Construction Project Controls Specialist – Owner's Representative (Edmonton, AB)
About us:
Since 2011, Dokainish & Company has delivered project controls and project management consultancy services to owners and developers across North America and the Middle East. Our work spans capital construction programs, commercial office towers, institutional facilities, mission-critical infrastructure, and corporate campus developments, where our consultants are embedded directly with owner teams to protect schedule, cost, and delivery outcomes.
We specialize in Project Controls, Project Management, Quantitative Risk Analysis, Estimating, and Enterprise Reporting for major capital projects.
About the Role:
We are looking for a Construction Project Controls Specialist to serve as our client's owner's representative on $50M+ commercial construction projects, primarily Class A office, institutional, and mission-critical facilities in Alberta.
You will be the single Dokainish representative embedded on an active construction site, responsible for managing the owner's master schedule, independently verifying contractor progress, and protecting the owner's schedule and cost position from the ground up. This is not a back-office scheduling role, you will be on site multiple times a week, walking the job, challenging what you see, and producing the reporting that keeps owner leadership informed and in control.
The right person for this role comes from commercial construction. You understand the floor cycle. You know how to validate an 85% concrete claim using delivery tickets and a site walk. You've had to hold a position with a contractor who didn't want to hear it, and you held it with data.
Role Description:
Schedule Management
- Develop and maintain the owner's integrated master schedule, incorporating inputs from GCs, subcontractors, vendors, owner departments, IT/telecom, FF&E, and commissioning teams.
- Establish and enforce rules of credit for each major scope of work, defining agreed milestone steps and weightings before work begins, not after disputes arise.
- Conduct critical path analysis, float management, and schedule quality reviews; identify and challenge deficient contractor baseline submissions.
- Produce weekly look-ahead schedules and monthly formal schedule reports with variance narrative, risk assessment, and recovery analysis for owner leadership.
On-Site Progress Verification
- Conduct site walks multiple times weekly to independently verify physical progress against contractor-reported claims, not desk-based acceptance.
- Cross-reference claimed progress against delivery records, inspection reports, and direct observation. Document discrepancies formally and present findings at progress meetings with supporting data.
- Identify and flag the '90% syndrome' and other common progress inflation patterns. Challenge stale claims with evidence.
- Coordinate construction activities around live operational constraints, 24/7 facilities, server rooms, control centers, occupied floors.
Contractor Management - Interface directly with GCs, subcontractors, and vendors to drive schedule alignment, resolve sequencing conflicts, and enforce milestone accountability.
- Challenge contractor progress claims, schedule submissions, and recovery plans using data, not just conversation. Be the person who can reject a deficient baseline and explain exactly why.
- Track change orders and assess schedule and cost impacts. Maintain a rigorous change log and communicate exposure to the owner proactively.
- Escalate formally, in writing, when contractor performance or schedule integrity requires it.
Cost & Reporting - Monitor project costs, budget variances, and commitments. Provide regular cost performance updates alongside schedule reporting.
- Support the owner in budget variance analysis, change order evaluation, and contingency management
- Produce weekly progress updates and monthly formal reports suitable for owner leadership and board-level review.
Required Qualifications:
- 5–10 years of project controls or construction management experience, with a significant portion on active commercial building sites, Class A office, institutional, retail, or mission-critical construction preferred.
- Direct experience on $50M+ commercial construction projects as an owner's representative, construction manager, or senior site-based project controls professional.
- Hands-on knowledge of rules of credit, you can define, negotiate, and enforce milestone-based progress measurement frameworks from scratch.
- Demonstrated ability to challenge contractor schedule submissions and progress claims with independent measurement and documentation, not just verbal pushback.
- Proficiency with Primavera P6 and/or MS Project. Ability to identify schedule quality deficiencies (open-ended activities, excessive constraints, broken logic) independently.
- Strong safety mindset and active site safety practices. CSO or equivalent an asset.
- Proven ability to operate independently in a remote/embedded role with minimal day-to-day supervision.
- Excellent stakeholder communication skills, diplomatic but firm. Able to hold a position under pressure and escalate formally in writing when required.
- Valid Alberta driver's license. Willing to travel regularly within Alberta and relocate to Calgary within 2-3 years.
Preferred Qualifications
- Background with a recognized Canadian commercial GC or owner-side firm (PCL, EllisDon, Clark Builders, Graham Construction, Bird Construction, or comparable).
- Experience coordinating non-construction project elements: FF&E procurement, IT infrastructure fit-out, commissioning, occupancy planning, or move management.
- Familiarity with PMIS platforms, Procore, Aconex, InEight, or similar.
- Experience on projects with 24/7 operational constraints: data centres, hospitals, control rooms, or occupied office renovations.
- Professional designation or active pursuit: PMP, PSP, PMI-SP, CCT, or CCP.
- Experience managing multiple concurrent projects or work packages.
Why this Role
This is a high-visibility, client-facing position where your judgment and credibility are the product. You won't be producing reports for someone else to present, you'll be the expert in the room, protecting a major owner's interests on a complex, long-duration capital project.
Dokainish is a growing firm with an established reputation across North America and the Middle East. This role offers direct exposure to senior owner stakeholders, a clear path to project management, and the opportunity to work on the kinds of projects that define skylines and institutions.
Note: This role description is intended to provide a general overview of the position. It is not an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, skills, or qualifications required.
If you believe your skillset, drive, qualifications, and experience is a match, we welcome your application and can’t wait to hear from you.
We thank all applicants for their interest in joining Dokainish & Company. Please note only those candidates considered for an initial interview will be contacted.
Notes:
VACANCY STATUS: This posting is for a new position.
AI USAGE: This organization does not use artificial intelligence to screen, assess, or select applicants for this particular open position. All applications are personally reviewed by our Talent Acquisition Team.
Dokainish & Company is an equal opportunity employer. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, gender, race, colour, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, age and veteran status, or any other protected status required by applicable law.
In accordance with the Ontario Human Rights Code, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, and Dokainish & Company AODA Policy, accommodation will be provided in all parts of the hiring process. Applicants need to make their needs known in advance.