Project Controls Coordinator

Career Guide

A Project Controls Coordinator helps keep projects on time and on budget by supporting planning, cost tracking, progress reporting, and change management. This role is common in construction, energy, utilities, manufacturing, and large infrastructure programs where leaders need reliable schedules, clear cost visibility, and consistent project reporting.

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Key Responsibilities

Maintain the project schedule with updates from project leads and site teams
Track actual progress against planned milestones and flag risks early
Support cost tracking by collecting commitments, invoices, and forecast inputs
Prepare weekly and monthly project status reports for stakeholders
Maintain a log of changes and support impact reviews for time and cost
Coordinate planning meetings and follow up on action items
Ensure project documents follow agreed naming, storage, and version rules
Support basic earned value reporting when required by the program
Help standardize templates for schedules, reports, and dashboards
Assist with closeout reporting and lessons learned collection

Top Skills for Success

Schedule Updating

Cost Tracking

Progress Reporting

Change Control

Risk Tracking

Stakeholder Communication

Attention to Detail

Meeting Facilitation

Excel

Power BI

Primavera P6

Microsoft Project

Career Progression

Can Lead To

Project Controls Specialist

Project Planner

Cost Controller

Project Analyst

Scheduler

Transition Opportunities

Project Controls Lead

Senior Scheduler

Project Manager

Program Controls Manager

Project Management Office Analyst

Common Skill Gaps

Often Missing Skills

Baseline Schedule DevelopmentSchedule LogicCritical Path AnalysisForecastingEarned Value ManagementContract FundamentalsChange Impact AssessmentDashboard Design

Development SuggestionsBuild a portfolio with one cleaned schedule, one cost report, and one executive summary. Practice turning field updates into clear variance explanations. Ask to own a simple change log and a monthly forecast input to grow into planner or cost controller responsibilities.

Market Intelligence Report

Project Controls Coordinator is part of the Project Management category.Explore our market intelligence report to see how AI and hiring demand are shifting for these roles.

See the market intelligence report

Salary & Demand

Median Salary Range

Entry LevelUSD 55,000 to 75,000

Mid LevelUSD 75,000 to 105,000

Senior LevelUSD 105,000 to 140,000

Growth Trend

Steady demand. Hiring increases with large capital projects, infrastructure spending, and organizations improving schedule and cost governance.

Companies Hiring

Major Employers

BechtelFluorJacobsAECOMKiewitTurner ConstructionSkanskaWSPSiemens EnergyShell

Industry Sectors

ConstructionEngineering ServicesEnergyUtilitiesTransportation InfrastructureManufacturingMiningGovernment Contractors

Recommended Next Steps

Create a reusable weekly status report template with schedule variance and key risks

Take a beginner course in Primavera P6 or Microsoft Project and build a sample project schedule

Strengthen Excel skills focused on tables, lookups, pivots, and charting

Learn basic forecasting and how to explain variances in plain language

Request mentorship from a scheduler or cost controller and shadow one reporting cycle

Earn an entry level project credential such as CAPM if you are early in your career

Prepare interview stories that show how you handled updates, accuracy, and stakeholder follow up