Document Controls Specialist

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy committed to delivering impactful work that shapes the future.

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Whether you want to pursue excellence in your specialism or broaden your experience with flexible roles across our business, you’ll be connected to a community of global experts championing you to be your best. Join us and shape your story with Mott MacDonald, where everyone has the opportunity to be brilliant .

We are currently seeking a Document Controls Specialist to support the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project (ADSRP), one of California's significant dam safety and water infrastructure programmes. This role will help ensure project information is managed accurately, securely, and efficiently throughout the construction lifecycle.

The Opportunity

The Document Controls Specialist leads the project document control function for the Construction Management team supporting the Anderson Dam Seismic Retrofit Project. The position establishes and administers consistent systems, workflows, quality controls, and recordkeeping practices so that project information is complete, current, traceable, secure, and readily retrievable.

This role supports effective contract administration, change management, claims avoidance, regulatory documentation, payment processing, reporting, and project closeout activities on behalf of Valley Water.

Key Responsibilities:

Document Control Leadership and Governance

• Develop, implement, maintain, and continuously improve the project Document Control Management Plan, procedures, desk instructions, naming conventions, numbering protocols, distribution matrices, retention rules, and closeout requirements.

• Serve as the Construction Management team's primary point of contact for document control matters and coordinate requirements with Valley Water, the designer, contractor, subconsultants, regulators, and other authorised parties.

• Define document ownership, review responsibilities, workflow steps, due dates, permissions, approval authorities, and escalation paths in alignment with contract requirements and approved project procedures.

• Supervise, train, and quality-check the work of document control staff; establish workload priorities and coverage plans.

Systems Administration and Workflow Management

• Administer Projectmates and/or similar electronic document management systems, including user setup, role-based access, folder structures, metadata, workflows, templates, notifications, dashboards, and reports.

• Manage controlled workflows for correspondence, submittals, requests for information, contract clarifications, meeting records, inspection documentation, photographs, payment records, proposed changes, change requests, change orders, and record documents.

• Monitor workflow aging, overdue actions, incomplete routing, duplicate records, superseded documents, and bottlenecks; follow up and escalate as appropriate.

• Coordinate system configuration, testing, user acceptance, training, issue resolution, and controlled implementation of process changes.

Contract Administration, Change Management, and Claims Avoidance

• Maintain complete and contemporaneous records supporting contract administration, including notices, directives, RFIs, submittals, field records, schedule-related correspondence, cost documentation, meeting decisions, and change records.

• Coordinate document control interfaces with the project's change management process so that potential changes are identified, logged, linked to supporting records, routed promptly, statused consistently, and closed with an auditable decision history.

• Help preserve contractual notice dates, response deadlines, approval milestones, and chronology of events through reliable logs, reminders, and escalation reporting.

• Perform document completeness and consistency checks for proposed change orders, change order requests, owner-directed changes, negotiated change orders, and related supporting documentation.

• Support claims avoidance by identifying record gaps, conflicting versions, missing approvals, late responses, unclear direction, and undocumented decisions, and by promptly elevating these issues to the Construction Manager or Resident Engineer.

• Assist with preparation of document chronologies, record packages, and retrievals for issue resolution, negotiations, audits, disputes, or claims reviews without independently rendering contractual or legal determinations.

Quality Assurance, Reporting, and Closeout

• Prepare periodic status reports and metrics for document volumes, turnaround times, aging, overdue items, pending approvals, change documentation, and closeout readiness.

• Plan and manage progressive closeout, including record drawings, operation and maintenance manuals, warranties, test and commissioning records, permits, regulatory correspondence, acceptance records, and final archive/turnover packages.

• Protect confidential, restricted, privileged, personally identifiable, and other sensitive project information in accordance with Valley Water and project requirements.

Candidate Specification:

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, business administration, information management, records management, or a related field; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.

• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible document control or project information management experience.

• Previous experience with dam safety, water resources, major earthwork, underground works, and projects involving state and federal regulatory oversight.

• Demonstrated working knowledge of Projectmates or similar construction document management software, such as systems used to manage submittals, RFIs, correspondence, changes, payment records, drawings, and closeout documentation.

• Demonstrated experience supporting construction change management, contract administration, and claims avoidance, including maintenance of contemporaneous records, notices, logs, chronologies, and auditable change documentation.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft 365 applications, including Word, Excel, Outlook, Teams, and SharePoint.

• Experience in construction management delivery for a public agency.

• Experience with construction management closeout documentation services.

• Familiarity with Bluebeam, scheduling and cost-control systems, and data reporting or dashboard tools.

• Experience with dam safety, water resources, major earthwork, underground works, or projects involving state and federal regulatory oversight.

What You'll Bring

• Exceptional organisational skills, sound judgement, and strong attention to detail.

• Ability to manage high volumes of project information while maintaining accuracy, consistency, and confidentiality.

• Strong communication skills and the ability to coordinate effectively with project teams, contractors, owners, subconsultants, and other stakeholders.

• A proactive approach to process improvement, risk reduction, and successful project delivery.

Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion

Mott MacDonald is an equal opportunity employer and values diversity. We encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone can thrive.

Benefits & Reward

At Mott MacDonald, our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, providing them with a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses. We provide a comprehensive benefit package that includes 401k, medical, dental and vision insurance, short-term/long-term disability, paid holidays, PTO, parental leave, and company paid life insurance.

Individual pay is determined based on several factors such as work location, education, experience, and unique skills.

The expected salary for this position in San Jose, CA is $117,000 - $143,000

Collaboration at Our Core
At Mott MacDonald, we believe great ideas happen when we’re together. Our hybrid approach centers on an in-office culture, with most of your time spent collaborating face-to-face and a minimum of three days per week in the office. We balance flexibility with connection, so you and your manager can choose how to meet client, team, and personal commitments.

Equal opportunity is the law.

We seek to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they have the opportunity to contribute.

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All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, creed, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, citizenship status or disability status.

Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the US, as Mott MacDonald is unable to provide sponsorship at this time.