Cost Engineer
USA, Houston
Fulltime: 40 hrs a week
Experience: 6-9 Years
Conventional Energy
Introduction
We are seeking a skilled and detail-oriented Cost Engineer to join our team. In this key role, you will develop, monitor, and forecast costs for global capital projects. Acting as a central source of financial insight, you'll provide analysis to project managers and leadership to support informed decisions and ensure projects stay within budget.
What are you going to do
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Develop, implement, and maintain project Work Breakdown Structures (WBS) and Cost Breakdown Structures (CBS) in alignment with the project scope and schedule.
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Establish and manage project cost baselines, ensuring accurate tracking against approved budgets and funding.
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Perform monthly cost forecasting, analysis, and reporting, identifying trends, variances, and potential exposures.
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Process, track, and analyze project commitments, expenditures, and cash flow, ensuring accurate cost accruals.
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Liaise with engineering, procurement, construction, and finance teams globally to validate costs and incorporate latest forecasts.
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Prepare and present detailed cost reports, dashboards, and performance metrics (CPI, TCPI, VAC) for weekly and monthly project reviews.
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Support the change management process by evaluating the cost impact of variations and trends, and maintaining the project change log.
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Review and validate contractor and vendor invoices for accuracy against contracts and purchase orders.
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Ensure compliance with the company's project controls procedures and financial governance standards across all assigned projects.
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Contribute to the continuous improvement of cost engineering standards and tools within the Central Functions team.
Essential skills and knowledge
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Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Finance, or a related field.
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A minimum of 5-7 years of experience as a Cost Engineer, Cost Controller, or in a similar project controls role, preferably within the oil & gas, energy, or major infrastructure sectors.
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Demonstrable experience managing costs for large-scale, multi-million dollar EPC/EPCM projects.
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Required: Expert-level proficiency in Microsoft Excel and experience with major cost management software (e.g., EcoSys, SAP, Oracle Primavera Unifier).
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Strong understanding of project management principles, accounting fundamentals, and earned value management (EVM).
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Experience with project scheduling and an understanding of the integration between cost and schedule.
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Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and numerical skills with a high degree of accuracy.
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Superior communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to present complex cost data to all levels of management.