Project Controls Manager

Job Description

Project Controls Manager Job Description

Project Location:  Perth, WA
Reporting Line:  Project Manager / Project Director
Direct Reports:  Planner, Cost Controller, Document Controller
Employment Type:  Fixed Term Contract
Expected Duration:  3 years, with possibility to extend depending on project schedule

Position Description & Scope of Role

The Project Controls Manager will own and lead Zenith’s integrated project controls function for its Projects. The role is accountable for governance, integration and assurance across planning, cost control, document control, progress measurement and reporting.

The Planner, Cost Controller and Document Controller will undertake much of the day-to-day discipline work; the Project Controls Manager will set the framework, manage priorities, review and challenge outputs, and remain accountable for the function’s quality and integrity. This is a manager-level role on a complex, cost-plus decommissioning project. The role will ensure Zenith maintains a reliable single source of truth for schedule, cost, progress, commitments, deliverables and performance, supporting client confidence, auditability, cost recovery and Stage Gate decision-making. The role will work closely with Project Management, Project Finance, C&P, Engineering, HSEQ, subcontractors and the Client.

Key Responsibilities

1.Functional Leadership and Governance

• Lead the project controls team and define clear responsibilities, outputs, review cycles and quality standards.
• Establish and maintain the project controls strategy, procedures, systems, reporting cadence and assurance routines.
• Own the integrated controls framework linking WBS, CMS, cost structure, document control, progress measurement, change control and reporting.
• Ensure controls processes support the Contract, SOW, CDL, PMP, CMS, WBS and Client reporting requirements

2. Schedule, Cost and Document Control Integration

• Provide leadership and assurance over schedule development, baselining, updates, lookaheads, milestone tracking, critical path analysis and subcontractor schedule integration.
• Oversee cost control, including budgets, commitments, actuals, accruals, forecasts, cost-to-complete, variance analysis and cost-plus recovery support.
• Oversee document control, including the MDR, deliverable tracking, transmittals, revision control, Client review cycles and approval status.
• Ensure planning, cost and document control outputs are aligned before being used for management, client or commercial reporting.

3. Single Source of Truth and Data Integrity

• Own the project controls data model and ensure one agreed source of truth exists for schedule, cost, progress, commitments, deliverables, risks and changes.
• Establish data ownership rules between Project Controls, Project Finance, C&P, Engineering, HSEQ and Document Control.
• Lead reconciliation checks between the CMS, WBS, cost reports, finance data, procurement status, document control records and project dashboards.

4. Reporting, Forecasting and Performance Management

• Own project controls inputs into weekly, monthly, contract status, daily and Stage Gate reporting.
• Ensure reports provide an evidence-based view of progress, schedule performance, cost performance, forecast final cost, commitments, risks, issues, changes, deliverables and subcontractor performance.
• Provide performance commentary explaining variances, trends, risks, corrective actions, decision points and commercial impacts.
• Support the Project Manager in Client-facing meetings, project reviews and internal governance forums.

5. Change, Risk and Interface Support

• Ensure change, delay, procurement movement, subcontractor variation and project risk are assessed for schedule, cost, deliverable, finance and reporting impacts.
• Work with Project Management, Project Finance and C&P to incorporate approved changes into baselines, forecasts, schedules, registers and reports.
• Ensure controls outputs support early identification of issues affecting safety, compliance, value for money, schedule, cost recovery or client confidence. Key Deliverables
• Integrated project controls strategy, procedures and system architecture.
• Approved WBS/CBS structure, Contract Master Schedule and schedule basis.
• Cost control framework, forecasts and finance reconciliation inputs.
• Master Document Register and deliverables tracking process.
• Project dashboards, weekly/monthly reporting inputs and Stage Gate cost/schedule inputs.
• Change, trend, variance and subcontractor performance reporting.
• Project controls assurance, data integrity and audit support.

Competency, Experience & Certification Required Experience

• Significant project controls experience on large energy, resources, infrastructure, offshore, decommissioning, drilling, wells, subsea, EPC or major capital projects.
• Demonstrated experience leading a project controls team across planning, cost control, reporting and document control.
• Experience establishing project controls systems and processes on a new or rapidly mobilising project.
• Strong understanding of WBS, CMS, CBS, progress measurement, cost control, forecasting, reporting and change control.
• Experience in cost-plus, reimbursable, open-book or highly auditable contract environments.
• Experience reconciling controls data with financial systems, invoicing, subcontractor payments and accruals.
• Experience integrating subcontractor schedules, costs, deliverables and progress data into a master controls framework.

Desirable Experience

• Australian offshore oil and gas, well abandonment, decommissioning or MODU-based operations experience.
• Experience supporting Stage Gate, project sanction, estimate maturation or major reforecasting processes.
• Familiarity with Primavera P6 / Oracle Primavera Cloud, Power BI, cost management systems (CMS), document management systems, earned value and AACE estimate classifications. Required Competencies
• Strong functional leadership and ability to build, manage and assure a project controls team.
• Commercial awareness of how project controls supports contract management, invoicing, auditability and cost recovery.
• Strong data discipline and willingness to challenge inconsistent or unsupported project information.
• Ability to turn complex schedule, cost and deliverable data into clear management insight.
• Strong stakeholder management across project management, finance, C&P, engineering, HSEQ, subcontractors and client representatives.
• Practical, delivery-focused approach to governance, with confidence in a high-scrutiny client and audit environment. Personal Attributes The successful candidate will be structured, commercially aware, pragmatic and confident leading a small but critical project controls team. They will understand that planning, cost control and document control are connected disciplines that together provide the evidence base for project delivery, client confidence and commercial recovery.