Lead Cost Engineer

Job Title: Lead Cost Engineer

4/1 Rotation to Engineering office in New Orleans, LA.

Job Overview: We are seeking a skilled Lead Cost Engineer to provide essential support to our Engineering and Construction teams. Reporting to the Project Controls Manager, you will be responsible for cost and schedule analysis, reporting, and other project control functions. The role includes preparing and analyzing reports, identifying trends, assessing risks, and supporting project forecasts. You’ll work closely with various teams to ensure projects remain on schedule and within budget.

Key Responsibilities:

• Validate reported project progress against established credit rules by conducting spot checks on design documents and construction progress. Regularly update progress measurement processes for required scopes of work.
• Review contractor schedules to ensure accuracy and alignment with the master schedule. Validate that construction timelines meet project milestones and comply with design documents.
• Assist in managing project changes, maintaining change logs, and reporting updates via the company’s Change Management System.
• Compile weekly, monthly, and quarterly project reports, ensuring timely and accurate submissions.
• Identify and document out-of-scope changes and quantity variances based on material take-offs (MTOs) from design documents.
• Review and process engineering submittals, track progress, and coordinate approvals with the project manager and relevant stakeholders.
• Assess the impact of design or construction changes on cost and schedule, evaluating RFIs and differing site conditions for potential project impacts.
• Work closely with the project controls team to resolve control issues, offering innovative solutions and alternatives where necessary.
• Analyze and forecast project status against the established baseline schedule for complex scopes of work, proposing corrective actions where needed.
• Estimate material, equipment, and labor costs to validate project estimates, change orders, and scope changes. Prepare estimates for minor scopes of work for review.
• Collaborate with engineering, procurement, and construction teams to ensure adherence to scope, safety, and quality standards.
• Assist with project planning by analyzing survey reports, maps, drawings, blueprints, and other data.
• Audit contractor equipment logs, time sheets, supplier invoices, and contracts to verify equipment and personnel usage as specified.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Project Controls Manager.

Job Scope:

• Nature of Work

  Engages in moderately complex project control tasks, often implementing solutions in consultation with the project controls team.

  
  

• Interaction

  Collaborates within the department, with interactions across multiple teams and external stakeholders.

  
  

• Autonomy

  Operates with limited supervision, with some latitude to set priorities and timelines within assigned tasks.

  
  

• Budget Responsibility

  None.

  
  

• Managerial Responsibility

  Does not manage people, functions, or programs.

  
  

Qualifications:

• Education/Experience
• High School diploma or GED with 12 years of experience in engineering, construction, project controls, or a business-related field OR
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business, or related fields with 6–8 years of experience in project controls.
• Proficiency in ERP systems such as SAP, P6, and EcoSys.

Preferred Skills:

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to multi-task effectively in a fast-paced project environment.
• Understanding of accounting functions and systems.
• Experience in cost control, including project estimating, forecasting, and cost management.

Additional Preferred Qualifications:

• Construction experience, with the ability to maintain awareness of occupational hazards and safety precautions in a construction environment.
• Experience working on mining and/or heavy industrial construction projects