Project Controls Manager / Primavera P6 Scheduler

Upchurch is a rapidly growing, full-service building engineering company providing mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical services across the southeastern United States. Founded in 1970 and headquartered in Horn Lake, MS, Upchurch has grown through both organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, establishing a strong reputation for quality, reliability, and service excellence. We offer end-to-end solutions—from design and installation to ongoing maintenance and emergency support—helping clients maximize building performance, energy efficiency, and equipment lifespan.

Position Summary

The Project Controls Manager / Primavera P6 Scheduler is responsible for building, managing, and continuously improving full-scale project controls and scheduling systems for an MEP construction company. This role requires the ability to architect complete Primavera P6 schedules from the ground up for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, associated fabrication shop operations, and related construction scopes, integrating estimating, procurement, prefabrication, shop fabrication, manpower planning, subcontractor coordination, field production, commissioning, and closeout milestones into a reliable critical path schedule.

Reporting directly to the Director of Operations, this position serves as the central planning and controls resource for operations leadership, project managers, field supervision, and executive stakeholders. The successful candidate will translate construction strategy into executable schedules, provide early warning of schedule and productivity risks, and support disciplined project delivery across multiple concurrent projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect complete Primavera P6 project schedules for MEP construction projects, including baseline schedules, recovery schedules, bid schedules, look-ahead schedules, and executive-level summary schedules.
• Develop Work Breakdown Structures, activity coding, calendars, sequencing logic, resource assumptions, and schedule templates appropriate for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, fire protection, and specialty trade scopes.
• Build CPM schedules that accurately reflect design coordination, submittals, procurement, fabrication, equipment delivery, rough-in, installation, testing, commissioning, owner acceptance, and project closeout.
• Coordinate schedule development with project managers, estimators, purchasing, BIM/VDC teams, prefabrication, field leadership, subcontractors, and vendors.
• Architect and maintain the Primavera P6 schedule for the associated fabrication shop, integrating shop drawings, material release, prefabrication, fabrication capacity, delivery sequencing, field installation needs, and project milestone requirements.
• Maintain and update project schedules using field progress data, manpower reports, procurement status, production tracking, and project manager input.
• Identify schedule risks, logic gaps, critical path impacts, float erosion, manpower constraints, procurement delays, and trade coordination conflicts before they impact project performance.
• Prepare schedule variance reports, critical path analysis, recovery plans, what-if scenarios, milestone reports, S-curves, manpower curves, and progress dashboards for operations leadership.
• Support change order analysis, delay documentation, time impact analysis, claims support, and schedule-related contract compliance requirements.
• Partner with the Director of Operations to standardize project controls procedures, reporting cadence, schedule quality expectations, and operational performance metrics.
• Train and support project teams in schedule discipline, update procedures, progress measurement, and Primavera P6 best practices.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 5 years of project controls, construction scheduling, or planning experience, preferably within commercial, industrial, institutional, healthcare, data center, manufacturing, or other complex MEP construction environments.
• Advanced proficiency in Oracle Primavera P6 , including schedule creation from scratch, logic development, baselining, updating, reporting, activity coding, resource loading, and schedule analysis.
• Strong understanding of MEP construction means and methods, trade sequencing, procurement cycles, submittal workflows, prefabrication, commissioning, and closeout requirements.
• Ability to read and interpret construction drawings, specifications, submittals, RFI logs, change documents, and contract scheduling requirements.
• Working knowledge of Critical Path Method scheduling, earned value concepts, productivity tracking, cost-loaded or resource-loaded schedules, and schedule risk mitigation.
• Strong analytical, communication, and presentation skills with the ability to explain complex schedule information to executives, project managers, field leaders, and client representatives.
• High attention to detail, strong organizational skills, and the ability to manage scheduling demands across multiple active projects.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business, Project Management, or a related discipline; equivalent field and project controls experience may be considered.
• Experience supporting multi-trade MEP contractors, self-perform construction operations, or large-scale specialty subcontracting organizations.
• Experience with Procore, Microsoft Project, Microsoft Excel, Power BI, Bluebeam, BIM/VDC coordination tools, ERP systems, or other project management platforms.
• Primavera P6 certification, AACE Planning and Scheduling Professional certification, PMI-SP, PMP, or similar credential.
• Experience developing company-wide project controls standards, schedule templates, reporting dashboards, and operational KPIs.

Core Competencies

• Schedule Architecture: Can design full Primavera P6 schedule structures that accurately represent MEP project execution from preconstruction through closeout.
• Operational Judgment: Understands how schedule decisions affect labor planning, procurement, field productivity, cash flow, and project margin.
• Risk Awareness: Recognizes schedule threats early and develops practical recovery options before delays escalate.
• Cross-Functional Communication: Works effectively with operations, estimating, procurement, project management, field supervision, and executive leadership.
• Process Discipline: Establishes consistent update cycles, reporting standards, documentation practices, and accountability across project teams.
• Leadership Presence: Confidently presents schedule status, risks, and recommendations to the Director of Operations and senior leadership.

Performance Expectations

• Creates reliable, logic-driven Primavera P6 schedules that can be used as true operational management tools rather than static reporting documents.
• Improves visibility into manpower needs, procurement constraints, critical path activities, and project delivery risks.
• Provides timely, accurate, and actionable schedule reporting to the Director of Operations and project leadership.
• Supports consistent project controls practices across the company’s portfolio of MEP projects.
• Helps reduce schedule surprises, improve field coordination, and strengthen accountability for project execution.

Benefits

• Competitive pay based on experience.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Paid time off and holiday pay.
• Opportunities for professional development and certification assistance.

Upchurch Companies provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. We prohibit discrimination and harassment of any type based on race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.