Project Controls Manager

Role responsibilities: 

• Maintain project controls governance through consistent application of policies, procedures and standards. 

• Develop and enhance project controls frameworks, including categorisation matrices, minimum requirements and performance metrics. 

• Implement and manage standardised project controls systems and processes, with a focus on cost control, forecasting and earned value management.

• Maintain project controls documentation, including processes, procedures, tools and knowledge resources. 

• Drive standardisation and improve cost management capability across CIMIC, Operating Companies and projects. 

• Coordinate project setup activities and allocate project controls support resources. 

• Configure and support project controls systems for new projects, ensuring alignment with operational and project delivery requirements. 

• Monitor and analyse project controls performance through measurable cost, forecasting and reporting metrics. 

• Provide training, guidance and ongoing support in the use of project controls systems and best-practice methodologies.

• Act as the Subject Matter Expert for project controls systems and processes. 

• Support project cost reviews, forecasting activities and continuous improvement initiatives. 

• Manage, troubleshoot and escalate project controls system issues as required. 

• Build and maintain effective relationships with internal and external stakeholders. 

• Collaborate across CIMIC and Operating Companies to share knowledge and deliver business objectives. 

• Demonstrate sound judgement, professionalism and ethical leadership in decision-making and stakeholder engagement. 

• Mentor team members, delegate effectively and promote high-performance standards. 

• Ensure compliance with all legal, regulatory, corporate governance and company policy requirements. 

• Champion SHEQ requirements by promoting safe work practices, risk management and compliance with the SHEQ Management System.

Your Experience: 

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in business, engineering, quantity surveying or a related field

• Postgraduate qualification in business or engineering, with at least 10 years' experience, including 5 years at senior management level

Experience

• Proven knowledge and experience managing and implementing CIMIC Group project controls systems

• Experience on large-scale projects valued at $150M or more

• A demonstrated record of driving and implementing transformational change

• A strong track record of developing people and building talent pipelines

Capabilities

• Strong financial and cost management skills, with the ability to build and challenge cost forecasts, cash flow and margin positions on complex, multi-package projects

• Deep commercial acumen across the project lifecycle, including contract structures, risk and opportunity management, variations and claims, and the commercial implications of delivery decisions

• Sound understanding of large-scale construction and infrastructure delivery, including procurement and subcontract strategy, programming and cost-to-complete, and the interface between project controls, operations and commercial teams

• Proven ability to establish and govern project controls frameworks, including budgeting, earned value, progress measurement and reporting, that stand up on major projects and in front of senior stakeholders and clients

• Credibility with executives, project directors and client representatives, with the confidence to influence decisions, challenge assumptions and escalate risk early

• Sharp analytical and problem-solving ability, turning complex project data into clear insight and decisive action

• Equally effective working independently and as part of a team, leading across Operating Companies and Business Units without relying on direct authority

About CIMIC

CIMIC is the central enabling function for the CIMIC Group. Finance, People and Culture, Legal, HSEQ, IT, Strategy, Commercial and Risk, Corporate Affairs and Communications, and Audit professionals, working together so that the Group's operating companies can deliver some of the most significant projects and operations across Australia and the Asia Pacific.

We sit within one of the world's leading construction and infrastructure groups. ACS and HOCHTIEF. A network that spans major markets globally and is growing in the sectors that will define the next decade: AI and Digital Infrastructure, Defence and Security, Energy and Nuclear, and Critical Minerals.

One Group, One Team is how we work. Not duplicated functions, but shared capability and expertise applied consistently across the Group. Built on expertise. Delivered at scale.

What we offer

• Career mobility across operating companies, sectors and functions, with pathways to CPB Contractors, UGL, Leighton Asia, Sedgman, Pacific Partnerships and EIC Activities.

• Access to ACS University, providing leadership development, executive education and learning opportunities across the ACS global network.

• A culture built on the Group Principles: Integrity, Accountability, Innovation and Delivery, with Safety underpinning everything.

• The Accountable Leadership program, a Group-wide framework that creates shared language and shared standards for how we lead and perform.

• The opportunity to work with specialists at the top of their fields, on projects and operations that reach communities and industries across Australia and beyond.

How to apply

Be Part of Something Bigger.

If you want your work to reach further than a single project, team or business, and you are excited by the opportunity to influence outcomes across the Group, we would love to hear from you.