Principal Project Controls Manager - Major Capital Projects (EPC)

At KBR, We Deliver.

KBR ISA (Integrated Solutions Americas) delivers integrated, end-to-end engineering, procurement, and construction management services to the refining, LNG, midstream, chemicals, petrochemicals, oil and gas, power, and industrial infrastructure sectors. Our focus spans proprietary technology, consulting, and energy transition to complete delivery of major capital projects and programs.

KBR is seeking a Principal Project Controls Manager who provides enterprise-level leadership for the integrated cost, schedule, change, risk, and performance management framework on major, complex capital projects, from FEL/FEED through engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, and closeout. The role establishes a single, reconciled source of truth on project performance, advises senior project and business leadership, and provides an early, quantified view of where the project is heading—not just where it has been.

This is a principal-level functional leadership position accountable for project controls strategy, governance, assurance, and execution across the full discipline. The role leads and develops senior planning, cost, change, risk, and reporting professionals; influences project directors, clients, partners, and executive stakeholders; and provides independent challenge on forecasts, recovery plans, and commercial positions. Success is measured by the credibility of the forecast, the speed at which deviations surface, the strength of governance and assurance, and the defensibility of the project’s position in commercial disputes.

Functional job responsibilities will include but are not limited to:

Cost Control, Budgeting & Forecasting

• Own the project budget architecture: Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS), control accounts, contingency and management reserve structures, and the mapping between CBS, WBS, and the general ledger.
• Establish and maintain the cost control baseline; manage budget transfers, contingency drawdown, and reserve release through formal governance.
• Produce monthly cost reports covering commitments, accruals, actuals, value of work done, and variance against budget by control account.
• Deliver the Estimate at Completion (EAC) and Cost to Complete with a documented, challengeable basis — trend-based, not arithmetic.
• Oversee cash flow forecasting, funding drawdown profiles, and currency and escalation exposure reporting to [Finance / Treasury].

Schedule Oversight

• Set the planning standards and hold the Planning Manager accountable for schedule integrity, critical path credibility, and baseline control.
• Ensure cost and schedule are genuinely integrated — resource-loaded, time-phased, and reconciled to the same scope and progress data.
• Review and challenge forecast completion dates; ensure schedule slippage is translated into cost impact and reflected in the EAC.

Change Management

• Own the project change control process end to end: identification, quantification of cost and time impact, review, approval routing, and incorporation into the baseline.
• Chair or provide secretariat to the Change Control Board; ensure no scope change moves without documented cost, schedule, and risk impact.
• Maintain the trend register; drive early identification of potential changes before they crystallise as variations.

Risk Management

• Maintain the project risk register in partnership with the [Risk Manager / Project Director]; ensure risks are costed and time-impacted, not just described.
• Run quantitative cost and schedule risk analysis (Monte Carlo) to set P50/P80 positions; use the output to size and defend contingency.
• Track risk drawdown against contingency consumption and report divergence.

Performance Reporting & Analytics

• Define the project reporting calendar, KPI set, and dashboard suite for [project leadership / steering committee / JV partners / lenders].
• Implement earned value management: rules of credit, progress measurement, SPI and CPI trending, and performance-based forecasting.
• Produce the monthly project report — integrated, reconciled, and consistent across cost, schedule, and risk narratives.
• Provide ad hoc analysis to support investment decisions, recovery planning, and scope trade-offs.

Contract & Commercial Support

• Provide controls input to tender evaluation, contract schedules and exhibits, milestone payment structures, and incentive and liquidated damages mechanisms.
• Review contractor cost and schedule submissions for contractual compliance; drive resolution of non-compliance.
• Support the assessment and defence of variations, claims, extension of time submissions, and disruption arguments alongside [Commercial / Legal].
• Interface with [Procurement / Supply Chain] on commitment tracking, purchase order status, and vendor payment milestones.

Systems, Data & Governance

• Own the project controls toolset and data architecture — [Primavera P6, SAP, Power BI] — including data integrity, coding discipline, and the interfaces between systems.
• Develop and enforce project controls procedures, templates, and standards; drive consistency across the capital portfolio.
• Prepare and defend submissions to stage gates, independent project reviews, internal audit, and [partner / lender] assurance processes.

Team Leadership

• Build, resource, and develop the project controls team across planning, cost, estimating, and reporting; match team shape to project phase.
• Mentor leads into credible advisors to package managers and the Project Director.
• Manage the controls scope performed by [contractors / consultants / PMC], including deliverable quality and staffing adequacy.

Required Education, Experience, & Skills:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Finance, or a related discipline. Equivalent experience with strong technical grounding will be considered.
• [18]+ years of progressive project controls experience on major EPC or EPCM capital projects, including [8]+ years leading integrated project controls functions on complex projects or programs exceeding [$1B].
• Recognized subject-matter expertise across cost engineering, planning and scheduling, change management, risk, forecasting, and performance reporting, with the ability to independently challenge complex project positions.
• Proven ownership of change control and contingency management on a project through to closeout.
• Expert command of earned value management, forecasting methodology, and progress measurement in a contractual EPC setting.
• Extensive experience leading large, geographically dispersed, multi-discipline project controls teams and influencing senior stakeholders across owner, EPC contractor, joint venture, and executive governance environments.

Preferred Education & Skills:

• Sector experience in [oil & gas / LNG / chemical / Nuclear / power & renewables / pharmaceutical / semiconductor / data center].
• Professional credentials: AACE, PMI, or equivalent.
• Hands-on capability across [Primavera P6, SAP, Microsoft Dynamics, Power BI].
• Experience with [FIDIC / LSTK / reimbursable / alliance] contract forms and associated delay and quantum analysis.
• Familiarity with advanced work packaging (AWP), systems completion methodologies, and stage-gate (FEL) governance frameworks.
• Prior experience in a joint venture environment.

KBR Benefits​

KBR offers a selection of competitive lifestyle benefits which could include 401K plan with company match, medical, dental, vision, life insurance, AD&D, flexible spending account, disability, paid time off, or flexible work schedule. We support career advancement through professional training and development.​

Click here to learn more: KBR Benefits

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KBR is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, disability, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, veteran status, genetic information, union status and/or beliefs, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.