Project Controls Manager

HDR Program Controls Manager

At HDR, our employee-owners are fully engaged in creating a welcoming environment where each of us is valued and respected, a place where everyone is empowered to bring their authentic selves and novel ideas to work every day. We believe transportation is more than movement, it's the foundation of connected, thriving communities. As part of HDR's Transportation Business Group, you'll help shape the systems that move people and goods safely, efficiently, and sustainably. This isn't just a job, it's a chance to lead progress, drive meaningful impact, and leave a legacy of smarter, more connected transportation networks.

HDR is seeking a Program Controls Manager in the Seattle area to support Sound Transit's major capital delivery programs. This client-facing role will provide leadership across integrated cost, schedule, risk, change, forecasting, reporting, document controls, and Project Management Information System (PMIS) functions for complex rail, bus rapid transit, facilities, and state-of-good-repair investments.

The successful candidate will establish and strengthen practical program controls frameworks that give Sound Transit leadership timely, accurate, and decision-ready information. The role will align project controls processes, governance, data standards, and technology while supporting large, multi-year projects delivered through design-bid-build, design-build, general contractor/construction manager, progressive design-build, and other delivery models.

The Program Controls Manager will serve as a trusted advisor and primary interface among Sound Transit executives, project directors, project managers, project controls practitioners, construction management teams, designers, contractors, technology teams, software vendors, and implementation partners. The role may support active project delivery, corridor-wide integration, controls maturity assessments, PMIS implementation and adoption, organizational readiness, executive reporting, and continuous improvement. Depending on assignment size and complexity, this individual may lead an integrated team of schedulers, cost engineers, risk and change professionals, reporting analysts, document control specialists, and PMIS practitioners.

Assignments may include Link light rail extensions, Sounder commuter rail, Stride bus rapid transit, stations, tunnels, guideways, systems, operations and maintenance facilities, roadway and access improvements, and state-of-good-repair projects throughout the Puget Sound region. The position is expected to translate project controls data into clear insight on project health, critical milestones, cost and schedule trends, change and claims exposure, risk, interfaces, constraints, and recovery actions while maintaining alignment with Sound Transit procedures, applicable contracts, and federal oversight expectations.

Primary Responsibilities

• Serve as a trusted advisor to Sound Transit program and project leadership on integrated program controls, PMIS adoption, portfolio reporting, governance, and delivery performance.
• Lead and supervise multidisciplinary project controls staff supporting a major corridor, program, or portfolio of projects with varying scope, size, delivery phase, and complexity.
• Develop, implement, and maintain integrated controls plans, procedures, calendars, governance requirements, and business rules for cost, schedule, risk, change, forecasting, reporting, document controls, and performance management.
• Establish and maintain work breakdown structures, cost breakdown structures, coding standards, baselines, control accounts, progress measurement methods, and data-quality requirements.
• Direct the development, update, integration, and quality review of owner, consultant, and contractor schedules, including critical path, float, milestone, interface, progress, contingency, and recovery analysis.
• Oversee project budgets, commitments, actual costs, accruals, estimates to complete, estimates at completion, cash flow, contingency, forecasts, variances, and funding-related reporting.
• Implement disciplined change control processes that integrate scope, cost, schedule, risk, contract, approval, and baseline impacts; support change evaluations, time impact analyses, negotiations, and claims avoidance.
• Lead qualitative and quantitative risk management activities, including risk identification, ownership, response planning, contingency analysis, trend monitoring, and escalation of material exposure.
• Coordinate interfaces among planning, environmental, real estate, permitting, design, procurement, construction, systems, testing, commissioning, operational readiness, and third-party stakeholders.
• Support Sound Transit's PMIS implementation and continuous improvement by translating business requirements into workflows, data structures, integrations, dashboards, permissions, governance, and user-adoption plans.
• Promote a reliable system of record and consistent data standards across PMIS, financial, scheduling, document management, geographic information system, and business intelligence environments.
• Prepare and present executive dashboards, corridor and portfolio reports, variance narratives, forecasts, risk summaries, and decision briefings that clearly communicate performance, material issues, and recommended actions.
• Support compliance with Sound Transit project delivery standards, contract requirements, records and audit expectations, and applicable Federal Transit Administration oversight and reporting requirements.
• Facilitate planning, schedule, risk, cost, change, governance, and readiness workshops with agency staff, consultants, contractors, local jurisdictions, and partner organizations.
• Manage workload, establish priorities, review deliverable quality, mentor staff, support onboarding and training, and build sustainable program controls capability within integrated owner-consultant teams.
• Identify emerging technologies, analytics, automation, and artificial intelligence applications that can improve data quality, transparency, forecasting, and delivery decisions after appropriate governance and process controls are established.
• Support scope development, staffing plans, fee estimates, task order proposals, interviews, client meetings, and other business development activities related to Sound Transit and regional transit programs.

Preferred Qualifications

• 15+ years of project controls experience, including leadership on major rail, transit, tunnel, station, systems, bus rapid transit, maintenance facility, or other complex transportation programs.
• Direct experience with Sound Transit, another large public transit agency, or an owner organization delivering a multi-billion-dollar capital portfolio.
• Knowledge of Sound Transit project delivery standards, controls procedures, reporting expectations, organization, and systems.
• Experience supporting Federal Transit Administration oversight, Project Management Oversight Contractor reviews, grant-related reporting, cost and schedule risk assessments, or federally funded transit programs.
• Experience with PMIS and related platforms such as Oracle Primavera Unifier, Kahua, Aurigo, InEight, e-Builder/Trimble Unity Construct, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Procore, Asite, or comparable systems.
• Experience integrating PMIS solutions with Primavera P6, enterprise financial systems, document management systems, GIS, Power BI, and other reporting or analytics environments.
• Experience with corridor-wide controls, portfolio reporting, integrated master schedules, alternative delivery, contractor oversight, claims avoidance, and complex third-party interfaces.
• One or more relevant certifications such as PMP, PSP, PMI-SP, EVP, CEP, CPE, CCM, DRMP, PRMP, CFCC, PE, or equivalent.
• Demonstrated leadership in project controls technology, process improvement, data governance, reporting automation, dashboarding, and organizational change management.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree
• A minimum of 7 years of experience in project controls work on engineering and construction projects, including planning, estimating, forecasting, scheduling, cost control, schedule control, and project reports
• Ability to manage proposal preparation, contract review and negotiation, client relationship and win strategy for medium to large EPC Projects
• Strong decision-making skills
• Strong interpersonal and leadership skills
• Ability to coordinate and prioritize multiple long- and short-term tasks simultaneously
• Strong organizational, analytical and problem-solving abilities
• Strong oral and written communication skills
• An attitude and commitment to being an active participant of our employee-owned culture is a must
• Sponsorship (visa) for US employment authorization is not available now or in the future for this position

What We Believe HDR is our company. Together, we build on each other's life experiences and perspectives to make great things possible every day. This shapes our collaborative culture, encourages organizational trust and connects us closer to the clients and communities we serve. Our Commitment As employee owners, we all have a role in creating an inclusive environment where each of us is welcomed, valued, respected, and empowered to bring our authentic selves to work every day. Our eight Employee Network Groups (Asian Pacific, Black, Hispanic/Latino(a), LGBTQ+, People with Disabilities, Veterans, Women, Young Professionals) help create a sense of belonging and foster a supportive environment where everyone is empowered to engage and contribute. Each group has an executive sponsor and is open to all employees.