Project Controls Specialist

Summary:
Our client, a biopharmaceutical company located in Waterford, is seeking a Project Controls Specialist to join their Capex group on-site. The successful candidate will provide end-to-end financial governance, budgeting, forecasting, cost control, compliance, and performance insight, ensuring projects are delivered on time, within budget, and in compliance with site and corporate standards.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, consolidate, and manage annual CAPEX budgets and rolling forecasts across all projects.
• Monitor expenditure and commitments against approved budgets; analyse variances and recommend corrective actions.
• Maintain project cost structures (WBS/IOs) within SAP and interfacing systems.
•  Track actuals, commitments, accruals, and cash flow at project and portfolio level.
•  Ensure adherence to CAPEX governance, accounting standards, capitalisation policy, and internal controls.
• Act as financial advisor to Project Managers; translate complex financials into clear actions.
•  Support business cases and investment proposals with cost estimates, ROI/NPV analysis, and scenario modelling.
• Standardise and automate CAPEX reporting and reconciliation processes.
•  Stakeholder Engagement: Building and maintaining relationships with all project stakeholders.
• Quality Control: Implementing and overseeing quality control measures.
• Identifying opportunities for process improvements and implementing changes.
• Identifying potential risks and developing mitigation strategies.
• Controlling costs and ensuring the project stays within the Capital Investment budget environment.

Qualifications & Experience:

• Degree level Engineering discipline, an advantage.
•  Minimum 5+ years’ experience in a project cost/budget management role.
•  Proven track record in a similar role.
•  Financial acumen including capital project accounting, variance analysis, and cost forecasting.
• SAP expertise with FI/CO/PS modules and strong Excel/Power BI proficiency.
• Strong business partnering and communication skills with the ability to influence stakeholders.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills to convey project goals, progress, and issues to stakeholders.