Principal Project Controls

Job Title: Principal Project Controls

Duration: 18months Contract

Location: Charlotte, NC 28202

**Wednesday is a required in-office day. Other days (2) can be chosen by the individual.**

Charlotte, NC 28202, multiple sites across the Carolinas service area

Office/hybrid, with site visits

Utility experience- Required

Planet Group is seeking a Principal Project Controls Specialist a senior-level professional with advanced analytical and technical expertise in cost and project controls. This role leads the development of reporting systems and performs complex analysis for large-scale or high-risk projects. The individual operates with minimal supervision and plays a key role in mentoring and developing junior project controls staff.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the development and maintenance of project controls reporting systems for complex projects
• Perform advanced project forecasting, cost analysis, and variance analysis
• Align project costs with schedules and support integrated project planning efforts
• Develop and analyze unit costs, budgets, trends, and burn rates
• Manage cost control processes, including change control and financial tracking
• Apply basic accounting principles to support accurate financial reporting
• Provide reporting and insights at program and portfolio levels
• Identify risks, issues, and opportunities, and recommend effective solutions
• Lead, coach, and mentor Cost Analysts and junior Project Controls Specialists
• Collaborate with internal teams and external vendors/suppliers
• Evaluate vendor change orders and support contract administration activities
• Work with large data sets and adapt quickly to new software and tools

Project Scope

• Typically assigned to large, complex projects classified as “Green III” or “Brown” per Project Management Center of Excellence standards
• May also oversee multiple smaller projects (e.g., “Green II”)
• Requires experience supporting multi-million-dollar or high-risk projects

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Finance, Project Management, Engineering, or a related field
• Minimum of 9 years of project controls experience
• OR 11 years of project controls experience in lieu of a degree
• Advanced to expert proficiency in Microsoft Excel
• Experience working in a PMO, project controls team, or project management environment
• Strong ability to analyze large data sets and learn new systems quickly

Preferred Qualifications

• Master’s degree in Business, Finance, Project Management, or related field
• Professional certifications such as PMP, CAPM, PMI-SP, or AACE (CCC, PSP, CEP, EVP)
• Experience with vendor change order evaluation
• Proficiency with tools such as:
• MS Project, MS Office Suite
• Business Objects, Prolog, Passport
• Visio, Access
• Maximo or other EAM systems
• PeopleSoft
• Experience with risk management tools and Monte Carlo analysis
• Strong collaboration and leadership skills
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills