Project Controls Lead

Vista Projects is an integrated engineering firm who has been solving complex challenges in the energy industry since 1985. We are innovators at our core. We continually find better, smarter ways to design and deliver oil and gas projects, and we are proud to be contributing on some of the most exciting low-carbon and synthetic fuel developments in the North America. For our people, that means meaningful, varied work and a real chance to shape how modern engineering gets done.

We are innovators in the energy industry. We actively find ways to improve how oil and gas projects are designed and delivered, and we are contributing to some remarkable low-carbon and synthetic fuel developments, including electro-sustainable aviation fuel (eSAF) and gas-to-liquids (GTL) projects.. We are headquartered in Calgary and maintain a satellite office in Houston.

The world needs energy, and better engineering makes the projects that deliver it safer, more efficient and more sustainable. Our multi-discipline teams have designed some of the most challenging and successful projects in the North American energy sector, from early-stage studies and pilots to large-scale commercial expansions. We take pride in doing that work well, and just as much pride in continuously improving how we do it.

The Project Controls Lead is responsible for managing project controls activities and deliverables across multiple projects, including cost control, scheduling, forecasting, change management, earned value, and project performance reporting. The Lead provides mentoring and training to project controls professionals, including schedulers and project controls analysts, and works closely with clients, project managers, engineering disciplines, and Project Services.

Duties include:

• Leading project controls activities across multiple projects and ensuring the quality and timely delivery of cost control, scheduling, forecasting, change management, and performance reporting deliverables
• Liaising with clients, project managers, Project Services, and engineering disciplines on project controls requirements, performance, risks, and priorities
• Leading cost reporting, forecasting, earned value analysis, change management, and project performance analysis
• Reviewing project budgets, commitments, actual costs, incurred costs, and Estimate at Completion (EAC) and identifying significant trends and variances
• Assessing forecast risks and identifying potential impacts to project cost and schedule
• Supporting budget development, estimating, cash-flow forecasting, and project setup
• Identifying trends and potential scope changes and ensuring they are communicated and managed through the appropriate Management of Change process
• Leading and participating in interactive planning sessions with project and engineering teams
• Developing and maintaining resource-loaded schedules and supporting resource planning
• Reviewing schedules with project personnel and establishing and maintaining approved baselines
• Progressing and updating schedules at the required reporting frequency with input from project disciplines
• Reviewing schedule logic, progress, resource loading, critical path, float, and schedule variances
• Analyzing schedule changes and reporting impacts, critical areas, risks, and potential mitigation strategies
• Integrating project risk information into schedule and forecast reviews and mitigation planning
• Providing schedule look-aheads and proactively identifying upcoming, delayed, or at-risk deliverables
• Maintaining Primavera P6 templates, layouts, and scheduling standards
• Performing ad hoc cost, schedule, and project performance analysis to support project decision-making
• Periodically reviewing project controls processes, procedures, templates, and standards, identifying areas for improvement and implementing corrective actions
• Planning and managing team responsibilities, priorities, objectives, and project milestones
• Managing team performance, including mentoring, coaching, training, and development
• Providing input to, and participating in, Human Resources activities, including recruitment, performance management, discipline, and terminations
• Performing other duties as requested

• Bachelor’s degree in a related field
• Minimum 10 years of cost control experience and 6 years of planning and scheduling experience; experience may be concurrent as part of broader project controls roles
• Minimum 3 years of experience in a senior, lead, or supervisory project controls role, including planning and scheduling responsibilities
• Strong knowledge of project controls principles, including cost, scheduling, progress measurement, forecasting, change management, and earned value
• Advanced proficiency with Primavera P6
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills for analysis and reporting
• Strong focus on quality and attention to detail while maintaining a whole-project perspective
• Strong verbal and written communication, stakeholder management, and influencing skills
• Demonstrated ability to lead, motivate, and mentor others

• Field construction planning and scheduling experience
• Experience with Power Query and Power BI for data analysis, automation, and reporting
• Graduate degree in a related field

We do not just say we're a great place to work, our people do. Vista has been recognized by Great Place to Work as one of the Best Workplaces in Canada, a Best Workplace for Mental Health, and a Best Workplace for Women. These awards are earned through confidential surveys completed by our own team, so they reflect how people here actually feel and not just how we choose to describe ourselves.

What our people value most is how we work together. You will join experienced leaders and mentors who are genuinely invested in your growth, in teams built around collaboration rather than silos. We hire capable people, trust them to do their best work, and treat them as people rather than employee numbers. We are proud of the culture this creates, and we work hard to protect it as we grow.

Vista is also a place for people who like to make things better. If you are energized by innovating, by questioning how things are done and by helping Vista continuously improve, you will be in good company. We back that work with strong, modern project systems run by people who know how to get the most from them, but it is our people, not our tools, that make Vista what it is.

• A challenging and rewarding work environment where you will contribute to meaningful projects across the energy industry
• Talented, collaborative colleagues who are invested in one another's success
• The chance to work alongside some of the sharpest minds in the industry, where your ideas are heard and innovation is part of how we actually work, not just something we say
• A strong value-based philosophy that provides an informal, close-knit team environment, where you and your family feel like a part of our organization, and not just an employee number
• Competitive compensation and benefits, including a performance-linked variable pay program
• Company-sponsored social events and team sports
• Flexible work schedules
• An inclusive organization that values diversity.

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