Director, Project Controls, AMERS

About the role

Position Overview Nscale is building the infrastructure that powers AI. Our North American Data Center Infrastructure (DCI) group is delivering a pipeline of large-scale, high-density data center campuses where speed to power and speed to customer handover decide commercial success. Reliable, well-run scheduling is how we plan that speed and protect it. The Director, Project Controls – Scheduling leads schedule management across the DCI North America portfolio. This leader owns the scheduling function — its people, standards, and systems — and is accountable for a credible, integrated view of time across every campus, from site selection and utility power through procurement, construction, commissioning, and handover. They give executives and customers a single, trusted answer to the question "when will it be ready, and what could stop it?" Key Responsibilities - Scheduling leadership: Build, lead, and develop the North American scheduling team, including Project Controls – Scheduling leads, Schedulers, and Planners; set hiring plans, structure, and career paths. - Portfolio master schedule: Own the DCI portfolio-level schedule that rolls up every project's Integrated Master Schedule (IMS), showing key milestones, interdependencies, shared resources, and capacity delivery dates across all campuses. - Scheduling standards: Establish and enforce DCI scheduling standards — WBS, activity coding, calendars, level-of-detail requirements, baselining, update cadence, and templates — so every project schedule is consistent and comparable. - Schedule quality and assurance: Set schedule health metrics (e.g., DCMA 14-point), run regular schedule reviews, and challenge project and contractor schedules for logic, realism, and completeness. - Critical path and milestones: Maintain clear visibility of portfolio and project critical paths, including utility interconnection and energization, long-lead equipment, permitting, and customer handover commitments; escalate threats early. - Schedule risk analysis: Lead quantitative schedule risk analysis (Monte Carlo / QSRA), set schedule contingency strategy, and provide confidence levels (P50 / P80) for key delivery dates. - Contractor schedule management: Define contractual scheduling requirements for EPC, design-build, and trade contracts; oversee review and acceptance of contractor baselines and updates; and lead delay, time impact, and recovery analysis. - Executive reporting: Own monthly and quarterly schedule reporting to DCI leadership, the executive committee, and customer-facing teams, including milestone forecasts, trends, and recommended actions. - Scheduling systems: Select, implement, and continuously improve scheduling and schedule analytics platforms (e.g., Primavera P6 EPPM, schedule risk and quality tools, and dashboards), and integrate them with cost and project controls reporting. - Cross-functional partnership: Work closely with Project Directors, Construction, Engineering, Procurement, Commissioning, Cost Management, and Commercial teams so schedule, cost, and contract positions stay aligned. Qualifications Required - 15+ years of planning and scheduling experience on large capital projects, with at least 5 years leading scheduling or project controls teams. - Experience scheduling mission-critical or complex facilities — data centers, power generation, substations, semiconductor, or comparable industrial builds — valued at $500M+. - Expert-level CPM scheduling knowledge and hands-on mastery of Primavera P6, including multi-project and enterprise environments. - Proven experience with quantitative schedule risk analysis, schedule quality assessment, and delay / time impact analysis. - Track record of setting up scheduling standards, governance, and reporting from the ground up in a fast-growing organization. - Strong executive presence and the ability to explain complex schedule positions clearly to senior and non-technical audiences. - Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field. Preferred - Hyperscale or colocation data center program experience, including multi-site and phased campus delivery and integrated commissioning (L1–L5). - AACE PSP or PMI-SP certification; AACE CCP or PMP a plus. - Owner-side scheduling leadership on EPC, CM-at-risk, and design-build contracts. - Experience with forensic schedule analysis and claims support. - Experience implementing Primavera P6 EPPM, schedule analytics tools, or Power BI schedule dashboards at enterprise scale. Character & Conduct What We Value Most: Character & Conduct Technical skills can be taught. Character cannot. At Nscale, we're looking for people who show up with integrity, treat others with respect, and take genuine ownership of their work. As a senior leader on the program, this individual also sets the tone for every direct report and site team they oversee. The following traits matter as much to us as any credential or years of experience: - Integrity — does the right thing even when no one is watching; never misrepresents status, costs, or progress to protect themselves or their team - Ownership mentality — treats the program as their own and holds themselves and their direct reports accountable without being told - Respectful under pressure — stays composed and professional with contractors, trades, direct reports, and internal Nscale teams regardless of the circumstances - Transparent communicator — surfaces problems early and honestly, never buries bad news, and expects the same from the teams they lead - Team-first attitude — ego stays at the gate; the program and the people on it come first - Reliable and consistent — shows up prepared, follows through on commitments, and does what they say they will do We actively seek references that speak to a candidate's character, not just their technical output. Tools & Software - Primavera P6 EPPM (expert level, required) - Schedule quality and analysis tools (e.g., Acumen Fuse, Schedule Analyzer) - Schedule risk analysis tools (e.g., Safran Risk, Primavera Risk Analysis, Acumen Risk) - Microsoft Project (working knowledge) - Power BI or similar reporting / dashboard tools - Microsoft Excel and the Microsoft 365 suite Work Environment & Schedule - Hybrid role based in North America, with regular travel (approximately 25–40%) to active DCI project sites, contractor offices, and Nscale locations. - Fast-paced, high-growth environment with multiple concurrent projects; occasional work outside standard hours to support executive reporting cycles and critical project milestones. - Site visits require adherence to all Nscale and contractor safety programs and use of appropriate PPE. The range below reflects the base salary for the position. Actual compensation may vary based on job-related factors such as skill set, experience, education, and location. In addition to base salary, this role may be eligible for bonus, equity, and/or commission programs. Nscale may offer a competitive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, flexible paid time off, parental leave, and retirement plan participation. Salary Range $160,000 — $270,000 USD For information on how Nscale handles candidate personal data, please see our Employee & Candidate Privacy Notice: Here. Nscale does not accept unsolicited candidate submissions from recruitment agencies.