Project Controls Lead

What is the Opportunity?

Aecon Water is a national leader in the delivery of water and wastewater infrastructure, specializing in the planning, construction, and rehabilitation of critical municipal and regional systems. We provide clients across Canada with end to end solutions, combining technical expertise, self perform capabilities, and a strong focus on safety, quality, and project delivery excellence.

Reporting to the Senior Manager, Project Controls, we are looking for a Project Controls Lead to support our work on the Red-Seine Rat & North End Winnipeg Pollution Control Center projects.

The Project Controls Lead is responsible for overseeing all aspects of project controls on complex projects, ensuring cost, schedule, and risk management processes are implemented effectively. This role provides leadership to junior team members, drives continuous improvement, and ensures alignment with Aecon’s standards and client requirements.

What You'll Do Here:

Project Controls Systems & Tools

• Lead the implementation and use of project controls tools to manage cost, earned value, cash flow, revenue, forecasting, and schedule performance
• Support project teams in identifying trends, risks, and emerging issues early, and ensure key metrics are accurate, timely, and decision‑ready

Project Setup & Mobilization

• Assist with project setup, including WBS structure, cost loading, and cash flow planning

Scheduling & Planning

• Ensure progress measurement in the schedule aligns with progress payment applications, supporting accurate and defensible billing
• Work with the Scheduler and Project Team to ensure scope changes, approved change orders, and potential claims are properly reflected in the schedule
• Use commodity curves and resource curves from the schedule to support cost forecasting, manpower planning, and productivity analysis

Cost, Progress & Forecasting

• Develop and maintain project forecasts, and actively monitor and evaluate actual costs against forecast to identify risks and drive performance
• Review and analyze project performance to clearly communicate cost, schedule, cash flow, and forecast trends
• Support Project Managers with corrective actions to maintain projects within approved cost and schedule parameters
• Develop and maintain project cash flows and EAC forecasts throughout execution

Scope, Change & Claims Support

• Working with Project Manager’s to identify, develop, and advance change events and claims with the client
• Preparation of change notices, change requests, and claims, including schedule, cost, and productivity impacts, in collaboration with the project team and Scheduler
• Ensure all approved and potential changes are properly captured in the cost forecast, EAC, cash flow, and schedule
• Work with subcontractor change requests and claims to assess entitlement, validate impacts, and support downstream recovery where applicable

Risk Management

• Contribute to project risk registers and risk mitigation planning

People Leadership

• Support the ongoing development of project controls capability within the team through knowledge sharing, coaching, and consistent application of best practices
• Create an environment where team members feel supported, accountable, and empowered to contribute to project outcomes
• Work with Project Managers and Operations to ensure project controls staff are effectively integrated into project teams and adding value

What You Bring to the Team:

• Post‑secondary education in Engineering, Business, Construction Management, or a related discipline, or equivalent industry experience
• Progressive experience in construction or infrastructure projects (typically 5+ years), with demonstrated responsibility in project controls, cost management, and forecasting
• Background in planning, scheduling, cost control, forecasting, budgeting, and earned value management
• Proven ability to develop, analyze, and manage integrated cost and schedule forecasts
• Experience working with project schedules, curves, and performance reporting
• Strong analytical mindset with excellent problem‑solving skills
• Clear, confident communicator who can explain issues and trends to technical and non‑technical audiences
• Proficient in Microsoft Office; experience with SAP, Primavera, and Hard Dollar,or similar project controls systems is an asset