Director, Project Controls

QTS Data Centers•Duluth, GA

About The Position

It's exciting to find yourself standing in a pivotal moment in time. It’s even more exciting to be out front leading it. At QTS, our world-class data centers are supporting our customers most strategic growth initiatives, positioning us at the forefront of today’s dynamic digital transformation. As AI and cloud drive the demand for increased speed, capacity and capability, QTS has emerged as the global digital infrastructure leader, committed to connecting the world for good. Driven by purpose and fueled by a spirit of innovation, QTS designs, builds and operates some of the world’s most advanced, forward-thinking data centers. QTS is a portfolio company of Blackstone. QTS is Powered by People. People who play a vital role in our company’s culture, innovation and growth. People who are committed to contributing to the communities where we operate and work. People who are knowledgeable, resourceful and mission driven. Together, we do great things. Who You Are: An experienced Director, Project Controls will oversee a preconstruction estimating team and multiple onsite cost control teams in managing large-scale construction and infrastructure project budgets from inception to completion. This senior-level position will be responsible for ensuring financial discipline, effective projects control for cost, schedule, and risk, and alignment with project and organizational objectives. This position will work closely with internal and external project teams and executives, development, finance, and accounting teams to ensure project costs and schedules are accurately forecasted, tracked, and maintained. This role will manage disputes with vendors and cost consultants, escalating when necessary. The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of project controls, preconstruction cost estimating, construction contracts, construction schedules, change management processes, and financial systems, along with the ability to lead teams and drive cost-effective solutions across multiple complex projects.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, financing, or accounting; or relevant professional experience.
Deep expertise in project controls, construction contract documents, change management, and budget and schedule control processes.
Advanced proficiency in financial and project management software (e.g., Workday, e-Builder, Autodesk Construction Cloud, P6, Oracle).
Proven ability to lead teams in providing detailed and accurate financial forecasts, track project costs, and manage budgets through all stages of a project lifecycle.
Experience establishing new processes and policies across broad portfolio and cross-functional teams.
Ability to analyze complex financial data and present recommendations clearly to senior stakeholders.
Eight or more years of experience in project controls, construction, or project management with prior experience in a senior or leadership role.
Five or more years of experience in a leadership or management role.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or professional certifications such as PMP, CCP, or similar are a plus.
Tem or more years of experience in project controls, construction, or project management preferably overseeing large-scale construction, data centers, or infrastructure projects.
Ten or more years of experience in a leadership or management role.
Advanced knowledge of industry-specific regulations and best practices in project controls.

Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development: Lead and mentor preconstruction estimating team responsible for setting site-specific and customer-specific development cost budgets, and multiple onsite cost teams responsible for adherence to approved project budgets. Provide direction for strict adherence to project control processes and ensure alignment across the portfolio. Promote a collaborative environment and offer practical training to facilitate the implementation of project control strategies and guide each team member to develop their skillset to align with the organization’s goals.
Oversight of Project Controls Team: Oversee the accurate creation and validation of project budgets for large-scale construction and infrastructure projects. Monitor financial performance at all stages of the project lifecycle, ensuring compliance with cost management procedures and company policies, and identify and implement strategies to enhance accuracy and achieve cost savings.
Contract Compliance for Portfolio: Ensure project controls team enforces strict compliance with construction contract documents. Oversee project controls team in implementing change management practices to maintain fairness across various locations and address recurring issues as necessary. Enhance the change management workflow for timely resolution.
Cost Estimating & Forecasting: From project inception through completion, oversee teams in estimating costs and projected timeframes, including actionable insights to senior leadership to ensure financial alignment and project success.
Vendor & Subcontractor Management: Report to senior leadership on the performance of vendors, subcontractors, and contractors regarding financial risks, compliance with the project budget and schedule, and adherence to contractual terms. Recommend corrective actions as necessary.
Collaboration & Stakeholder Communication: Serve as a senior leader in ensuring consistent application of project control practices across various projects and holding teams accountable. Facilitate regular communication with development leadership, accounting department, financing department, project executives, and other stakeholders.
Project Reporting & Documentation: Prepare project templates for financial reporting and schedule adherence to assist teams in decision making, including preconstruction cost estimates, cost to complete estimates, cash flow analysis, schedule analysis, and monthly project reviews. Support the finance team in the monthly loan draw process by ensuring that the cost control team acquires all necessary documentation and maintains accuracy.
Risk Management & Compliance: Lead project controls team to assess risk and advise on risk mitigation strategies from project inception through project completion, maintain a risk mitigation log and regularly inform deal leads, project teams, and senior leadership, ensuring all project costs remain within the approved budget and projects maintain critical path schedule. Ensure compliance with relevant financial regulations, internal policies, and construction and vendor contract terms and facilitate any corrective actions.
Mentorship & Knowledge Transfer: Lead internal training and mentorship initiatives to develop cost control capabilities within the team. Share best practices, lessons learned, and industry insights to promote continuous improvement in cost management processes within project controls team as well as broader development teams.
Third-Party Relationships: Support project controls teams by maintaining third-party cost auditing, change management, and schedule consultant relationships, ensuring consistent application of company policies across the portfolio and within contract terms.