What does a project controls engineer do?
A Project Controls Engineer creates project cost reports and progress charts. These professionals interpret the company contract and deal with the existing cost control database and financial risk. Project Controls Engineers reconcile and organize the project cost information with the clients' status reports. Also, they evaluate cash flow reports and project cost reports prepared by CMA.
Project controls engineer responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real project controls engineer resumes:
- Manage accruals, cash flows, and invoices for $25MM total install cost EPC project.
- Manage multiple projects involving both internal and vendor resources affecting national production infrastructure.
- Create and maintain CPM schedules for engineering, procurement, installation and commissioning phases on various projects.
- Develop and improve PMO process methodologies.
- Optimize plant maintenance and manpower scheduling using spreadsheet forecasting models.
- Prepare summary level CPM schedules and present progress to owner company executive management on a monthly basis.
- Coordinate with contractors, vendors and site personnel for procuring material and manpower by utilizing optimization and total quality management techniques.
- Used proven methods to determine earn value and create SPI and CPI reports along with progress curves and staffing projections.
- Provide support with department as well as QA audits.
- Reconcile and update P6 small capital and refinery turnaround resource load schedules to determine resources requirements.
Project controls engineer skills and personality traits
We calculated that 12% of Project Controls Engineers are proficient in Project Controls, Project Management, and Construction Management. They’re also known for soft skills such as Initiative, Speaking skills, and Writing skills.
We break down the percentage of Project Controls Engineers that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Project Controls, 12%
Priced project controls of construction work authorizations resulting in design/installation of Mechanical piping systems/pipe supports at Fortune 100 Utility Nuclear facilities.
- Project Management, 9%
Lead Specialist providing program/project management services and support during the development and execution phases of various global projects and programs.
- Construction Management, 7%
Reported EVMS analysis outcome to construction management along with any possible corrective actions.
- Primavera P6, 5%
Developed schedules and provided earned value reporting for new product introduction efforts using Primavera P6.
- Control Systems, 3%
Develop and implement schedule/ cost control systems to ensure project targets are met for various engineering/design/construction projects.
- Project Cost, 3%
Tracked and reconciled actual cost with estimated/budgeted cost and analyzed variations against project cost baselines to develop an EVM report.
Most project controls engineers use their skills in "project controls," "project management," and "construction management" to do their jobs. You can find more detail on essential project controls engineer responsibilities here:
Initiative. To carry out their duties, the most important skill for a project controls engineer to have is initiative. Their role and responsibilities require that "electrical and electronics engineers must apply their knowledge to new tasks in every project they undertake." Project controls engineers often use initiative in their day-to-day job, as shown by this real resume: "supported project controls process development initiative"
Speaking skills. Many project controls engineer duties rely on speaking skills. "electrical and electronics engineers work closely with other engineers and technicians," so a project controls engineer will need this skill often in their role. This resume example is just one of many ways project controls engineer responsibilities rely on speaking skills: "prepared and presented trend/bcp packages for department of energy (doe) and senior management at internal and external review meetings. "
Writing skills. project controls engineers are also known for writing skills, which are critical to their duties. You can see how this skill relates to project controls engineer responsibilities, because "electrical and electronics engineers develop technical publications related to equipment they develop, including maintenance manuals, operation manuals, parts lists, product proposals, and design methods documents." A project controls engineer resume example shows how writing skills is used in the workplace: "task also included ordering of hardware and writing technical specifications for supplier review. "
The three companies that hire the most project controls engineers are:
- Caddell Construction27 project controls engineers jobs
- Bechtel Corporation12 project controls engineers jobs
- Honeywell9 project controls engineers jobs
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Compare different project controls engineers
Project controls engineer vs. Engineering trainee
An engineering trainee is responsible for shadowing engineers in their duties and performing administrative tasks as needed. Engineering trainees assist the engineers in inspecting construction sites and conducting field research. They also identify cost-efficient materials and resources that meet quality standards and client specifications. An engineering trainee must have excellent communication and organizational skills, especially in writing reports, attending meetings, and ensuring that all reports are submitted for management's reviews, such as contracts from suppliers and vendors.
While similarities exist, there are also some differences between project controls engineers and engineering trainee. For instance, project controls engineer responsibilities require skills such as "project controls," "project management," "construction management," and "primavera p6." Whereas a engineering trainee is skilled in "excellent interpersonal," "fire protection," "r," and "boilers." This is part of what separates the two careers.
Engineering trainees tend to make the most money working in the energy industry, where they earn an average salary of $63,253. In contrast, project controls engineers make the biggest average salary, $94,074, in the energy industry.On average, engineering trainees reach similar levels of education than project controls engineers. Engineering trainees are 1.5% more likely to earn a Master's Degree and 0.0% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Project controls engineer vs. Customer engineer
A customer engineer provides technical support to organizations having issues with their products or services. Duties and responsibilities may vary depending on the sector, but generally include diagnosing and troubleshooting technical problems with products, performing tests, upgrades and diagnostics to prevent delay or downtime caused by-product issues, and keeping updated reports outlining the problems and measures taken to resolve them. A customer engineer is also responsible for discussing service contracts and their benefits with clients.
In addition to the difference in salary, there are some other key differences worth noting. For example, project controls engineer responsibilities are more likely to require skills like "project controls," "project management," "construction management," and "primavera p6." Meanwhile, a customer engineer has duties that require skills in areas such as "customer service," "technical problems," "level agreements," and "customer satisfaction." These differences highlight just how different the day-to-day in each role looks.
On average, customer engineers earn a higher salary than project controls engineers. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, customer engineers earn the most pay in the start-up industry with an average salary of $106,798. Whereas project controls engineers have higher pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $94,074.customer engineers earn lower levels of education than project controls engineers in general. They're 7.6% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.0% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Project controls engineer vs. Staff design engineer
Staff design engineers are tasked to assess the efficiency of instruments, technologies, and equipment by collaborating with the engineering team to plan, design, and develop technologies efficiently. Their responsibilities include building and setting up, as wells as improving systems and procedures. They should possess strong attention to detail, good visual and spatial awareness, creativity, problem-solving, excellent verbal, written, and project management skills, and strong mathematical and IT skills to become efficient and effective staff design engineers.
Some important key differences between the two careers include a few of the skills necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of each. Some examples from project controls engineer resumes include skills like "project controls," "construction management," "primavera p6," and "control systems," whereas a staff design engineer is more likely to list skills in "architecture," "rf," "cad," and "synthesis. "
Staff design engineers make a very good living in the technology industry with an average annual salary of $127,511. On the other hand, project controls engineers are paid the highest salary in the energy industry, with average annual pay of $94,074.When it comes to education, staff design engineers tend to earn similar degree levels compared to project controls engineers. In fact, they're 4.7% more likely to earn a Master's Degree, and 3.6% more likely to graduate with a Doctoral Degree.Project controls engineer vs. Engineer
Engineers are highly trained professionals who determine the feasibility of various projects, usually related to the construction industry. They are considered experts in mathematics and science, two disciplines that they need to use in designing and coming up with plans for projects. They should also be well-versed in different construction or industrial materials, and they ensure that appropriate materials are used for the project. They also ensure that the projects meet the requirements of the groups that hired them. They create spaces that would both address the needs of the end-users and the industry standards. They also ensure that the projects they make would stand the test of time.
Even though a few skill sets overlap between project controls engineers and engineers, there are some differences that are important to note. For one, a project controls engineer might have more use for skills like "project controls," "construction management," "primavera p6," and "project cost." Meanwhile, some responsibilities of engineers require skills like "python," "cloud," "c++," and "c #. "
The automotive industry tends to pay the highest salaries for engineers, with average annual pay of $97,672. Comparatively, the highest project controls engineer annual salary comes from the energy industry.The average resume of engineers showed that they earn similar levels of education compared to project controls engineers. So much so that theyacirc;euro;trade;re 1.4% less likely to earn a Master's Degree and more likely to earn a Doctoral Degree by 0.7%.Types of project controls engineer
Updated January 8, 2025
