Project Controls Specialist

Job Overview

The energy and petrochemical industries are diverse, integrated and operated on a vast scale. Projects including plant construction, refining, mining operations development, pipeline construction are complex and represent significant financial, time and regulatory investments by project proponents.

Project controls specialists play critical roles in ensuring that the work undertaken to bring these projects on-line is undertaken in the most efficient, coordinated ways possible. They monitor costs and budgets, develop work progression schedules and act as hubs to ensure that project leaders have access to the information required to effectively manage the ongoing project development from conception to completion.

I'm interested in a career in

Sub-sector Exploration and production, Oil sands, Oil and gas services, Pipelines
Environment Primarily indoor/office work
Education Post-secondary degree

In this occupation, activities may include:

Participating in project status meetings and developing appropriate reporting mechanisms to ensure appropriate project information is available to all project leadership.
Coordinating and consolidating financial and budget information between departments to manage and control overal project cost.
Coordinating timelines for completion of various components of defined projects.
Developing and maintaining a list of potential risks to projects being developed or undertaken.
Collecting, managing, and reporting of project progression and performance data.
Conducting post project audits to collect actual data versus estimated data for the purpose of making adjustments to estimating assumptions and processes.
Collecting, managing, and reporting of project progression and performance data.
Assisting in the resolution of project progression challenges including costs, scheduling and changes between departments.
Developing and improving processes and tools to promote efficiencies, manage costs and facilitate project progression.

Education

A bachelor’s degree or college diploma in business administration, commerce or a related discipline is usually required.
A graduate degree in business administration may be required.
A degree in Engineering may also be required by certain employers depending on the nature of the role or specific project being developed

Certifications

Depending on the employer the following certifications may be required:

Certified Project Management Professional (PMP)
Certified Valuator (CV)

Additional Requirements

Depending on the employer proficiency may be required in the following:

Primavera P6
Microsoft Project
Microsoft Excel
Power BI

Nature of work and environment conditions specific to oil and natural gas include:

Minimal or no travel
Primarily indoor/office work
Work not physically demanding

Administration
Clerical
Economics and Accounting
Application of Engineering Design and Technology
Information and Document Management
Mathematics
Production and Processing
Understanding Risk
Cost Benefit Analysis
Data Entry
Interpreting Documents/Plans
Writing, Technical Writing, Document Production
Managing Finances
Systems Evaluation and Analysis
Coordination
Complex Problem Solving
Professional Judgment and Decision Making
Planning and Organizing
Attention to Detail

Environment Primarily indoor/office work
Average Salary Equal to oil and gas
Education Post-secondary degree
Skills Upgrading Minor
Refocus
A project controls specialist in oil and natural gas may need to complete some minor upskilling to successfully transition to petrochemicals and refining.

In addition to the activities below, other activities in petrochemicals and refining may include:

Participating in meetings with production team members including engineers, technologists, geologist, asset managers and executives.
Establishing and maintaining a schedule for work activities at production sites and facilities and ensuring adequate staffing levels to meet operational needs.
Maintaining operations data, such as time, production, and cost records, and prepare management reports of production results.
Acting as focal point for communications between production facility staff including operators and asset teams in corporate offices.
Reviewing production data in conjunction with production team members and recommending options to optimize production.
Directing, managing and supervising field operations staff and third-party contractors.
Planning and coordinating preventive maintenance activities.
Preparing production reports for various field production facilities.

In this occupation, activities may include:

Participating in project status meetings and developing appropriate reporting mechanisms to ensure appropriate project information is available to all project leadership.
Coordinating and consolidating financial and budget information between departments to manage and control overal project cost.
Coordinating timelines for completion of various components of defined projects.
Developing and maintaining a list of potential risks to projects being developed or undertaken.
Collecting, managing, and reporting of project progression and performance data.
Conducting post project audits to collect actual data versus estimated data for the purpose of making adjustments to estimating assumptions and processes.
Collecting, managing, and reporting of project progression and performance data.
Assisting in the resolution of project progression challenges including costs, scheduling and changes between departments.
Developing and improving processes and tools to promote efficiencies, manage costs and facilitate project progression.

In addition to the requirements below, specific requirements in petrochemicals and refining may include:

Extensive experience in the occupations supervised is required.
Safety certifications and courses may be required such as First Aid, H2S Alive, WHMIS and others.