Project Controls Director

Matchtech are working with a key client in Toronto to recruit for a Project Controls Director to work on high profile railway projects. The Director of Project Controls is accountable for providing leadership and direction to a team of project control managers and controls professionals in the areas of risk, cost, scheduling, quality, change, and document control, ensuring the coordination of these disciplines to monitor and control the on-time, on-budget, and quality delivery of multi-billion-dollar infrastructure projects across various contracting models. The Director is responsible for establishing and maintaining a Project Control function, including the development and delivery of associated governance, risk, assurance, and reporting frameworks, systems, tools, and processes required to oversee their projects. They support both recommendations and decisions in the management of their projects, providing timely advice on trends in project performance from a controls perspective, and supporting the recovery of projects. KEY CONTRIBUTIONS Functional/Technical

• Serve as a thought-leader and innovator in project controls in an integrated project team environment that supports the delivery of multi-billion dollar infrastructure projects using various contracting methods for delivery.
• Provide oversight, direction and expertise to project controls-related activities for assigned projects in support of the planning and execution of day-to-day monitoring of project performance.
• Provide leadership in implementation and maintenance of project controls process, standards and systems.
• Provide leadership and change management on strategic initiatives within a department or project team, or CPG transformation plans
• Provide leadership, and integration of project controls data and metrics across multiple projects within a program or portfolio. Provide program or portfolio performance analysis, identify issues and challenges, and make recommendation for recovery plans as required.
• Interface with vendor project/program/portfolio controls to ensure contractual project controls requirements are met and adhered to according to Metrolinx expectations and standards.
• Successfully manage the relationships and quality control of the project controls functions including estimating, scheduling, cost control, risk management, document control, change management, quality management and reporting for the project.
• Resolve issues and ensure consistency and data compatibility between the cost control, planning/scheduling, risk, quality and estimating functions and deliverables.

Customer/Stakeholder

• Builds and manages trusting relationships with a wide number of internal and external stakeholders, including partners, government, agencies and/or communities, to foster good relations, gain support, develop resources, drive results, realize project outcomes, manage conflicts, and represent the needs of customers, stakeholders, operations, maintenance, and leveraging those relationships to advance division or project objectives
• Acts as an ambassador and liaison for Metrolinx with significant external stakeholders and partners to develop and lead presentations, represent Metrolinx at public meetings and hearings, and garner support for the organization and its initiatives
• Collaborates with Project Controls leaders (e.g. Cost, Risk, Value Management, Reporting, etc.) to ensure holistic suite of project controls for the project
• Leads / Participates in senior management team meetings, presentations, committees, and delegates representation to other operating committees.
• Builds collaborative relationships with senior organizational leadership and gains trust with stakeholders (e.g. customers, other business units, tenants, local transit) to foster good relations, gain support, develop resources, drive results, realize project outcomes, manage conflicts, and represent the needs of customers, stakeholders, operations, and maintenance

Operational Excellence

• Can effectively communicate concerns, complexities, general project controls information and other considerations to varied audiences including clients, departmental management, engineering, project and construction management, and project teams.
• Can define and prepare accurate and meaningful reports, narratives, letters and memorandum which clearly communicate status, issues or other concerns on behalf of the project controls · Effectively manage and communicate with staff to organize and motivate them
• Develops and implements management tools, including software applications to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in managing project controls in support of projects
• Cultivates a culture of project controls intelligence, heightened awareness and the utilization of advanced methods to assess, monitor and manage controls

Financial Stewardship

• Develops and manages annual and long-term budgets and staffing plans that adhere to corporate standards and applicable legislation
• Within the role’s scope and budget, has signing authority to commit resources to projects and staffing · Delivers agreed objectives and manages project and department activities within budgetary limits
• Monitors the progress of projects to ensure that planning objectives are delivered on time and within budget and that anticipated business results are achieved and is able to explain overages and exceptions
• Establishes benchmarks, goals, objectives for corporate planning programs/systems, that reflect corporate direction/plans, including performance indicators, monitoring systems, and reporting functionality and reviews

People Leadership

• Provides leadership and directly manages required team of integrated One Team resources (>10) for purposes of quality management and optimization with level of leadership and daily task delegation up to and including performance management, training and development of junior quality management resources and quality workshops as required at all levels
• Mentors, guides and coaches project controls staff to be fully engaged with the project delivery team and the construction work to be able to create a team of project controls professionals that fully embedded as valued team members that are invested in the success of the delivery of the project
• Provides senior leadership oversight and direction to staff and project teams (e.g. defines team member roles, responsibilities, and expectations); delivers timely feedback to ensure a cohesive operational unit and the optimum use of team skills; manages staff and monitors work assignments for adherence to timelines; monitors the achievement of performance objectives; develops and implements action plans to address performance gaps
• Creates a working environment that is aligned with the organization’s desire to be a “best company to work for”, ensuring that people resources possess the required skills, are properly aligned, and are provided with the resources to do the job
• Demonstrates leadership and core competencies at a high level of development and is an exemplary model of living the corporate Values and Code of Ethics
• Acts as the subject matter expert in providing consultation, advice and day-to-day guidance regarding functional requirements and processes

Technical Competencies

• Exceptionally skilled in project controls theory, principles and practice
• Exceptional attention to detail
• High performing professional using industry standard software packages and applications
• Demonstrable highly skilled experience of reasoned decision-making in high pressure and paced environments
• Demonstrable highly skilled experience of successfully managing competing objectives of external and internal stakeholders and recognizing materiality
• Excellent problem solving and influencing skills to: establish effective working relationships; negotiate and deal with a variety of contacts both internal and external to the organization; gain cooperation from individuals not under direct authority and comfort working with minimal supervision
• Ability to communicate / interface effectively with senior management (e.g. CEO and CCO) and external stakeholders (e.g. Government representatives)
• Ability to engage and influence a wide variety of portfolio, program and project resources including but not limited to Engineers, Project Controls Professionals, Project Managers and External Stakeholders
• Excellent leadership skills to motivate a team, set high standards and clear expectations, manage expectations and outputs
• Excellent writing skills with experience authoring technical quality management documentation – policy, plans, processes, procedures, guides
• Excellent oral and interpersonal skills with demonstrated success working effectively and collaboratively in a large, integrated, matrix team environment at all levels of an organization

Education Bachelor’s degree in construction management, engineering, project management, or related technical field Experience Minimum of 10 years of progressive experience with increasing responsibility in the Management of Project Controls on large projects, Transportation project experience and specifically transit experience is a plus. Experience is required across all project delivery methods, including Design-Build, Design-Bid-Build, Public Private Partnerships/ AFP delivery and Progressive Contracting models (ECP, ECM, PDB, CM@R and Alliance) Certification Preferred: Active membership or accreditation in AACE, PMI, or similar association is a plus