Overview As a Senior Project Controls Manager, you will lead cross-discipline control teams on high-value, complex defence projects, shaping the Performance Measurement Baseline and aligning scope, cost, risk and schedule. You’ll collaborate with project, commercial, finance and suppliers to deliver robust controls and actionable insights. Your leadership will drive governance, learning, and continuous capability improvements within a regulated environment. This role offers impact through strategic growth, client delivery excellence, and on-site collaboration with Defence portfolios.
Pay / Benefits - flexible working environment
- focus on work-life balance
- inclusive culture and networks
- employee development opportunities
- on-site client collaboration
- defence sector experience
Responsibilities - Set up and lead cross-discipline Project Controls teams on high-risk, high-value projects
- Define scope with exclusions, interfaces, dependencies and support WBS establishment
- Establish Performance Measurement Baseline and manage change control
- Collaborate with suppliers to integrate and analyse performance data per contractual requirements
- Ensure integration of scope, cost, risk and schedule
- Analyse performance data (earned value) to inform delivery decisions
- Coordinate with Finance to produce Cost and Estimate To Complete profiles
- Oversee risk management with quantitative risk analysis
- Support deployment of resources aligned with resource-loaded schedules
- Establish governance for auditable decision making
- Assure quality and integrity of outputs from Project Controls team
- Build strong relationships within Integrated Project Team
- Communicate and contextualise delivery performance to stakeholders
- Lead learning from experience and process improvements
- Mentor and develop team members and stakeholders
- Contribute to regional growth via proposals, pursuit planning, recruitment, and succession planning
- Oversee running of a Project Controls function and embed standards and processes
- Operate on-site with clients 2–3 days per week, with UK travel as needed
- Maintain awareness of security clearance requirements and MoD-related constraints
Key requirements - Proven track record delivering projects in highly regulated sectors such as defence or infrastructure
- Experience across the full Project lifecycle
- Experience in two or more Project Controls disciplines (Planning and Scheduling, Cost Estimation, Cost Control, Risk Management or Performance Reporting) and their software/tools
- Experience in establishing Project Controls organisations and building teams
- Advanced understanding of Integrated Project Controls across operating models
- Ability to assess organisational maturity and ways of working
- Proactive, curious, can-do attitude; comfortable in uncertain environments
- Strong communication and leadership with ability to influence, motivate, and coach diverse teams
- Commitment to an inclusive environment and empowerment
- Undergraduate degree in a relevant technical or management field or suitable equivalent qualifications and experience
- Member of a relevant professional body (e.g., APM, PMI)
- Ability to make risk-based decisions with ambiguous parameters
- Adapt leadership style to audience and uncertainty
- Competence with the software needed for the role
- Willingness to work with various sectors and clients
- On-site and client-facing collaboration experience
- leadership
- communication
- influence
- Earned Value Management (EVM)
- Planning and Scheduling
- Cost Estimation
