Senior Project Controller

Atkins Transportation provides technical and project management services to major public sector bodies and to a number of prestigious private sector clients in the Road and Rail Sectors.

The Engineering Practice operates a number of large-scale contracts and has set up a Project Support Office (PSO) to assist in providing all necessary support to our project management teams to deliver our projects efficiently and profitably.

To cover a growing portfolio of contracts, and dependent on experience we require a Senior Project Controller to take the lead on a PSO function.

The Role
As a team, the PSO is responsible for improving and evolving practices and processes, both adopting a lessons learnt approach and challenging conventional ways of operating, with the ultimate goal to contribute to the excellent delivery, commercial and operational performance of our projects.

You will be an ambassador for the sound management of projects. You will act as the intrinsic link between the Project Management, Commercial, Financial and Contract Management teams and provide the coordination to allow these teams to operate cohesively and consistently. You will play a key role in executing and improving all project management processes to ensure robust and efficient project delivery, with reference to the Atkins’ Business Management System.

You will operate cross functionally and provide guidance and support to the project team in communicating priorities and setting deadlines, identifying potential issues/roadblocks and supporting their resolution.

This is a fast paced and demanding environment as the team work to short project cycles to facilitate monthly internal reporting deadlines, as well as being subject to the demands placed on the team by our clients’ requirements. There will be plenty of work to do, along with a number of challenges on the way as we look to grow the team into a global delivery unit through the increased utilisation of our Global Design Centre in India.


Responsibilities
Technical
• Performing and delivering allocated project tasks, as directed by your Contract or Framework Manager and PMs;
• Understanding the project and business goals and helping to achieve them;
• Assisting in tracking project costs and producing finance reports, identifying any anomalies or opportunities for savings or efficiency improvements through better management;
• Ensuring accurate and timely invoicing is carried out;
• Ensuring compliance with the business Project Management Framework;
• Maintaining databases and spreadsheets as directed by your Contract or Framework Manager, for the purposes of Project Control;
• Prompting Project Managers / Project Directors for timely inputs to the finance reports and the project management reports;
• Prompting for customer feedback forms, inputs to the Lessons Learnt database;
• Prompting inputs to and maintaining skills database;
• Assisting preparation of management reporting;
• Preparing document templates to a professional standard, and giving guidance where necessary on the Stage Gate and Project Management Processes;
• Overseeing commercial operation from pipeline management to final accounts, preparation of reports and specifications for sub-con agreements.

People
• Developing more junior staff by technical training and mentoring. You’ll most likely be acting in a supervising role;
• Working with and supporting global, multi-disciplinary delivery teams;
• Developing the PSO function within the Atkins’ GDC, ensuring workload levels and quality are maintained.
Stakeholder
• Maintaining and developing excellent professional relationships which can secure repeat business;
• Presenting to clients and key stakeholders in a professional, responsive and client focused manner;
• Client, programme and financial management of projects.

Management
• Assisting with / preparing fee offers for agreement with the client;
• Assisting the Contract Manager on day to day contractual tasks;
• Assigning work to and checking / reviewing the project team proposals;
• Working collaboratively across the wider Atkins Group.

Requirements
Essential
• Previous experience of working in a project support role, supporting a contract/project manager/director;
• Flexible in approach to work with ability to prioritise tasks;
• Ability to pay attention to details and procedures, but not be too process driven;
• Ability to work independently;
• Good understanding and demonstrable experience of relevant project management suites and astute in commercial / financial procedures;
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel;
• Excellent communication and numeracy skills;
• Ability to take on extra management responsibilities and keep on developing your skills and our team;
• Ability to research information and data independently and ability to find solutions to complex problems;
• Sound interpersonal skills with the ability to converse with colleagues at various grades;
• A willingness to work flexibly from other office locations.

Desirable
• Project management accreditation (APM);
• Client engagement experience;
• Experience of ORACLE-type online management tools or similar, although full training will be given;
• Hold a valid UK driving licence;
• Experience of supervising remote teams to deliver common goals.

This role may require security clearance and offers of employment will be dependent on obtaining the relevant level of clearance. If this is necessary it will be discussed with you at interview.

If applying to this role please do not make reference to (in conversation) or include in your application or CV, details of any current or previously held security clearance.