Director, LinkUS Program Controls

Director, LinkUS Program Controls

Central Ohio Transit Authority (COTA) — Salary: $ – $

Location:

33 N. High St. Columbus, OH 43215

• Medical, Vision, Dental, Supplemental and Life Insurance
• Paid Parental Leave
• Employee Discounts
• COTA Bus Pass
• Wellness Initiatives
• On-Site Chair Massage
• On-Site Health Coach
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Student Loan Repayment Program
• Public Pension through OPERS & Ohio Deferred Compensation

The Director, LinkUS Program Controls provides strategic leadership in the development, implementation, and oversight of comprehensive program-level controls, including cost management, schedule adherence, risk mitigation, and performance measurement. This role ensures the successful delivery of multiple high-capacity transit corridor projects funded through the LinkUS initiative by driving consistency, accountability, and data‑driven decision‑making across all program elements. Perform other duties in alignment with the COTA Strategic Plan and in support of the organization’s vision to Move Every Life Forward.

• Lead the development and implementation of program-level control systems to support corridor planning, design, right-of-way (ROW) acquisition, utility coordination, procurement and construction.
• Implement and maintain program controls tools (e.g., Primavera P6, SAP, Oracle, Unifier, e-Builder, Procore), coordinate data across design, procurement, and construction teams.
• Lead a centralized controls team and coordinate closely with corridor-level project controls, finance, procurement, risk management, and executive leadership.
• Manage budgeting and financial controls for the LinkUS Program, providing leadership through planning, design, and capital delivery phases.
• Ensure integration of cost controls, schedule management, and earned value analysis to support effective project delivery and performance.
• Monitor progress against approved baselines and oversee the tracking and analysis of change orders and cost variances across the LinkUS program.
• Lead the identification and assessment of program risks, develop and maintain contingency budgets, and facilitate risk workshops, including FTA OP40-style reviews.
• Evaluate potential impacts and advise executive leadership on mitigation strategies to minimize risk exposure and ensure program success.
• Establish key performance indicators (KPIs), including cost-to-complete, schedule adherence, estimate at completion (EAC), and risk exposure. Develop and deliver monthly and quarterly performance dashboards.
• Deliver training and ongoing support to project teams to ensure consistent application of controls standards.
• Provide leadership to assigned COTA staff and project teams, as needed.
• Collaborate with the FTA regional office to support Small Starts and New Starts funding applications. Assist in ensuring compliance with FTA requirements and help substantiate cost estimates and contingency levels.

• Requires a bachelor's degree in business administration, finance or a related field and a minimum of five to seven (5‑7) years’ experience managing program controls in large-scale infrastructure (preferably transit) projects. Experience integrating cost, schedule, and risk at capital program level required.
• PMP/EV certification preferred.

COTA is an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. All employment decisions are based on job needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, color, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, age, genetic information, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Director

Full‑time

Management and Manufacturing

Transportation/Trucking/Railroad