Project Controls Manager – High-Speed Rail Project (Abu Dhabi, UAE)

Role overview

Planning and scheduling

• Lead the project controls, planning, and progress reporting team.
• Develop and maintain the integrated Primavera P6 schedule and align schedules across work packages, teams, partners, and subcontractors.
• Track baselines, milestones, and critical path; identify deviations and develop recovery and mitigation plans.
• Prepare look-ahead schedules for approvals, procurement, permits, site access, resource allocation, and construction readiness.

Monitoring, reporting, and cost control

• Validate progress against the approved baseline and prepare weekly and monthly reports, dashboards, and management presentations.
• Highlight schedule risks, deviations, decisions, and corrective actions; coordinate accurate reporting with construction and engineering teams.
• Coordinate budgets, commitments, cost forecasts, and cash flow with Commercial and Finance teams; apply EVM to evaluate performance.

Risk, claims, and coordination

• Identify schedule risks, conduct delay analysis, assess the impact of variations, and implement mitigation strategies.
• Support Extension of Time submissions with scheduling analysis and documentation; provide early warnings and recommend recovery measures.
• Coordinate engineering, procurement, construction, and commissioning teams; present performance and recovery strategies to stakeholders and senior management.

Mandatory requirements

• Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related discipline, or equivalent demonstrated experience under applicable contractual qualification requirements.
• At least 10 years of project controls, planning, and scheduling experience, including management of major multidisciplinary construction or infrastructure projects.
• Advanced knowledge of Primavera P6, CPM, resource planning, progress measurement, and schedule recovery.
• Experience in cost control, forecasting, EVM, risk management, and delay analysis; demonstrated ability to lead teams and coordinate stakeholders.
• Strong analytical, reporting, communication, and leadership skills; fluent written and spoken English.
• Willingness to work full-time in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Preferred qualifications

• 15+ years of relevant experience, including project controls team leadership, is preferred.
• Contractor-side experience in major railway infrastructure is preferred; high-speed rail experience is highly desirable.
• Experience coordinating civil works, buildings, track works, railway systems, and testing and commissioning is preferred.
• UAE or GCC infrastructure experience and immediate availability or a short notice period are preferred.

Work location

• The role requires full-time work in Abu Dhabi, UAE.

Additional information