Cost Engineer

Pathfinder L L C • Houston, TX

15h • $80,000 - $150,000

About The Position

The Cost Engineer maintains accurate cost information, identifies emerging trends, and provides reliable forecasts for a Data Center construction program as scopes, schedules, and priorities change. The role explains where money is going, identifies potential overruns before they materialize, and provides management with dependable cost forecasts. The position requires disciplined cost reporting and practical cost control while working with imperfect data and supporting execution across multiple contracts and work packages.

Requirements

• Strong cost engineering or cost control background on large-scale construction, power generation, data center, industrial, or infrastructure projects, including direct work with construction and contractor teams.
• Proven ability to establish and maintain control budgets and track commitments, actuals, and forecasts.
• Clear understanding of the difference between committed costs, actual costs, accruals, and forecast exposure.
• Experience with change management, including change orders, trends, and exposure.
• Advanced Excel skills, including data reconciliation, financial modeling, pivot tables, and large dataset analysis.
• Understanding of the relationship between progress, schedule, productivity, earned value, and cost forecasting.
• Analytical, resourceful, and adaptable.
• Comfortable with evolving scope, imperfect data, and tight deadlines.
• Hands-on ownership and accountability.
• Effective communication and teamwork.
• Ability to move between detailed analysis and concise management reporting.

Nice To Haves

• Omega 365 experience in cost management, commitments, forecasting, or reporting.
• ERP familiarity and cost data reconciliation experience.
• Power BI experience.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain control budgets and track commitments, actual costs, accruals, forecasts, and EAC across multiple contracts and work packages.
• Develop and maintain cost forecasts based on actual expenditure, committed costs, remaining scope, field progress, and anticipated changes.
• Identify, evaluate, and track scope changes, change orders, trends, and potential cost exposure; reconcile changes against approved budgets and forecasts.
• Review contractor cost submissions, validate supporting information, and challenge inconsistencies and unreasonable costs or quantities.
• Reconcile cost data across Omega 365, ERP, and other sources, and investigate and resolve discrepancies.
• Integrate physical progress, schedule performance, productivity, and earned value into cost forecasting.
• Prepare concise management cost reporting and detailed supporting analysis.
• Work with Construction, Contracts, Procurement, Finance, Engineering, Scheduling, and contractor teams.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Education Level: No Education Listed