Senior/Lead Digital Project Cost Analyst

Ameren • Saint Louis, MO

4d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Senior/Lead Digital Project Cost Analyst validates initial project cost estimates and identifies, understands, communicates, and performs cost reforecasting throughout the project lifecycle. The position supports accurate tracking, recording, and explanation of project financials and builds relationships with Digital leadership, Financial Services, Plant Accounting, the Digital PMO, and Digital Capital Planning.

The analyst leads the project work order process, supports project scoping and long-term business planning, develops execution-readiness tools, and provides cost-estimating, capitalization, and scope expertise during pre-execution project health checks. For investments requiring additional oversight, the analyst coordinates costs with project schedules.

Responsibilities also include monthly spend analysis and forecasting, coordinating correcting entries, improving forecasting processes, validating contingency assumptions, explaining variances, and recommending financial forecasting and spending actions to Digital and business leaders. The role collaborates with stakeholders to improve project cost estimating and tracking tools and processes, including capital and O&M costs, overhead, labor, construction estimates, retirement and salvage costs, tax implications, and contingency assumptions.

The role is offered at Senior or Lead level; career level and compensation depend on the applicant’s credentials. The stated compensation range is $90,500 to $147,700, with possible annual incentive payments based on individual and company performance. The position is hybrid, as indicated by the posting’s #LI-Hybrid designation.

Requirements

• For the Senior level: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field from an accredited university.
• For the Lead level: Bachelor’s degree required; a degree in Accounting, Business, Finance, Economics, Engineering, Computer Science, or a related field is preferred.
• For the Senior level: Five or more years of relevant professional experience in areas such as accounting, financial reporting, analysis or modeling, cost modeling, project management, or business planning.
• For the Lead level: Seven or more years of relevant professional experience in areas such as accounting, financial reporting, analysis or modeling, cost modeling, project management, or business planning.
• Detailed understanding of capital planning, corporate finance, forecasting, and investment concepts, practices, and methods.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, decision-making, strategic-thinking, and planning skills.
• High level of accuracy and attention to detail.
• Initiative and ability to collaborate.
• Project and vendor management skills.

Nice To Haves

• CPA, CFA, MBA, or similar advanced degree in business, finance, or economics.
• Experience in IT/technology and financial planning.
• Advanced financial, statistical, and quantitative modeling skills.
• Strong business acumen and ability to see the big picture.
• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and interpersonal skills.
• Experience with financial applications such as UIP, PCM, Primavera, PowerPlant, and API.

Responsibilities

• Build and maintain strong relationships with Digital leadership, Financial Services, Plant Accounting, the Digital PMO, and Digital Capital Planning.
• Lead the project work order process, ensuring business cases are thorough and accurate, accounting guidelines are appropriately applied, business segments align to cost allocation, and work order approval documentation is prepared.
• Participate in long-term business planning integrating Digital strategy, emerging business-line needs, and financial goals.
• Support stakeholder meetings to define initial project scope.
• Develop and use execution-readiness tools, such as detailed resource plans and variance reports.
• Participate in Project Manager-led pre-execution project health checks, providing subject-matter expertise on complex estimating issues, estimating, capitalization, and scope identification.
• For investments qualifying for additional oversight, work with project schedulers to align costs with the project plan.
• Analyze prior-month spending monthly and reforecast future spending; coordinate with Financial Services and project teams on correcting entries as needed.
• Establish and lead project-team sub-processes to improve forecast accuracy, such as monitoring actual versus projected hours for investments of $20 million or more.
• Work with internal subject-matter experts to validate and update contingency assumptions throughout the project lifecycle.
• Understand and report variances between actual and forecasted spending.
• Support recommendations to Digital and business leaders regarding financial forecasts and actual spending.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure they have tools and reports to support effective project cost estimating and tracking.
• Provide feedback to improve estimating processes covering capital and O&M costs, overhead, labor analysis, Additional Funds Under Construction estimates, retirement costs, salvage, tax implications, and contingency assumptions where applicable.

Benefits

• Medical coverage starting on date of hire.
• 100% employer-paid cash balance pension plan.
• 401(k) with company match, fully vested on date of hire.
• At least 15 days of paid vacation and 12 paid holidays.
• Paid parental leave and family caregiver leave.
• Annual incentive payments based on individual and company performance may be available.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior