Principal Consultant - Project Controls

Role overview

Commercial leadership and team management

• Lead the GCC Commercial team supporting UK&I Transport & Infrastructure projects.
• Drive resource planning, workload allocation, and delivery governance.
• Build and mentor a high-performing team through development and coaching.
• Collaborate with PMO Leads, UK Commercial teams, and Project Managers; support recruitment aligned with growth.

Contract and commercial management

• Lead contract administration under NEC/JCT and FIDIC where applicable.
• Manage change control, compensation events, variations, claims, and contractual communications and notices.
• Maintain contract registers, track deadlines, and draft formal contractual correspondence and entitlement notifications.

Cost, risk, and project delivery

• Support cost control and financial performance across the project lifecycle.
• Manage commercial risks, opportunities, entitlement claims, disputes, and withheld cost recovery.
• Maintain risk registers and escalation processes; contribute to forecasting, working capital recovery, and performance insights.
• Integrate commercial activity with project controls, planning, and PMO processes, aligning cost, schedule, and change impacts.
• Coordinate dashboards, trackers, and registers and help teams resolve commercial and delivery challenges.

Governance and improvement

• Establish QA/QC frameworks, checklists, and peer review mechanisms; ensure contractual, commercial, and internal governance compliance.
• Standardize templates, SOPs, and delivery processes in line with RICS/APM standards and best practices.
• Drive process improvement, support bid development and mobilization, and help grow workshare.
• Develop training in NEC/JCT contracts and change and risk management; mentor commercial professionals.

Digital reporting and stakeholders

• Encourage data-driven reporting using advanced Excel, including Power Query and Pivot Tables, and Power BI dashboards.
• Enhance visibility through automated dashboards and digital reporting solutions.
• Act as the commercial interface between GCC and UK stakeholders and build relationships with clients, project managers, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Support capability showcases and promote the GCC value proposition.

Essential qualifications and experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying or Civil Engineering; a Master’s degree is preferred.
• 10+ years of contract management or commercial experience, including approximately five years of UK project exposure.
• Proven experience with UK–India delivery models and interfacing with UK stakeholders.
• Strong knowledge of NEC and JCT contracts and change order management.
• Experience in change control, CVRs, forecasting, procurement, contract management, multi-project team leadership, and delivery governance.
• Strong commercial acumen and understanding of consultancy.

Tools and desirable experience

• Advanced MS Excel skills, including Power Query and Pivot Tables; Power BI dashboarding and reporting; Microsoft Office Suite skills.
• Professional membership or qualification such as RICS or APM is desirable.
• Experience in rail, roads, civils, water, or infrastructure projects is desirable.
• Exposure to ERP systems and structured cost databases is desirable.