Ray Zahir
Escondido,CA
Summary
Dynamic Project Management Professional with over 10 years of experience in transportation, engineering EPC, and utilities construction capital projects. Demonstrates a strong foundation in specialized tasks and a proven track record of delivering results through targeted initiatives. Exceptional at implementing effective strategies that enhance operational efficiency while aligning with team objectives. Recognized for strong problem-solving abilities and adept project management skills, driving projects to successful completion on time and within budget. Committed to fostering collaboration and innovation to achieve organizational goals.
Overview
14
14
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Project Control Analyst (Contractor)
SAN DIEGO GAS & ELECTRIC
01.2022 - 07.2025
- Overseeing the company’s procurement projects from initiation to completion.
- Coordinated project timelines and deliverables to ensure alignment with operational goals.
- Develop and manage procurement plans for projects, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
- Overseeing the company’s procurement projects from initiation to completion
- Assisted in implementing process improvements to enhance project efficiency and accuracy.
- Develop and manage procurement plans for projects, ensuring alignment with organizational objectives.
- Utilize procurement software to manage and track projects (SAP, Procore, GIS, Primavera P6, DCMS).
- Assisting in responsibilities related to cost control, budget control, data management, reporting, and the project control system.
- Identifying best practices and coordinating the development and implementation of project control tools and procedures to support these best practices.
- Performing hands-on, detailed analysis and validation of data to ensure accuracy and reasonableness.
- Organizing program and project-level performance data to enable timely and accurate reports.
- Develop dashboards using Power BI and Tableau to display metrics and reports so that accurate and timely information can be provided to management and stakeholders.
- Managing subcontractors and reports for regulatory agencies.
- Developing new programs and project control processes and procedures related to budgets, estimates, schedules, and the roll-up of program information.
- Reviews proposed project budget and scope changes for proper justification and documentation.
- Troubleshooting project-specific budget, scope, schedule, funding, or documentation issues while working with other divisions, branches, or departments.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to streamline reporting processes and improve data accuracy.
- Evaluated the effectiveness of existing controls, recommending adjustments as needed to ensure continued compliance with regulations.
Project Execution Specialist (Contractor)
PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC
01.2019 - 11.2021
- Prepare various monthly and weekly project management reports, and report performance reports to the management group, including scorecards.
- Ensure the quality of reports for the department, to report out to stakeholders.
- Validate weekly and monthly data sets.
- May provide support to project manager(s) as necessary.
- Fulfill ad-hoc requests for cost-related data analysis.
- Participate in (or lead) various process improvement initiatives within Project Management.
- Verify that project costs and schedule milestones were or were not attained, and provide input to identify future process or business improvements, and work with responsible parties to implement.
- Manage orders from inception through completion, and ensure all required documentation is entered in the current software system.
- Resolve all open items, ensure compliance requirements are met, and settlement rules are entered, and close out the order.
- Maintain scope change, contingency release, change order, and journal entry logs.
- Maintain written and electronic project documentation and records for the required aspects of the project: Maintain project files in accordance with established guidelines and requirements (e.g., utilizing the electronic document management system).
- Document change order requests, project status, key issues, risks and resolutions, priority changes, and approvals.
- Provide the Project Manager with a monthly report of project costs and/or schedule information, including variance analysis, according to an agreed-upon level of detail and prioritization.
- Provide project team members with a current status report containing schedule and cost information. Comply with Utility Operations Policies, Standards, and Guidelines.
- In coordination with the Project Manager, develop the project schedule and cash flow/forecast plans with input from the functional department.
- Attend project and job kickoff, and walk-down meetings.
- Create, maintain, and update Primavera P6 schedules.
- Document, monitor, and communicate project milestones and risks with appropriate stakeholders.
- Participate in project status meetings, collect progress data, and revise the project plan as needed.
- Optimized work readiness with effective gathering of parts and supplies in alignment with specifications.
Senior IMS Scheduler
Cubic Transportation Systems
01.2016 - 01.2019
- Coordinated schedules for transportation project timelines and deliverables.
- Managed resource allocation to optimize operational efficiency.
- Facilitated communication between project teams and stakeholders to ensure alignment.
- Analyzed workflow processes to identify improvement opportunities in scheduling practices.
- Reviews contractual requirements to ensure that all essential labor and non-labor elements are captured in the development of the schedule. (Including material, travel, and subcontractor costs.)
- Interfaces directly with Program Managers, functional managers, and other support personnel to develop fully integrated and detailed baseline plans and schedules with interrelationships for all program tasks.
- Utilizes Gantt and Critical Path Method (CPM) network schedule techniques, utilizing Primavera (P6) scheduling software.
- Establishes a program baseline from the detailed schedules and implements performance measurement reporting.
- Develops and maintains Cost Schedule Status Reports (CSSR).
- Prepares and executes the load of the data files being synchronized between the schedule and SAP.
- Performs variance, trend, and 'what if' analysis, and develops any necessary corrective action, workarounds, or recovery plans as required.
Senior Project Control Specialist
RAIL PROS
09.2013 - 01.2016
- Support and coordinate project management through analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills on various construction, infrastructure, utilities, and design projects.
- Develop budgets and schedules to conform to project requirements.
- Generate purchase requests and vendor paperwork in assigned projects.
- Support monthly financial projections by analyzing consultants, employees, and subcontracted labor.
- Develop and maintain management plans as per contract guidelines.
- Coordinate and compile input from team members, and various weekly reports.
- Develop a work breakdown structure, and prepare diagrams, graphs, and charts to analyze problems.
- Guide, supervise, support, train, and conduct quality control.
- Support senior staff, and ensure satisfaction of project milestones and customer requirements.
- Develop a business architecture project schedule as per established customer requirements.
- Describe the enterprise's primary business functions, and determine the stakeholders.
- Define organization and function, transcending support, core, and strategic processes.
- Monitor project execution to achieve maximum effectiveness for international and domestic projects.
- Oversee and report performance and progress through analytical techniques to validate cost and performance.
- Minimize company commercial risk through the accountability of major project decisions.
- Perform resource loading of a schedule.
- Develop an earned value tracking document.
- Retrieve, review, and distribute pre-programmed scheduling reports from P6, along with back-up documentation.
- Integrate data from one program to another. Assist with quality checks and inspections on project controls deliverables.
- Monitored compliance with safety regulations and industry standards.
Project Control Analyst
ASEC Engineering
02.2011 - 09.2013
- Analyzed project data to support budgeting and forecasting processes.
- Assisted in developing and maintaining project schedules using advanced scheduling software.
- Collaborated with cross-functional teams to identify risks and implement mitigation strategies.
- Monitored project performance metrics and ensured compliance with established standards.
- Coordinated SDG&E transmission and designed projects from start to finish.
- Audited and followed up on various projects during distinct phases.
- Utilized Smartsheet for project tracking from initiation to closing, and utilized Smartsheet for reporting of KPIs and the status of the project.
- Documented workflow processes utilizing MS Visio for new hire training.
- Set up new processes for document and data flow.
- Utilizing SharePoint for document deliverables, RFI submission, collaboration, training, and archiving.
- Learned new tools and processes to stay abreast of ever-changing project demands.
- Created invoices, billing, generated work orders, and job transmittals, and performed finance management aspects of projects.
- Coordinated, created, and submitted the permit, environmental, and ALM.
- Scheduled and forecasted deliverables for the client.
- Submitted materials and civil structure documents to third-party vendors.
- Coordinated with third-party construction crews on progress and ad hoc changes.
- Provided weekly project updates for various KPIs for clients and vendors.
- Led progress meetings with clients and engineers, discussed pending RFIs and issues.
- Conducted variance analysis to identify discrepancies between planned and actual performance.
- Supported process improvements by documenting best practices and lessons learned from projects.
- Demonstrated strong analytical capabilities by quickly troubleshooting issues as they arose, mitigating potential impacts on timelines or budgets.
- Provided insightful data analysis for informed decision-making, enabling successful project outcomes.
Education
Master of Science - Management Science
Durham University
United Kingdom01.2004
Bachelor of Science - Management and Information Technology
SZABIST
United Kingdom01.2000
Skills
- Project oversight
- Project timeline management
- Delay Analysis
- Financial monitoring
- Project management controls
- Project management in construction
- Primavera P6 proficiency
- Proficient in MS Project
- Experience with SAP systems
- Project management for capital initiatives
- Data-driven decision making
- Project scheduling expert
- Earned value management
- Financial oversight
- Continuous process evaluation
- Risk assessment
Websites
Certification
- Project Management Professional Cert.3007467, Valid till: 05-2030
- P6 Fundamentals and Advance certification from Oracle.
Timeline
Project Control Analyst (Contractor)
SAN DIEGO GAS & ELECTRIC
01.2022 - 07.2025
Project Execution Specialist (Contractor)
PACIFIC GAS & ELECTRIC
01.2019 - 11.2021
Senior IMS Scheduler
Cubic Transportation Systems
01.2016 - 01.2019
Senior Project Control Specialist
RAIL PROS
09.2013 - 01.2016
Project Control Analyst
ASEC Engineering
02.2011 - 09.2013
Master of Science - Management Science
Durham University
Bachelor of Science - Management and Information Technology
SZABIST