Hytham Alakhal
London
Summary
Strategic project controls professional with over 15 years of international experience in delivering complex programmes through integrated project controls and advanced analytics. Skilled in leading PMO functions, assessing organisational maturity, and implementing standardised processes to improve efficiency and compliance. Committed to building high-performing teams and cultivating stakeholder relationships to enhance accountability and drive continuous improvement.
Overview
9
9
Certification
16
16
years of professional experience
Work History
Senior Project Controls Manager
Turner & Townsend - HS2
01.2023 - Current
- Managed, monitored, and controlled over £1M per day to maintain programme progress and performance, adjusting plans and resources to achieve objectives.
- Achieved desired results by monitoring programme progress, anticipating potential bottlenecks and implementing preventative action.
- Analysed and validated data to publish KPI & EV reports with performance insights review.
- Developed monitoring for integrated baseline review and project management plan across dimensions.
- Manage programme incentive, strategic, and tactical milestones.
- Coordinated corrective actions across schedule, cost, risk, and finance teams to ensure project adherence to timelines and budgets.
- Facilitated communication between programme stakeholders, resolved conflicts, and aligned project objectives with organisational strategy to ensure strategic goal alignment.
- Led risk reduction meeting follow-ups with commercial team on outcomes, helping to mitigate the risk timeline exposure & value impacts by addressing value engineering alternatives.
- Developed change control processes and chaired project-level change forums, enhancing clarity in decision-making and accountability.
- Managed change documentation through governance processes and panel discussions for clarity.
- Managed periodic reporting cycle coordination, compliance checks, and community sharing.
- Built Power BI intelligent reports for timely senior decision-making outputs.
- Managed control room screens with weekly performance and milestone updates.
- Facilitated executive workshops to refine control analytics methods and close gaps.
- Directed the onboarding and training of new project team members, enhancing team capabilities.
- Built strong relations with supply chain to optimise cost savings and ensure timely pre-construction completion.
- Acted as first point of call for queries around deliverables and problem solving to maintain smooth running operations.
- Analysed project outcomes and lessons learned to drive continuous improvement in future initiatives.
- Manage trends pipelines from draft to CE implementation stages, addressing associated risk with CEs
- Led first HS2 contract closeout handover processes - largest infrastructure programme in Europe (Done Done Approach - Clear handover) within key dates.
Project Controls Manager
Skanska UK
01.2021 - 01.2023
- Conducting EVA activities and working with the commercial team & QS team to ensure that the EVA and cost systems correlate and that the combined monthly reporting is accurate.
- Controlling Project costs (£1M daily) for a portfolio of project assets. Managing the impact of trends (CEs – Budget Transfer – Risk drawdown) and identifying and reporting changes in expected cost for project scope – Built up Forecast (BuF).
- Invented a new KPI (quantity SPI(q)) for tracking the performance of the project construction quantities (materials & non-labours).
- Monitoring & attending the scheduled review meetings to track the scheduled progress, delay analysis, impact, root causes, and mitigation plan.
- Managing the monthly financial review & KPI's reporting deadlines for area central (23 assets – construction sites).
- Working with the team to ensure an accurate EAC (actuals & forecast).
- Conducting monthly forecasting of spending profiles across projects, reflecting the execution in line with the project plan.
- Conducting monthly Project actual cost work performed (ACWP), estimate to complete (ETC), reviewing monthly forecast accuracy to validate total project cost (EAC), and presenting to the broader management team.
- Established dynamic dashboards in Excel and Power BI that meet the client's expectations and make it easy to explore the root causes for any changes in the project KPI.
- Publishing a weekly project progress brief by attending all assets (construction sites) collaborative meetings to gather construction sites (assets).
- Participating with the risk project team to identify the EWN (early warning notice) qualitatively and quantitatively to address issues and enhance opportunities.
- Ensure that client reporting requirements are always met and that reporting is accurate.
- Conducting detailed delays & schedule analysis reports identifying the root causes.
- SCS (Skanska - Costain - Strabag), HS2 Project, UK
Project Controls Consultant
PTS World
01.2016 - 01.2021
- I analyzed the project scope and defined the constraints and milestones to establish a healthy schedule and accurate costs.
- We defined the project cost elements: cost control accounts, codes, and a cost breakdown based on project work packages and activities.
- Prepared the project's KPIs, critical path status, milestones, EVM, and material supplies to confirm the project was on track & mitigate delays, and apply any required preventive actions.
- Defined and evaluated the interaction or detections between different activities and across various disciplines to solve the conflict (from schedule & method statement perspectives).
- Reviewed the project delay analysis (reasons) and recovery plan with the management team to confirm the project status and get approval for a recovery plan, corrective actions, and defect repairs.
- Defined qualitative & quantitative risk analysis, identification, and risk response plan, and tracked the progress of risk response plan.
- Managed and monitored the project cash flow in & out.
- Enhanced the cost & schedule management tools, techniques, and processes and applied innovative cost techniques to comply with the project conditions & environment.
- Delivered periodical project progress reports such as cost progress reports, schedule progress reports, and delay analysis reports using presentation software.
- Used Bower BI to present project progress.
- Reviewed the changes request & their processes and confirmed they avoid the scope creep for the projects, comply with the project objectives & goals, and meet the client's delivery requirements.
- Reviewed subcontractors' progress payment invoices, holdback, and final payment requests, as long as they reviewed their performances periodically to ensure they were on track and to fast corrective action for any adverse risk.
- Maintained a comprehensive project cost information system for financial tracking.
- Prepared and coordinated progress applications and invoices with the commercial team for project owners.
- Evaluated alternative solutions to avoid, transfer, or mitigate risks or issues and enhance the performance of project constraints.
- Attended & prepared the agenda for the project subcontractor, owner, and consultant meetings.
- Participated in all project teamwork collaboratively to maintain motivation and high manners.
- I provided my teamwork with many courses, seminars, and bits of advice and did sessions for learned lessons.
- Ensured transfer of appropriate project information to the client (Closeout).
- Prepared job completion report (final report) at the project closure.
- Ensured that lessons learned were stored (historical data).
Cost & schedule Controls - PMO
Saudi Ben Laden Group (SBG)
01.2010 - 01.2016
- Developed a PMO that tailored to the organisation's capabilities and strategic goals, enhancing the efficiency and effectiveness of project management.
- Established and maintained project cost information system.
- Developed work breakdown structures and work packages aligned with established cost codes to facilitate accurate project tracking.
- Prepared & monitored the project metrics & measurements to make sure the project was on track.
- Prepared and implemented assistance work plans, manpower plans, and activity schedules to support project execution and resource allocation.
- Prepared the project logs as the issue, risk, & change logs to follow the project progress from different perspectives.
- Prepared weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly projects reports as an approved communication management plan.
- Reviewed & confirmed any change that happened during project execution was to serve the project needs.
- Initiated approved project purchases within the project budget. Approved invoices for project materials based on the purchase order and delivery information.
- Took appropriate action toward price requests, site instructions, work orders, and change requests, and approved as per the project budget & project thresholds.
- Reviewed and verified subcontractors' payment invoices and performance, implementing corrective actions to mitigate risks and ensure project alignment.
- Evaluated alternatives to resolve contentious issues and ensure maintenance of philosophy and policy throughout all project activities.
- Head Office
Education
Advanced Diploma - Comprehensive financial management module that automates, integrates, and streamlines all accounting processes within an organisation
SAP ERP for Accounting
Canada01-2021
Certificate of Higher Education - CORe Business Administration
Harvard Business School
Massachusetts01-2019
Bachelor - Construction Management
Higher Technological Institute
Toronto01-2003
Skills
- Power BI reporting
- Reporting skills
- Cost management
- Project planning
- Earned value analysis
- Risk management
- Process improvement
- Stakeholder communication
- Leadership and teamwork
- Change leadership
- Performance monitoring
- Client focus
- Creative problem solving
- Communication skills
- Relationship-building
- Self-motivated
- Positive attitude
Custom
- Hytham has brought his extensive expertise and knowledge to HS2 and the C1 ALIGN North Project. He has used his knowledge and skill set to proactively develop C1 North reporting through the use of Power BI. This has enabled key decisions to be made by the team to effectively manage the project., Head of Project Controls – HS2, Civil Delivery Directorate Recognition Scheme, 2024-10-01
- Hytham has Great work in developing the handover processes and converting this complicated process into a digestible meaningful management set of reports that are now being used by HS2 and ALIGN JV, Head of Project Controls - HS2, Civil Delivery Directorate Recognition Scheme, 2025-09-01
Languages
English
Advanced
C1
Arabic
Proficient
C2
Certification
- Chartered CIOB
- PMP Certified
- RMP Certified
- P3O Certified
- Lean Six Sigma Certified
- P. Eng Certified, Canada
- Agile Project Management Certified
- Enterprise Architecture Certified
- Advanced Project Management Certified
Interests
- Traveling
- Gardening
Timeline
Senior Project Controls Manager
Turner & Townsend - HS2
01.2023 - Current
Project Controls Manager
Skanska UK
01.2021 - 01.2023
Project Controls Consultant
PTS World
01.2016 - 01.2021
Cost & schedule Controls - PMO
Saudi Ben Laden Group (SBG)
01.2010 - 01.2016
Advanced Diploma - Comprehensive financial management module that automates, integrates, and streamlines all accounting processes within an organisation
SAP ERP for Accounting
Certificate of Higher Education - CORe Business Administration
Harvard Business School
Bachelor - Construction Management
Higher Technological Institute