Principal Program Controls Engineer

Job Description

Cost Control and Budget Management

• Develop, maintain, and monitor program budgets and approved cost baselines.
• Track actual costs, commitments, accruals, invoices, forecasts, and remaining budgets.
• Compare project expenditure against approved budgets and identify cost variances.
• Prepare cost reports, financial forecasts, and estimate-at-completion reports.
• Monitor cost trends and provide early warning of potential budget overruns.
• Coordinate cost information with planning, procurement, contracts, and project delivery teams.

Pricing and Commercial Analysis

• Review contractor, consultant, and supplier pricing submissions.
• Assess quotations, rates, quantities, labor, materials, equipment, overheads, preliminaries, escalation, and profit.
• Prepare independent cost estimates for proposed work and project changes.
• Compare submitted prices with contract rates, bills of quantities, market benchmarks, and historical data.
• Evaluate the financial impact of design changes, additional works, omissions, substitutions, and revised requirements.
• Support negotiations with contractors and consultants through detailed cost analysis.

Change and Variation Management

• Manage and administer the program change-control process.
• Review change requests, variation orders, claims, and potential changes.
• Assess proposed changes for effects on cost, schedule, scope, resources, procurement, and risk.
• Maintain change registers showing the status and value of each change.
• Track changes from initial identification through evaluation, approval, implementation, and closeout.
• Report change exposure, pending approvals, and financial risks to program leadership.

Forecasting and Reporting

• Prepare monthly and quarterly program controls reports.
• Provide updated forecasts for budget, cost, commitments, revenue, and estimate at completion.
• Analyze cost performance and explain significant changes in the forecast.
• Prepare reports on approved changes, pending variations, contingency usage, and commercial exposure.
• Develop dashboards and management presentations highlighting key cost and change information.
• Support program reviews, change-control boards, commercial meetings, and client presentations.

Required Skills

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, quantity surveying, construction management, finance, project management, or a related field.
• Significant experience in project controls, cost engineering, commercial management, or program controls.
• Experience supporting large infrastructure, construction, transportation, buildings, or development programs.
• Strong knowledge of budgeting, cost control, forecasting, pricing, and change management.
• Experience reviewing contractor quotations, variations, claims, and change orders.
• Understanding of contracts, commercial procedures, procurement, and project delivery processes.
• Ability to analyze cost and schedule impacts and present clear recommendations.
• Advanced skills in Microsoft Excel and other project-control or financial systems.

Desired Skills

• Experience with Primavera P6, ERP systems, or program-management information systems is preferred.
• Professional certification such as PMP, AACE, CCP, PSP, MRICS, or equivalent is an advantage.

Benefits

• Parsons describes financial wellness, retirement plans, paid time off, flexible holidays, career development, wellness programs, medical, dental, and vision coverage.
• Benefits may vary by the Parsons location.