cost, contractual obligations, and development returns.
Analytical Capability: Able to interpret complex project data and translate findings into actionable management information.
Attention to Detail: Maintains accurate and reliable controls while retaining visibility of the overall development objectives.
Leadership & Influence: Confident challenging contractors, consultants, and stakeholders to maintain accountability.
Proactive Risk Management: Anticipates potential issues and drives early intervention.
Communication: Presents complex technical and commercial information clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences.
Delivery Focus: Maintains a strong commitment to achieving key milestones, cost objectives, and customer commitments.
Continuous Improvement: Actively identifies opportunities to enhance systems, reporting, governance, and delivery performance.

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

Performance in the role will be assessed against:

Programme Certainty: Achievement of key development, construction, energisation, commissioning, and customer handover milestones.
Forecast Accuracy: Reliability of programme completion forecasts, financial projections, and anticipated final project costs.
Cost Control: Effective monitoring of project expenditure, contingency, and budget variances.
Risk Management: Early identification, escalation, and mitigation of material project risks.
Change Control: Timely assessment, approval, and incorporation of project changes.
Reporting Quality: Accuracy, consistency, timeliness, and usefulness of management information.
Contractor Performance: Effective monitoring, challenge, and improvement of external delivery partner performance.
Governance Compliance: Consistent application of project controls procedures and approval requirements.

Role Objectives

The primary objective of the Project Controls Manager is to provide the client with a reliable, transparent, and forward-looking understanding of project performance, enabling the business to make informed decisions, protect its commercial interests, and deliver Hyperscale Data Center developments safely, efficiently, and in accordance with agreed cost, programme, quality, and customer requirements.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in ensuring that the client maintains effective control of its projects while supporting the successful growth and delivery of its Hyperscale Data Center portfolio.

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