Principal Program Controls Engineer

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Job Description:

Parsons is looking for an amazingly talented Principal Program Controls Engineer to join our team! In this role, you will provide senior-level support in managing the cost, pricing, forecasting, and change-management activities of a major program. The role will ensure that project financial information is accurate, up to date, and aligned with approved budgets, contracts, schedules, and program objectives.

The position will work closely with project managers, commercial and contracts teams, contractors, consultants, procurement, finance, and senior management to monitor financial performance, evaluate commercial risks, and support effective decision-making throughout the project lifecycle.

What You’ll Be Doing:

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.

• Review project financial data to ensure accuracy, consistency, and proper allocation.

• Support monthly reporting, financial reviews, and program management meetings.

• Monitor the use of contingency, allowances, and management reserves.

• Ensure approved scope and budget changes are properly incorporated into cost forecasts.

• 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.

• Review pricing for variations, claims, delay costs, acceleration, and other commercial events.

• Identify unsupported, excessive, or inconsistent costs and recommend appropriate adjustments.

• Prepare clear pricing evaluations and commercial recommendations for management approval.

• Support negotiations with contractors and consultants by providing detailed cost analysis.

• Maintain records of approved prices, historical rates, variations, and commercial decisions.

Change and Variation Management

• Manage and administer the program change-control process.

• Review change requests, variation orders, claims, and potential changes.

• Assess the effect of proposed changes on cost, schedule, scope, resources, procurement, and risk.

• Prepare cost and schedule impact assessments for management review.

• Maintain change registers showing the status and value of each change.

• Track changes from initial identification through evaluation, approval, implementation, and closeout.

• Clearly distinguish between approved, pending, rejected, disputed, and potential changes.

• Monitor cumulative change impacts and identify trends affecting the overall program budget.

• Ensure that changes are properly authorized before being included in the budget or forecast.

• Verify that approved changes are reflected in cost reports, forecasts, schedules, and project-control systems.

• Monitor contractor submissions and support the assessment and resolution of variations and claims.

• 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.

• Provide recommendations to reduce cost growth and improve financial performance.

• Ensure that cost, schedule, risk, procurement, and change information is consistent across all reports.

• Support program reviews, change-control boards, commercial meetings, and client presentations.

What Required Skills You’ll Bring:

• 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.

What Desired Skills You’ll Bring:

• 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.

Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels no matter the race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!

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