Project Controls Lead

About West Kitikmeot Resources Corp.

West Kitikmeot Resources Corp. (WKR) is an Inuit-led organization dedicated to the development of the Kitikmeot Region of Nunavut for the benefit of Kitikmeot Inuit. WKR is the sole proponent and developer of the Grays Bay Road and Port (Grays Bay) Project. Grays Bay is a proposed deep-water port on the Northwest Passage of the Arctic Ocean connected by a 230 km, multi-user all-season road to the northern terminus of the Tibbitt to Contwoyto Winter Road (TCWR). Once constructed, the Grays Bay Road and Port will provide the first land link between the Northwest Passage and the North American highway system. The Project will be the northern half of the Arctic Economic & Security Corridor, which will ultimately connect southern Canada and Arctic deep-water with all-season road access.

Job Description

We are seeking a Project Controls Lead to join the Owner's team on a large, complex infrastructure project. This is a unique opportunity for an project controls professional to play a central role in overseeing project performance across a Progressive Design-Build (PDB) delivery model, working alongside a PDB Contractor.

Reporting to the Engineering Manager, the Project Controls Lead will act as the Owner's key point of accountability for schedule integrity, cost performance, change management, and project execution oversight throughout the project lifecycle. This role is ideal for a rising professional — potentially an engineer or project controls specialist working toward their PMP designation — who wants to build a strong foundation in owner-side project controls leadership on a high-profile capital program.

You won't be responsible for drafting cost or schedule estimates, that's the job of the PDB contractor and owner’s engineering advisor teams. Instead, you'll need to critically interpret their outputs, challenge assumptions, identify risk, and ensure the Owner has clear, reliable visibility into project planning and performance at all times.

The current project schedule anticipates award of a PDB contract in early 2027, final investment decision in 2028, early works construction in 2029, and major works construction in 2030-2034. As such, this role will focus on planning through 2028, with a transition to managing execution from 2029 onwards.

This role will initially be an individual contributor but will become responsible for hiring and managing a project controls team for the execution phase.

This role will initially be based out of WKR’s Calgary project office, but may transition to a nearby office shared with the PDB Contractor. Occasional travel for site visits and to meet with vendors will be required.

Key Duties Include:

Project Controls Ownership

• Lead the Owner's oversight of project controls (cost, schedule, change, and risk) as implemented by the PDB contractor and Owner's Engineering Advisor.

• Ensure project controls processes and reporting align with the Owner's governance requirements and the terms of the PDB agreement.

Schedule & Planning Oversight

• Review, challenge, and validate the PDB contractor's and Owner’s Engineering Advisor's project schedules, ensuring logic, sequencing, and durations reasonably reflect actual project scope and timelines.

• Monitor critical path activities and baseline adherence, flagging schedule slippage, scope deviations, or emerging delays to project leadership.

• Support integration of the Owner's internal milestones and stakeholder commitments into the master project schedule.

Cost Control & Forecasting

• Oversee and interpret cost reports, forecasts, and cash flow projections submitted by the PDB contractor and other advisors.

• Track budget performance against approved baselines through variance analysis, identifying and escalating cost trends early.

• Support development of Owner’s cost forecasts and funding/drawdown projections for internal and external reporting.

Change Management

• Lead the Owner's review and evaluation of change orders, trend notices, and scope change requests submitted by the PDB contractor and other key contractors.

• Maintain a change log and ensure changes are properly assessed for cost, schedule, and risk impact before approval.

• Support negotiation and resolution of change-related matters between the Owner, PDB contractor, and Engineering Advisor.

Risk Management

• Maintain and regularly update the project risk register in collaboration with the PDB contractor and Owner’s Engineering Advisor.

• Facilitate and/or support quantitative and qualitative risk workshops to identify emerging risks and track mitigation actions.

• Support contingency drawdown analysis and quantification of schedule and cost risk exposure.

Reporting & Governance

• Prepare clear, concise project controls reporting packages for the Engineering Manager, executive stakeholders, and stage-gate/governance reviews.

• Act as the Owner's day-to-day liaison with the PDB contractor's and Engineering Advisor's project controls teams.

• Support monthly reporting cycles and board/executive updates.

• Identify trends and early warning indicators across cost, schedule, and risk data to support proactive, data-informed decision-making.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field.

• 5–8 years of relevant experience in project controls, project engineering, or project management within large capital projects (infrastructure, energy, or heavy industrial preferred).

• Actively pursuing or planning to pursue PMP designation; existing progress toward certification is an asset.

• Experience working on or with owner teams, PDB, EPC, or other collaborative/alternative delivery models (e.g., P3) is considered a strong asset.

• Comfortable interpreting outputs from industry-standard scheduling, cost, and reporting tools (e.g., Primavera P6, MS Project, Power BI, Aconex) without necessarily being the primary operator of these systems.

Skills/Abilities Required for Success:

• Analytical judgment: Ability to critically interpret schedule, cost, and risk data produced by others, and to identify inconsistencies, optimism bias, or emerging issues.

• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills; able to translate technical project controls data into clear insights for engineering, operations, and executive audiences.

• Relationship management: Comfortable working collaboratively yet firmly with a PDB contractor and Engineering Advisor, maintaining the Owner's interests while fostering a productive working relationship.

• Commercial and contractual awareness: Working understanding of how PDB/collaborative delivery contracts allocate cost, schedule, and risk responsibilities.

• Attention to detail: Rigorous approach to reviewing reports, change documentation, and risk registers.

• Proactivity and ownership: Takes initiative to flag issues early rather than waiting for problems to escalate. Has no problem taking on duties outside the job description to ensure project success.

• Adaptability: Comfortable operating in a dynamic, evolving mega-project environment where scope, schedule, and priorities may shift.

• Growth mindset: Genuine interest in developing into a future project management or senior project controls leadership role.

Why Join Us?

• Opportunity to work on a high-impact project, with a national profile and the potential for significant growth

• Casual cooperative environment

• Competitive compensation range between $80,000 - $90,000 per year, reflective of your experience

To Apply:

Interested candidates are invited to submit a resume and cover letter outlining their relevant experience and interest in the Grays Bay Road and Port Project on the job platform they have found this posting. If there are any issues please send your relevant information to hr@westkit.ca with the subject line “Project Controls Lead Application.”

West Kitikmeot Resources Corporation is committed to Inuit employment priority in accordance with the Nunavut Agreement. Beneficiaries of the Nunavut Agreement are encouraged to self-identify in their application.

We thank all applicants for their interest; only those selected for an interview will be contacted.