Construction project controls lead - transit & rail

GFT is seeking a Senior Construction Project Controls Lead to support a major transit and rail project as Owner’s Representative in New York.

At GFT, we’re not just engineering the future; we’re meticulously building it. Our comprehensive suite of construction and program management services reflects our unwavering commitment to excellence, safety, innovation, and sustainability. Our construction management services are the cornerstone of our commitment to transforming communities and enhancing lives. We oversee every construction phase to help ensure projects are completed on schedule, within budget, and to the highest safety and quality standards.

What you’ll be challenged to do:

As a Senior Construction Project Controls Lead, you will be responsible for representing the transit and rail project’s interests in direct coordination with project stakeholders and the Design-Builder/General Contractor, particularly where construction activities affect railroad right-of-way, railroad operations, track outages, Force Account resources, temporary works, schedule, and constructability.

The successful candidate will combine strong railroad construction knowledge, Primavera P6 schedule expertise, and field-oriented constructability judgment to independently evaluate contractor plans and determine their potential schedule and operational impacts. Particular emphasis will be placed on catenary/OCS, signals, track, substations, testing/commissioning, and temporary works within active railroad right-of-way, as well as interfaces with other railroad operations and station construction.

In this capacity, the successful candidate will be responsible for the following:

• Serve as a key owner-side project controls and construction interface, representing the clients interests in discussions with project stakeholders and the Design-Builder/General Contractor.
• Directly review contractor construction plans, sequencing, schedules, look-aheads, work packages and proposed mitigation strategies for constructability and operational feasibility.
• Evaluate construction activities affecting active railroad right-of-way, including temporary works, track access, outages and railroad operating constraints.
• Assess construction sequencing for catenary/OCS, signals, track, substations, utilities, testing and commissioning, including interfaces between disciplines.
• Review proposed track outages and Force Account requirements, evaluating whether requested durations and resources are supported by the planned work, schedule logic and construction approach.
• Identify opportunities to reduce outage duration, Force Account demand and operational impacts through alternative sequencing, staging, work packaging or other practical mitigation.
• Perform independent Primavera P6/CPM analysis, including critical and near-critical paths, logic, float, milestones, constraints, schedule movement and recovery plans.
• Reconcile the contractor’s CPM schedule and short-term look-aheads with actual field conditions and construction progress.
• Evaluate schedule impacts associated with design changes, temporary works, access constraints, RFIs, PCOs, fragnets and Time Impact Analyses (TIAs).
• Identify where contractor means, methods or sequencing may create additional schedule exposure or require extended track outages or Force Account commitments.
• Develop clear owner-side positions identifying the issue, operational impact, schedule impact, responsible party, mitigation options and required decision.
• Coordinate closely with project Operations, Engineering, Construction, Project Controls and commercial staff, as well as other project stakeholders and contractor representatives.
• Provide concise management reporting on critical-path movement, outages, Force Account demand, constraints, recovery actions and emerging schedule/operational risks.

What you will bring to our firm:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management or related discipline.
• 15+ years of construction/project controls experience on major rail or transit infrastructure programs.
• Advanced knowledge of Primavera P6, CPM scheduling, schedule analysis, construction sequencing, recovery planning and progress validation.
• Demonstrated experience working directly with general contractors/design-builders in an owner, PMCM or construction-management capacity.
• Strong understanding of active railroad construction, ROW access, track outages, Force Account coordination and constructability.
• Experience reviewing TIAs, fragnets, changes and schedule impacts.
• Strong communication and negotiation skills with the ability to challenge contractor assumptions while maintaining productive stakeholder relationships.

What we prefer you bring:

• Experience with track, signals, catenary/OCS/traction power, substations and testing/commissioning.
• Previous Amtrak, MTA, Metro-North, LIRR, NYCT, NJ Transit or comparable railroad experience.

Compensation:

The salary range for this role is $180,000 - $220,000. Salary is dependent upon experience and geographic location.

Featured Benefits:

• Comprehensive benefits package including wellness programs, parental leave, and pet insurance, in addition to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life insurance.
• Tax-deferred 401(k) savings plan.
• Competitive paid-time-off (PTO) accrual.
• Tuition reimbursement for continued education.
• Commitment to professional development, access to internal and external training programs, and support of active participation in professional organizations.
• Incentive compensation for eligible positions.

At GFT, a privately held AEC firm, we innovate where transportation, water, power, and buildings converge. We call this the Infrastructure of Life. We measure our success by the strength of our relationships – that’s why we’re the employer of choice for 5,000+ of the industry’s brightest engineers, planners, architects, inspectors, designers, and more.

Our clients choose us for our expertise and prefer us for our nimble approach, creativity, and personal touch. Backed by over a century’s experience, together we’re building a lasting legacy for future generations: stronger communities, a healthier planet, and better lives.

GFT: Ingenuity That Shapes Lives™ is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veterans’ status or other characteristics protected by law.

Unsolicited resumes from third party agencies will be considered the property GFT.

GFT does require the successful completion of a criminal background check for all advertised positions.

Location: New Rochelle, NY - New York, NY

Core Business Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Employment Status: Full-Time

Applicants in the County of Los Angeles- Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.

Applicants in the City of San Francisco- Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Applicants in the State of California-Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the California Fair Chance Act.