What is a Project Controls Engineer?

As a Project Control Engineer, you will develop, implement, and maintain cost controls on a project. You will be the planner and scheduler on projects. Project Control Engineers work in many different fields, including construction and manufacturing. Specified duties vary depending on the industry. To be a Project Control Engineer, you need excellent IT skills, initiative, organization skills, decision-making, and communication skills.

You will need to work within budgets and get projects done on time. You will also need to execute schedule changes, support administrative and organization activities, and perform cost analysis and estimates. The average base pay for a Project Control Engineer is $84,000 per year. A bachelor's degree in engineering is required, plus experience in maintaining engineering equipment, installing, designing, and developing engineering equipment.

What Does a Project Controls Engineer Do

There are certain skills that many project controls engineers have in order to accomplish their responsibilities. By taking a look through resumes, we were able to narrow down the most common skills for a person in this position. We discovered that a lot of resumes listed initiative, speaking skills and writing skills.

Learn more about what a Project Controls Engineer does

How To Become a Project Controls Engineer

If you're interested in becoming a project controls engineer, one of the first things to consider is how much education you need. We've determined that 73.5% of project controls engineers have a bachelor's degree. In terms of higher education levels, we found that 14.0% of project controls engineers have master's degrees. Even though most project controls engineers have a college degree, it's possible to become one with only a high school degree or GED.

Learn More About How To Become a Project Controls Engineer
Top Project Controls Engineer Jobs Near You

Project Controls Engineer Career Paths

In addition to switching up your job search, it might prove helpful to look at a career path for your specific job. Now, what's a career path you ask? Well, it's practically a map that shows how you might advance from one job title to another. Our career paths are especially detailed with salary changes. So, for example, if you started out with the role of project manager you might progress to a role such as business manager eventually. Later on in your career, you could end up with the title senior finance manager.

Project Controls Engineer

Average Salary for a Project Controls Engineer

Project Controls Engineers in America make an average salary of $86,685 per year or $42 per hour. The top 10 percent makes over $119,000 per year, while the bottom 10 percent under $63,000 per year.
Average Project Controls Engineer Salary
$86,685 Yearly
$41.68 hourly
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Roles and Types of Project Controls Engineer

The role of a project controls engineer includes a wide range of responsibilities. These responsibilities can vary based on an individual's specific job, company, or industry.Here are some general project controls engineer responsibilities:

  • Coordinate all necessary internal, customer and supplier interfacing activities including: drive project execution of technical requirements to budget
  • Work with the project team to establish the construction cost control plan
  • Perform design and engineering functions in accordance with accepted practices

There are several types of project controls engineer, including:

Engineer

Role:

Engineers design and develop new products in a variety of different industries. They might be mechanical or software engineers or create electric machinery, design chemical or geotechnical processes, or help to structure civil or management disciplines. Whatever the case may be, engineers are involved in creating the diverse technologies that facilitate the processes of our lives in different areas. Combining creative thinking with the principles of mathematics and science using a wide range of technical skills, engineers work on the design, manufacturing, installation, and maintenance of various products from machines, vehicles, buildings, and roads to software or social processes serving consumers, businesses, and societies.

Engineers are creative thinkers and brilliant problem solvers. They excel at mathematical, scientific, and mechanical analysis. They follow plans and blueprints with a strong focus, yet remain flexible and work well under pressure.

Engineers develop systems for solving various problems as members of a team. They know that a single component is worthless without their counterparts, so they have to be great communicators, as well, to be successful at their job.

  • Average Salary: $92,077
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Project Engineer

Role:

A project engineer is responsible for the planning and implementation of a project. In collaboration with the management of the enterprise, they review proposals and come up with project goals. They break down the process and create a viable schedule, and then coordinate and monitor the work.

The project, as such, sounds vague because it depends on the industry they work for. In any case, they go on regular meetings with clients to make sure the the evolution of the work matches their vision. It is their responsibility to carry out the work within the budget or to propose adjustments to it if they see fit.

The project engineer will analyze the performance of their team and present progress reports to stakeholders to make sure everyone is at the top of their game.

  • Average Salary: $75,050
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree

Radio Frequency Engineer

Role:

A radio frequency engineer handles data collection, researches radio frequency, and designs wireless communication systems. As an RF engineer, you will analyze collated information, test the effectiveness of existing networks, make sure to follow all regulatory standards and travel to customer locations and sites. Your roles also include providing solutions to technical issues associated with radiofrequency engineering products. To do this, you will need to interact with quality, engineering, and product management groups in executing product development program plans. Also, you are to clean, test, and pack field equipment. Plus, you will need to conduct laboratory tests on radio frequency equipment, as well as troubleshoot network issues.

To be a radio frequency engineer, you must have a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering, computer science, or a similar field and at least 3 years of experience. You should also have advanced knowledge of radio frequency networks and have problem-solving and troubleshooting skills. Your annual salary is an average of $110,772.

  • Average Salary: $88,301
  • Degree: Bachelor's Degree
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States With The Most Project Controls Engineer Jobs

Mouse over a state to see the number of active project controls engineer jobs in each state. The darker areas on the map show where project controls engineers earn the highest salaries across all 50 states.

Average Salary: Job Openings:

Number Of Project Controls Engineer Jobs By State

RankStateNumber of JobsAverage Salary
1Texas3,725$92,368
2California2,929$106,058
3Pennsylvania1,802$82,082
4North Carolina1,731$82,431
5Ohio1,512$73,232
6Michigan1,335$88,561
7Virginia1,080$86,047
8Minnesota1,069$78,795
9Wisconsin1,008$57,335
10Indiana869$80,490
11Florida848$92,354
12Tennessee817$68,646
13New York786$75,493
14Missouri769$91,761
15Colorado646$89,035
16Illinois640$74,524
17Alabama616$78,475
18Maryland609$88,453
19Washington596$105,360
20Georgia584$80,034
21Massachusetts547$86,655
22South Carolina540$67,421
23Arizona486$93,040
24Iowa431$68,328
25Kentucky399$55,368
26Kansas385$68,354
27Arkansas335$73,954
28Nebraska327$70,602
29Oklahoma317$79,083
30Nevada315$83,743
31New Jersey305$89,766
32Oregon304$74,781
33Louisiana304$59,125
34New Mexico294$88,268
35New Hampshire264$86,334
36Connecticut229$72,329
37Idaho223$83,283
38Utah215$78,550
39Montana186$57,673
40Rhode Island182$104,526
41Mississippi172$78,532
42Maine164$80,984
43Hawaii157$84,834
44West Virginia149$60,558
45North Dakota148$72,951
46Vermont128$78,639
47Delaware113$83,061
48Wyoming112$75,215
49South Dakota105$56,432
50Alaska46$90,046

Project Controls Engineer Education

Project Controls Engineer Majors

Business
16.4 %
Civil Engineering
15.8 %
Electrical Engineering
13.5 %

Project Controls Engineer Degrees

Bachelors

73.5 %

Masters

14.0 %

Associate

8.8 %

Top Colleges for Project Controls Engineers

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. San Diego State University

San Diego, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$7,488

Enrollment

30,018

4. Georgia Institute of Technology

Atlanta, GA • Private

In-State Tuition

$12,424

Enrollment

15,201

5. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

6. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

7. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-State Tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

8. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-State Tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

9. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-State Tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-State Tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

Top Skills For a Project Controls Engineer

The skills section on your resume can be almost as important as the experience section, so you want it to be an accurate portrayal of what you can do. Luckily, we've found all of the skills you'll need so even if you don't have these skills yet, you know what you need to work on. Out of all the resumes we looked through, 12.2% of project controls engineers listed project controls on their resume, but soft skills such as initiative and speaking skills are important as well.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Project Controls Engineer Resume templates

Zippia allows you to choose from different easy-to-use Project Controls Engineer templates, and provides you with expert advice. Using the templates, you can rest assured that the structure and format of your Project Controls Engineer resume is top notch. Choose a template with the colors, fonts & text sizes that are appropriate for your industry.

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Project Controls Engineer diversity

Project Controls Engineer Gender Distribution

Male
Male
80%
Female
Female
20%

After extensive research and analysis, Zippia's data science team found that:

  • Among project controls engineers, 19.7% of them are women, while 80.3% are men.

  • The most common race/ethnicity among project controls engineers is White, which makes up 64.5% of all project controls engineers.

  • The most common foreign language among project controls engineers is Spanish at 40.3%.

Online Courses For Project Controls Engineer That You May Like

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1. Construction Cost Estimating and Cost Control

coursera

This course introduces the types of cost estimation from the conceptual design phase through the more detailed design phase of a construction project. In addition, the course highlights the importance of controlling costs and how to monitor project cash flow. Learners will work on a break-even analysis of construction tasks in a project. The course begins with Professor Odeh providing an overview of what will be covered. Next, learners explore the stages of design in a construction project...

2. Engineering Project Management: Scope, Time and Cost Management

coursera

Scope, time, and cost management are at the heart of successful project management. This course will give you the tools to develop a project scope, schedule and budget and then status them to predict project performance. Throughout the course, you will learn about change management and techniques to implement it. By the end of this course you will be able to: • Create a requirements document • Create a Project Scope Statement • Identify ways to control the scope of the project • Decompose the...

3. Ultimate Primavera P6, Planning, Cost, Project Control

udemy
4.7
(318)

We start this trip from the beginning and schedule a Plan Step by Step & reach the Advance level in Primavera P6...

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Best States For a Project Controls Engineer

Some places are better than others when it comes to starting a career as a project controls engineer. The best states for people in this position are California, Washington, Rhode Island, and Arizona. Project controls engineers make the most in California with an average salary of $106,058. Whereas in Washington and Rhode Island, they would average $105,360 and $104,526, respectively. While project controls engineers would only make an average of $93,040 in Arizona, you would still make more there than in the rest of the country. We determined these as the best states based on job availability and pay. By finding the median salary, cost of living, and using the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Location Quotient, we narrowed down our list of states to these four.

1. Texas

Total Project Controls Engineer Jobs: 3,725
Highest 10% Earn:
$131,000
Location Quotient:
1.64

$92,368

Avg. Salary

View 3,725 Project Controls Engineer Jobs In TX

2. Rhode Island

Total Project Controls Engineer Jobs: 182
Highest 10% Earn:
$145,000
Location Quotient:
1.33

$104,526

Avg. Salary

View 182 Project Controls Engineer Jobs In RI

3. Michigan

Total Project Controls Engineer Jobs: 1,335
Highest 10% Earn:
$121,000
Location Quotient:
1.53

$88,561

Avg. Salary

View 1,335 Project Controls Engineer Jobs In MI
Full List Of Best States For Project Controls Engineers

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Top Project Controls Engineer Employers

Most Common Employers For Project Controls Engineer

RankCompanyAverage SalaryHourly RateJob Openings
1Vanderlande$95,379$45.8612
2Exxon Mobil$94,952$45.6521
3Praxair$94,739$45.5510
4Parsons$94,014$45.2073
5Kiewit$92,438$44.4414
6National Aerospace Solutions$90,176$43.3513
7Fluor Corporation$88,258$42.4348
8Siemens$88,236$42.4210
9PMA Consultants$88,027$42.3224
10Foster Wheeler$87,988$42.3018
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Updated April 6, 2023