Project Controls Manager

SYSTRA is one of the world's leading engineering and consultancy groups specialising in public transport and sustainable mobility. With over 10,300 employees, SYSTRA's mission is to design safe and sustainable transport solutions to bring people together, develop social inclusion and facilitate access to employment, education and leisure throughout the world.

For 65 years, the Group has been working alongside cities and regions to contribute to their development by creating, improving and modernising their infrastructure and transport systems, throughout the life cycle of their projects. SYSTRA is involved from the earliest stages of design through to the testing, deployment and maintenance phases. The company provides all its services in over 80 countries worldwide and generates 74% of its turnover internationally. With its new services, SYSTRA supports its clients and partners in their digital, ecological and energy transition, in order to invent the mobility of tomorrow.

Context

SYSTRA’s Mobility & Railway Business Unit is anticipating future growth, with new rail projects expected soon. To support these potential opportunities, we are looking for an experienced Project Controls Manager to join our project teams and contribute to our mobility solutions.

We are seeking a highly experienced Project Controls Manager to lead project controls activities for a large-scale Rail project during the design phase. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 20 years' experience in project controls within the rail sector—including extensive exposure to the Gulf region. This role oversees planning, scheduling, cost control, risk management, and reporting to ensure on-time, within-budget, and high-quality delivery of project design objectives.

Missions/Main Duties

• Develop, implement, and maintain integrated project controls systems covering scope, schedule, cost, risk, and reporting for the design phase of the conventional rail project.
• Lead project planning, baseline setup, forecasting, and resource allocation processes.
• Monitor project progress, track design deliverables, and identify trends and deviations; recommend corrective actions as necessary.
• Prepare and present project status reports, dashboards, and executive summaries to internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee schedule development and updates (Primavera P6 required); ensure coordination between various design disciplines.
• Implement best practices in cost estimation, budgeting, earned value management, and change control.
• Facilitate and manage risk identification workshops; maintain risk registers and implement mitigation plans.
• Work closely with engineering, procurement, and quality teams to ensure adherence to scope, standards, and contractual requirements.
• Interface with client representatives and consortium partners, ensuring transparency and alignment on project objectives.
• Train and mentor junior project controls staff.
  
  

Profile/Skills

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or related field. Master’s degree preferred.
• Minimum 20 years' project controls experience, with at least 10 years in rail or infrastructure projects, and significant involvement in design-phase project controls.
• Hands-on experience in the Gulf region (KSA, UAE, Qatar, Oman, etc.) with demonstrable history on major rail projects.
• Proficient in project controls tools and software: Primavera P6, MS Project, cost control systems, risk management tools.
• Strong knowledge of FIDIC or similar engineering/design contracts.
• Exceptional analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in multicultural, multidisciplinary teams.
  
  

Preferred

• Professional certifications such as PMP, PMI-SP, CCP, or equivalent.
• Arabic language proficiency is a plus.
  
  

Systra is an equal opportunities company; this position is open to all applicants.