Director - Project Governance, Controls & Project Intake

We're committed to being the clean energy leader in Louisiana. By investing in renewables likesolar and utilizing carbon capture and sequestration technology to make our air cleaner, we're in this for the long haul, because our state and future generations depend on it. Come be a part of our journey at Cleco where we're Energizing Your Tomorrow.

The Director - Project Governance, Controls & Project Intake has the overall management and operational responsibility for the Central Project Management Office. This position will interface and collaborate with Business Unit and Departmental leadership across the organization while setting the overall charter and responsibilities of the CPMO to ensure adequate estimates, contingency, and schedules, are established for each large capital project. In addition, ensures the CPMO manages the intake of large capital project proposals as well as prioritizing and managing a pool of projects for potential acceleration to help facilitate levelized annual capital spend. Additionally, they will often represent the CPMO in any ongoing initiatives within the company (e.g. the EAM initiative, Finance/Accounting initiatives that affect projects and controls, etc.). The Director - Project Governance & Controls is invariably responsible for the monitoring, control, and oversight of all large Capital projects.

Key Responsibilities

• Champions a corporate culture that emphasizes transparency, integrity, safety, environmental responsibility, employee development, diversity and inclusion, customer service, and operational excellence
• Works with the VP of Engineering, Construction, and Project Management to define the project control strategy and lead the continual refinement of the project management methodology (playbook) to develop standards and tools that drive and facilitate the continued, successful delivery of projects.
• Provide overall leadership for the CPMO, giving direction to the organization's strategic objectives, having responsibility for successful delivery of large capital projects, management of cost resources, project governance, project scheduling, risk and contingency management, evaluation of project successes and obstacles, and ensuring project compliance with the playbook.
• Set overall charter for the CPMO and ensure team structure and goals align with the strategy and charter set out
• Represent the CPMO in corporate wide or cross departmental initiatives by interfacing and collaborating with key functional leadership from other business units and departments to ensure that the goals and strategy of the CPMO are aligned with initiatives across the organization.
• Accountable for large capital project cost management activities related to the development of cost estimates, monthly updates of estimate at complete, development and update of contingency and management reserves, adherence to month end accounting and quarterly budget cash flow schedules, tracking and analysis of project costs, maintenance of work breakdown structures and development of project chart of accounts, and financial project cost closeout.
• Accountable for large capital project cost management process to ensure all corporate planning and budget deadlines are met by maintaining collaborative relationships with accounting and finance teams and ensures ECPMs processes are aligned to support the corporate timeline.
• Accountable for managing the large capital project intake process through Gate 1 approval.
• Accountable for maintaining candidate pool of large capital projects that can be accelerated as need to help levelized annual capital spend.
• Responsible for ensuring team strives to achieve World Class Safety Performance by maintaining a safe working environment for employees and contractors, complying with all safety rules, procedures, and regulations, and creating a culture of safety in the workplace and jobsite.
• Provides team members with individual and group development opportunities including training, performance planning, feedback and appraisals and general performance management.
• Be fully engaged in PM accountability meetings by asking pertinent questions that enable better understanding for the PM and the group.
• Provide and facilitate governance frameworks to ensure proper emphasis on up front project planning and to ensure that appropriate funding controls are in place
• Ensure consistency in application of the Playbook process with appropriate standards to manage scope, quality, budgeting, resources, and risk
• Establish systems for tracking and reporting, including schedule, budget, change notices, and relevant project deliverables
• Optimize project delivery by eliminating the duplication of efforts, providing support materials and templates to facilitate consistent project delivery
• Ensures that ECPM and other areas using the project delivery system adhere to the governance and controls established in the Project Playbook.
• Accountable for the training and coaching of EPCM personnel and external stakeholders in the Playbook process, procedures, and templates
• Oversee, manage and maintain accountability for all functional P&L targets and overall operating budget.

Qualifications

Required Education, Skills & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering from an ABET approved curriculum or Bachelor's Degree in Engineering with certification by the NCEES to sit for the FE exam, Engineering Technology, Construction Management, Finance, Accounting, Business Management or related field
• 10+ years of related experience
• 5+ years people management experience
• Experience and ability to lead staff across projects towards a common vision
• Strong knowledge of leading practices for their practice area
• Strong interpersonal, communications, negotiation, writing, speaking, and listening skills
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills to interpret business, workforce and KPIs/metrics into actionable insights and decision making
• Ability to exercise sound judgment with little direction/guidance but also knows when to escalate issues to their Vice President
• Proficient at functioning effectively within a team environment, present ideas and opinions in a respective and collegial manner
• Ability to negotiate and influence with a consultative approach
• Progression to this level is strictly restricted on the basis of critical individual capabilities and business requirement
• Excel at delivering change management to ensure the change is sustainable and the benefits are realized

Licenses and Certifications

• PPM, CPA, or MBA preferred

Primary Competencies (to view competency definitions please refer to "Competency Framework Definitions- Proficiency Contributing Strategically")

BEHAVIORAL

• Attracts top talent
• Balances stakeholders
• Builds effective teams
• Business insight
• Communicates effectively
• Courage
• Demonstrates self-awareness
• Develops talent
• Drives Results
• Drives vision and purpose
• Ensures Accountability
• Instills trust
• Nimble learning
• Plans and Aligns
• Strategic mindset
• Safety

May perform other duties as assigned.

Salary dependent on experience, skills, education, and training.