Cost Controls Manager

Luster National•Los Angeles, CA

1d•$120,000 - $200,000

About The Position

We’re seeking Cost Controls Managers to support large, complex heavy civil infrastructure programs, including highways, roads, bridges, transit (bus and rail), aviation (international airports), and water/wastewater projects delivered through both traditional and alternative delivery methods. You’ll hold the cost position on an assigned program: what the work was budgeted at, what it is forecast to cost now, and what the gap between those two numbers means for funding and delivery decisions. This bank spans managers running cost control on a single program through leaders running the cost function across a portfolio. This post is for future roles and not for a specific opportunity that is available right now. We accept applications and conduct interviews in advance of upcoming hiring needs. When a candidate is selected, their profile is activated in our talent pool for this specialty area. We notify our talent pool candidates first whenever we have a project need.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, accounting, or finance, or related field, or equivalent combination of education and experience.
10+ years of cost control experience for large (>$500M), complex, heavy-civil infrastructure projects.
Experience developing and maintaining program budgets, cost baselines, work breakdown structures, and cost coding on active construction programs.
Experience producing cost forecasts, estimates at completion, cash flow projections, and earned value and variance analysis.
Experience reviewing contractor payment applications, cost reports, and change order pricing against contract terms and verified progress.
Experience leading, supervising, or coordinating cost control staff, including review of their work products and consistency of method between them.
Experience with industry standard program cost management and cost modeling software (e.g., Oracle Unifier, e-Builder, Kahua, Microsoft Excel, etc.).
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite/Office 365 (e.g., Outlook, Teams, Word, PowerPoint, etc.).

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, accounting, or finance.
Active professional certifications such as CCP or EVP (AACE), CCM (CMAA), and/or PMP (PMI).
Experience leading the owner’s cost control function on a program exceeding $1B in construction value.
Experience supporting owner’s representative, program management, or construction management assignments on transportation, transit, aviation, or water and wastewater programs.
Experience setting contingency and management reserve policy on a multi-year capital program, including drawdown tracking and replenishment decisions.
Experience defending program cost reporting in grant, funding agency, or oversight reviews, including reconciliation against the owner’s enterprise financial systems.
Proficiency with Microsoft Power BI, Oracle Cloud Analytics, or other dashboard KPI reporting software.

Responsibilities

Develop and maintain the cost baseline for an assigned program, including budget structure, work breakdown and cost coding, and the change control workflow that keeps the baseline current.
Produce monthly cost forecasts, estimates at completion, and cash flow projections, and explain the variance against the approved budget in terms the program can act on.
Review payment applications, cost reports, and invoices against contract terms, verified progress, and the approved schedule of values, then recommend approval or adjustment.
Evaluate change order and claim pricing for cost reasonableness, and track the cost exposure of pending changes so the program sees the number before it is committed.
Monitor contingency and management reserve, track drawdown against the program’s remaining risk, and recommend when contingency is released, held, or replenished.
Analyze earned value and cost performance data across contracts, and flag adverse trends early enough that corrective action is still available.
May lead monthly cost reviews with program leadership, including cost reports, trend analysis, and scenario models that support funding and delivery decisions.
Coordinate with finance and accounting groups and with the scheduling, estimating, risk, and contract administration teams so budget, commitment, and expenditure data reconcile across systems.
Prepare cost reporting and audit documentation for local, regional, state, and federal funding agencies, and maintain the audit trail behind every reported number.
May lead and develop cost control analysts and specialists, including review of their work products and consistency of method from one contract to the next.
Coordinate with construction management and discipline leads on the cost drivers behind each contract’s forecast.

Benefits

Unlimited flexible time off
Paid holidays
Paid parental leave
Health, dental, and vision insurance
Flexible spending accounts (healthcare and dependent or elder care)
Long-term disability insurance
Short-term disability insurance
Life insurance and accidental death and dismemberment
401(k) plan with guaranteed employer contribution
Formal career planning and development program
$2,500 annually toward professional development
Wellness program with monthly wellness stipend
Company cell phone or cell phone plan reimbursement
Free personalized meal planning and nutrition support with a registered dietitian
Free personal financial planning services
Employee assistance program
Employee discounts
Employee referral bonus