Project controls managerSalary, qualifications, career path and hiring demand, 2026 edition
A nuclear project controls manager owns the project performance picture: project schedules, project budgets, forecast, risk management, change, earned value and reporting. They lead planners, cost engineers, risk specialists and analysts, turning separate inputs into one defensible baseline and forecast. Unlike the project manager, they do not own project scope. Their value is independent control: showing what the project is really doing, what changed and where senior leadership action is required.
Exact-title national salary data does not exist, so TRX models the 2026 market from live nuclear controls roles. Ameren publishes $131,900–$204,400 for Manager, Nuclear Project Controls; Westinghouse Senior Project Controls Manager sits around $126,000–$157,500. In the UK, Sizewell C advertises circa £90,000, with senior nuclear controls scopes reaching £100,000–£120,000.
There is no nuclear project-controls licence. The gate is evidence that you can protect an integrated baseline, forecast cost and completion honestly, explain variance, control change and run risk / reporting processes that survive scrutiny. P6, EVM / EVMS, cost systems and data capability are common filters; AACE, PMI or APM credentials help.
The role at a glance
Everything an employer will ask about in the first fifteen minutes of a screening call.
- Also called
- project controls manager · programme controls manager · controls lead · integrated controls manager · project services manager · PMO controls manager
- Entry qualification
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in engineering, construction, project management, quantity surveying, finance, business or a related field. Most managers arrive after years in planning, cost, risk or integrated controls.
- Typical entry pay
- $80,000–$110,000 US at specialist / developing-lead level · £55,000–£72,000 UK before full controls-management scope.
- Senior pay
- $145,000–$205,000 for US senior controls management, with heads above · £100,000–£155,000 for UK deputy programme controls through head / director.
- Contract day rates
- £650–£900/day Project Controls Manager · £900–£1,300/day Head / Controls Director outside IR35; nuclear and defence normally sit at the premium end.
- Professional gate
- No universal licence. AACE PSP / CCP / EVP, PMP, APM PMQ or ChPP strengthen credibility, but baseline ownership, P6 depth, cost forecasting and risk / change evidence decide the shortlist.
- Security
- UK BPSS common and SC role-specific. US commercial work can require unescorted access / fitness-for-duty; DOE or national-security work may require citizenship and Q-level clearance.
- Where the work sits
- Owner PMOs, reactor vendors, EPC / architect-engineers, Tier 1 contractors, operating utilities, decommissioning alliances and advanced-reactor developers. Managers usually lead a controls department team across one major project or programme area.
- Travel
- Usually moderate. Hybrid PMO work is common, but baseline reviews, supplier assurance, site integration, outage periods and recovery work increase travel and site presence.
- TRX segments
- Large new build · New technology development · Operating fleet · Fuel handling & fuel cycle · Decommissioning & dismantling · Radioactive waste management · Nuclear medicine · Dental
Six versions of the same job title
"Project controls manager" changes with delivery model and lifecycle. The same title can mean new-build controls, outage controls, decommissioning assurance or portfolio PMO; the common thread is ownership of the performance baseline. Bar shows relative hiring volume across TRX's 2026 desk activity.
Large new build / programme controls
Lead integrated cost, schedule, risk, change and reporting across a major civils, nuclear-island, MEH or balance-of-plant scope.
Operating fleet / outage controls
Control modifications, outage work, resource loading and forecast-to-complete against fixed plant windows.
Decommissioning and remediation
Run controls across retrieval, dismantling, waste and infrastructure packages where uncertainty, NEC change and risk drawdown shape the forecast.
SMR / advanced-reactor FOAK
Build controls maturity while design, licensing, supply chain and construction evolve together.
EPC / vendor delivery
Control customer contracts and equipment packages across WBS, schedule, cost, cash, milestones and supplier interfaces.
Portfolio / enterprise PMO assurance
Set standards, tools, dashboards and assurance across projects, challenge forecasts and consolidate executive performance.
What the week actually looks like
A composite day for a project controls manager on a major nuclear programme, leading planning, cost, risk and reporting resources. The function must be independent enough to challenge delivery teams but close enough to understand the causes behind variance.
What nuclear project controls managers are paid in 2026
There is no official wage series for "project controls manager" in nuclear. The ladders below are a TRX market model anchored to live 2026 Ameren, Westinghouse, Sizewell C, Assystem and Hinkley Point C roles, UK project-controls contractor benchmarks and broader BLS project-management data. Base salary only; bonus, per diem and site allowances are excluded.
How project controls management compares to adjacent roles
Official BLS occupation data are broader anchors; the nuclear controls row is a TRX model because the exact specialism is not separately coded.
| Occupation | Median | P10 | P90 | What moves the number |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project controls manager, nuclear (TRX model) | $145,000 | $80,000 | $205,000 | Integrated controls scope, nuclear delivery, EVMS / QRA, recovery and team span |
| Project management specialists (all industries) | $102,320 | $61,580 | $167,970 | Industry, project complexity, seniority and management responsibility |
| Architectural and engineering managers (all industries) | $171,270 | $120,810 | $262,760 | Technical organisation size, sector and management accountability |
| Cost estimators (all industries) | $78,740 | $48,530 | $130,820 | Industry, major-project complexity, estimating depth and responsibility |
Sources: live 2026 nuclear controls postings from Ameren, Westinghouse and UK new-build employers; BLS May 2025 coded occupations used as broader anchors. Employer ranges are job-specific, not national percentiles.
EVMS / baseline assurance and integrated baseline reviews (IBR)
Professionals who can establish a robust and defensible performance measurement baseline, lead integrated baseline reviews, and clearly explain schedule and cost variance without manipulating data are highly sought after in large US and government-facing nuclear and energy transition programmes.
Quantitative risk analysis (QRA) and integrated cost-schedule risk management
Expertise in probabilistic risk assessment and integrated cost-schedule risk analysis adds significant value, as executive boards require data-driven, probability-based completion forecasts and contingency planning rather than qualitative risk registers. Experience in nuclear, defence, and clean energy sectors commands a premium.
Project recovery and FOAK (First of a Kind) delivery
Project controls managers with proven success in diagnosing failing baselines, rebuilding forecast credibility, and leading recovery efforts on new build nuclear plants, advanced reactors, or commissioning projects are in high demand and command top-tier compensation compared to steady-state project controls roles.
Three ways in, and only one of them starts with a controls degree
The role is normally reached through planning, cost / commercial controls or broader project delivery. The move into management happens when you can integrate disciplines and defend one project truth, not simply become the most senior P6 user.
Planning / scheduling to integrated controls
The classic route. Ten or more years to head / programme controls.
Cost / commercial controls
Strong where contracts and change drive exposure. Four steps to controls manager.
Project engineering / PMO / analytics transfer
Best when paired with controls depth. Ten or more years to programme / portfolio controls leadership.
Are you actually ready to compete for a project controls manager role?
A controls CV must prove more than "P6 and reporting". Show baseline value and complexity, schedules / packages integrated, budget controlled, forecast or QRA responsibility, changes governed and decisions your analysis triggered. The shortlist wants evidence that leadership trusted your numbers under pressure.
Free resume scoring on avua, TRX's job search and application platform. Your score is yours; it is not shared with employers.Strong CVs quantify baseline size, forecast responsibility, team span and the recovery or decision outcome. Weak ones list systems without showing how the data changed delivery.
Illustrative figures based on TRX shortlisting patterns only. Your own score is generated by avua from your CV and the role you are targeting.
The credentials that actually gate the work
Project controls management is gated by proven competence in baseline, schedule, cost, risk and change plus programme-specific access requirements. Professional credentials strengthen the case; none is a universal nuclear licence.
| Credential | Jurisdiction | Required for | Time | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Relevant degree or equivalent controls experience | All | Most management appointments | 3–4 yrs / experience-based | Engineering, construction, finance, quantity surveying, project management or equivalent analytical route. |
| Primavera P6 / enterprise scheduling competence | Global | Most major-project controls roles | Experience-based | Manager must understand logic and schedule quality even when a planning lead owns the file. |
| AACE PSP / CCP / EVP | Global | Specialist credibility | Months + experience | Useful for planning, cost and earned-value pathways; not mandatory on every role. |
| PMP / APM PMQ / ChPP | US / UK / Global | Broader project-profession signal | Months / experience-based | Helpful for governance and leadership credibility; not a nuclear licence. |
| EVMS / ANSI-EIA-748 knowledge | US / selected programmes | EVM-governed work | Experience-based | Important on federal, DOE, defence and mature earned-value environments. |
| NEC4 / major-contract controls knowledge | UK | New build / decommissioning / infrastructure | Experience-based | Accepted Programme, change and compensation-event interfaces can be central to controls. |
| BPSS / SC | UK | Site / sensitive programmes | Days–months | BPSS common; SC applies where the assignment requires it. |
| Unescorted access / DOE Q or citizenship conditions | US | Commercial site or national-security work | Site-specific | Requirements vary materially between commercial nuclear and DOE / defence programmes. |
Requirements vary by employer and jurisdiction. AACE / PMI / APM credentials are professional signals; EVMS, NEC, security and site-access requirements apply only where the delivery model or programme calls for them.
What appears on a 2026 project controls manager shortlist
Recruiters screen for the ability to make cost, schedule, risk, change and progress reconcile into one defensible forecast, then communicate the consequence clearly enough for leadership to act. Ordered by how often a hiring manager treats it as a hard filter rather than a nice-to-have.
Named on the specification
- Integrated scheduling — Primavera P6, WBS, logic, critical path, constraints, resource / milestone integration and schedule health
- Cost and forecast control — Budgets, commitments, actuals, accruals, ETC / EAC, contingency and ERP integration
- Earned value / performance measurement — EVMS, progress rules, CPI / SPI, variance analysis and baseline integrity where the programme uses EVM
- Risk and opportunity — Quantitative / qualitative registers, QRA, Monte Carlo outputs, mitigation and contingency linkage
- Change control — Trend logs, scope / schedule / cost impact, approval routes, baseline update and audit trail
- Data and reporting — Power BI, Excel, data validation, dashboards and single-source-of-truth discipline across controls systems
- WBS / CBS / coding structures — Alignment across engineering, procurement, construction, contracts, cost and schedule
- Governance and assurance — Reporting calendars, baseline reviews, forecast challenge, executive packs and independent controls judgement
What decides between two shortlisted candidates
- Integrated baseline review / EVMS assurance — Proving the baseline is executable and compliant rather than simply loaded into a tool
- QRA / integrated cost-schedule risk — Translating uncertainty into probability-based dates, contingency and decisions
- Project recovery — Rebuilding schedule and forecast credibility after slippage, scope shock or supplier failure
- FOAK / megaproject controls — New build, advanced reactors or major decommissioning where design maturity and interfaces move continuously
- Contract-framework depth — NEC4, EPC / EPCM or major supplier contracts, with controls evidence that supports change and entitlement
- Digital controls integration — Connecting P6, cost, risk and BI environments so management information is traceable rather than manually reconciled
The 2026 demand map
Project-controls demand tracks capital intensity and interface count. New build, FOAK reactors, restarts, decommissioning and large modification portfolios all need credible schedule, cost, risk and change integration before leadership can make reliable decisions.
| Programme | Location | Phase in 2026 | Engineering demand |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sizewell C | Suffolk / London, UK | Major construction mobilisation and programme controls build-out | Very high; integrated cost, schedule, risk, reporting and supply-chain controls |
| Hinkley Point C | Somerset, UK | Late construction, MEH installation, fit-out and commissioning preparation | Very high; package controls, planning, cost, change and completion forecasting |
| Sellafield / Programme and Project Partners | Cumbria, UK | Long-term remediation and major-project delivery | Very high; programme controls, commercial integration, estimating, schedule and risk |
| Rolls-Royce SMR / Wylfa | North Wales, UK | Three-unit delivery contract; site-specific design and long-lead procurement | High; FOAK baseline, supplier, design maturity and portfolio controls |
| OPG / BWRX-300 Darlington | Ontario, Canada | Nuclear construction under way; operating-licence application submitted | Very high; construction controls, schedule integration, cost, risk and commissioning planning |
| TerraPower Natrium | Wyoming, US | Construction permit issued; nuclear construction started in 2026 | High; FOAK cost / schedule integration, supplier progress and risk |
| Kairos Power Hermes 2 | Tennessee, US | Groundbreaking completed April 2026; commercial-scale demonstration delivery | High; advanced-reactor planning, construction controls and iterative programme reporting |
| Ameren Callaway / operating fleet | Missouri, US | Operating plant capital, outage and modification portfolio | High; nuclear project controls, outage planning, forecasting and portfolio governance |
| Westinghouse nuclear services / new plant delivery | US & global | Operating-fleet, outage, equipment and new-build project delivery | High; customer controls, cost, schedule, change and project-services leadership |
| US restart / uprate programmes | United States | Restart, life-extension and capacity-investment programmes active | High; integrated baselines, licensing-linked schedules, risk and recovery controls |
Programme phases move. The table reflects public status verified in September 2026; candidates should confirm current construction, licensing and contracting positions before making a relocation or contract decision.
Controls is becoming more integrated, not less
Sizewell C, Hinkley Point C, Sellafield, Darlington and Natrium create huge interface and change exposure. Employers are moving from isolated planning or cost silos toward integrated controls, digital reporting and probabilistic risk. Candidates who join those disciplines are portable across nuclear technologies.
People who can defend the forecast
Planners and cost engineers are available; managers who can reconcile schedule, cost, risk and change, challenge senior stakeholders and keep the baseline auditable through difficult delivery are not. Nuclear adds another filter: controls decisions must respect quality, licensing and configuration constraints.
Adjacent and onward roles
Project controls sits between delivery, commercial, data and programme leadership. These are the closest sibling and progression routes.
Questions we get asked every week
How much does a nuclear project controls manager earn in 2026?
There is no exact national series. TRX models US manager-level base pay at $125,000–$165,000, rising to $145,000–$205,000 for senior project controls managers; Ameren publishes $131,900–$204,400.
In the UK, established project controls managers sit around £72,000–£92,000, with Sizewell C at circa £90,000 and senior programme-controls scopes reaching £100,000–£120,000.
Do you need Primavera P6 to become a project controls manager?
On major capital projects in nuclear, Primavera P6 is a common hard filter because the integrated schedule drives forecasting and interfaces across cross-functional teams.
But P6 alone is not enough: project controls manager roles also require cost, risk, change, reporting, communication and governance skills. A strong scheduler who cannot explain earned value management, EAC or change control remains a planning specialist.
Which certifications matter most for project controls?
AACE PSP, CCP and EVP are directly relevant; PMP, APM PMQ and ChPP are broader project-profession signals. None is a legal nuclear licence.
Employers still prioritize evidence that you owned a real baseline, passed integrated baseline assurance, and supported decisions under scrutiny.
What is the difference between a project controls manager and a project manager?
The project manager owns delivery scope, project deliverables, suppliers, budget and acceptance.
The project controls manager owns the integrity of the performance system measuring and forecasting that delivery: schedule, cost, risk, change, critical path analysis and reporting. The strongest relationship is constructive tension.
Is project controls management a good nuclear career in 2026?
Yes. Sizewell C, Hinkley Point C, Sellafield, Darlington BWRX-300, Natrium, Wylfa SMRs and fleet investment all need project controls managers at scale.
The skillset also transfers well into defence and major infrastructure, especially with both P6 and cost / risk integration.
Which project-controls skills are most in demand in 2026?
Integrated schedule-cost forecasting, EVMS / baseline assurance, QRA, change control, communication and digital reporting are the strongest filters.
FOAK delivery, NEC / major-contract knowledge, recovery and the ability to defend an uncomfortable forecast are senior-level differentiators.
We only recruit in nuclear. That is the whole point.
TRX works across large new build, fusion, new technology development, operating fleet, decommissioning, radioactive waste management and nuclear medicine, in 14+ countries. Send us your CV and we will tell you honestly whether your experience fits planning, cost, risk, integrated project controls, project management, PMO leadership or head-of-controls work, and what it is worth.