Cost Controls Manager

Luster National•Los Angeles, CA

About The Position

Luster is building a talent pool of Cost Controls Managers for future roles supporting large, complex heavy civil infrastructure programs. These programs may include highways, roads, bridges, bus and rail transit, international airports, and water/wastewater projects delivered through traditional and alternative delivery methods. The role holds the cost position for an assigned program, tracking the approved budget, current cost forecast, and implications of variances for funding and delivery decisions. The talent pool includes roles ranging from managing cost control on a single program to leading the cost function across a portfolio. This posting is for future opportunities, not a currently available specific position; qualified talent pool candidates will be notified first when a project need arises. The Cost Controls Manager develops and maintains program cost baselines, produces forecasts and cost analyses, evaluates payment applications and changes, monitors contingency and reserves, and prepares cost reporting and audit documentation. The role collaborates with program leadership, finance and accounting, scheduling, estimating, risk, contract administration, construction management, and discipline leads. Depending on the assignment, the manager may lead cost reviews and supervise or develop cost control analysts and specialists. The minimum qualifications include a bachelor’s degree in a related field or an equivalent combination of education and experience, along with at least 10 years of cost control experience on large, complex heavy-civil infrastructure projects. The expected salary range is $120,000–$200,000 per year ($58–$96 per hour), with compensation dependent on factors including experience, skills, education, certifications, and geographic location.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, civil engineering, accounting, finance, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
At least 10 years of cost control experience for large (greater than $500 million), 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 analyses.
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 reviewing work products and maintaining consistency of methods.
Experience with industry-standard program cost management and cost modeling software, such as Oracle Unifier, e-Builder, Kahua, or Microsoft Excel.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite/Office 365, including applications such as Outlook, Teams, Word, and PowerPoint.
Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
Excellent multitasking and organizational skills.
Collaborative mindset that fosters teamwork, trust, and positive relationships.
Curiosity, problem-solving ability, and commitment to continuous improvement.

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 $1 billion 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 program cost baseline, including budget structure, work breakdown, cost coding, and baseline change-control workflow.
Produce monthly cost forecasts, estimates at completion, and cash flow projections; explain variances against the approved budget in actionable terms.
Review payment applications, cost reports, and invoices against contract terms, verified progress, and the approved schedule of values; recommend approval or adjustment.
Evaluate change order and claim pricing for cost reasonableness, and track the cost exposure of pending changes.
Monitor contingency and management reserve, track drawdown against remaining program risk, and recommend whether contingency should be released, held, or replenished.
Analyze earned value and cost performance data across contracts, and flag adverse trends early enough to enable corrective action.
As applicable, lead monthly cost reviews with program leadership, including cost reports, trend analysis, and scenario models supporting funding and delivery decisions.
Coordinate with finance and accounting and with scheduling, estimating, risk, and contract administration teams to reconcile budget, commitment, and expenditure data across systems.
Prepare cost reporting and audit documentation for local, regional, state, and federal funding agencies, and maintain the audit trail for reported figures.
As applicable, lead and develop cost control analysts and specialists, review their work products, and promote consistency of methods across contracts.
Coordinate with construction management and discipline leads on the cost drivers underlying each contract’s forecast.