Lead Cost Specialist

The Lead Project Controls Specialist will be responsible for assisting the Project Managers, Operations Directors, and other project team members with all facets of project cost and schedule execution. Key to this role will be the ability to effectively liaise between Project Management, Project Controls, and Project Accounting regarding both Cost Analysis and Planning/Scheduling functions to ensure appropriate information sharing and risk/performance management. The Lead Project Controls Specialist will be responsible for effectively capturing, tracking, and measuring a broad range of project scheduling, progress, manpower, productivity data, budget, and cost information to satisfy QISG monthly close, and client reporting requirements. This position will be expected to guide and transfer knowledge to junior project controls individuals as needed. Work assignments may include multiple concurrent projects. While not otherwise involved in project-specific work, the Lead Project Controls Specialist will support other project and proposal efforts.The Lead Project Controls Specialist understands both Cost Analysis and Planning/ Scheduling functions and will assume the project controls, cost controls and scheduling responsibilities below.

Job Duties

• Develop or modify Project Controls Execution Plan (PCEP), either in a standalone plan or part of the overall Project Execution Plan (PEP)
• Assist with staff development in project controls processes and procedures
• Adheres to internal standards, policies, and procedures
• Supports internal and external audits
• Responsible for ad hoc requests and inquiries, as required
• Establish, maintain, and update cost control budgets, actuals, and forecasts within QISG cost control system via Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS)
• Prepares, manages, and updates project budgets, budget transfers, through the Prime and Subcontract change management process (including change logs)
• Supporting project change processes by helping to create, review and track project deviation notices and variations
• Manage impact of changes & trends with discipline leads and project management
• Actively manage cost forecast; raise and facilitate the trend process; updates to forecast and cost flow
• Manage Internal Operating Unit (OpU) and 3rd part subcontractor budgets, commitments, actuals and forecasting
• Manage material and equipment vendor budgets, commitments, actuals and forecast, including tracking cancellation clauses
• Developing, reviewing and validating data with discipline leads for cost reporting data, incurred cost, earned value and forecast
• Communicate with project team, receiving regular status and forecast updates
• Quality Control (QC) and analysis of project controls deliverables including Estimate at Completion (EAC) changes
• Develop and maintain professional services staffing plans
• Calculate, explain, and report variances, performance, and other project metrics, including Cost Performance Index (CPI), Schedule Performance Index (SPI), Manpower, Progress and Productivity
• Calculate and explain value of work done and accruals for all aspects of project cost
• Performs change and risk management responsibilities; identifies, documents, and assists with developing mitigation plans
• Calculate and forecast project cost risk values and assess against remaining contingencies and allowances
• Assists in the preparation of Prime Contract progress payment applications
• Review, code, and enter vendor and subcontract invoices, lien waivers, logs, against contract terms, into QISG accounting system
• Assimilate project data for monthly or other frequency customer and internal reports; create reporting graphics and tables using Power BI or other graphical software
• Interface with finance and accounting for understanding and forecasting all revenue and project cost expenditure, revenue recognition, customer invoicing, cash flow and cash calls
• Ability to be solely responsible for all cost analyst duties on a project or portfolio of projects
• Create, update and analyze project engineering, procurement and construction schedules and reports
• Facilitate and guide interactive planning sessions, where key project stakeholders plan and discuss the major project tasks, interaction with other tasks, and the duration and timing of such tasks utilizing Primavera P6 via a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS)
• Review each schedule activity with project stakeholders to confirm logic and duration, including manpower, material delivery and equipment requirements
• Resource load discreet schedule activities, based on estimated hours. Ensure overall discipline task durations are workable and achievable given resource constraints
• Develop and maintain detailed procurement vendor logic schedules
• Incorporate customer activities, milestones etc.
• Develop and issue the project baseline schedule, analysis and basis of schedule document
• Interact with engineering, procurement, construction, customers and project stakeholders for obtaining actual progress. Update project schedule, usually weekly
• Interconnect Primavera P6 schedule activities with EcoSys and progress deliverables in EcoSys
• Analyze schedule updates, review critical path, review schedule performance indicators, review schedule variances from last update and baseline. Recommend corrective actions when necessary
• Incorporate approved project schedule changes into project master schedule
• Accountable for accurate and timely schedule reports, including variance analysis, critical path, schedule adherence summary and detail schedules
• Update, monitor, trend and forecast installed or to-be-installed quantities
• Actively participate in project review meetings, providing clear and accurate schedule assessment. Provide proactive advice to drive successful project completion
• Ability to work schedule and organize multiple projects within a portfolio or program
• Responsible for all planning and scheduling duties on a project, portfolio of project or program
• Create and maintain alternate schedule data or information reporting, using Power BI or other graphical reporting method
• Perform schedule what if scenarios and analysis
• Evaluate schedule health using Acumen Fuse
• Develop the basis and perform schedule risk analysis

Required Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business or related field; or extensive Project Controls and industry experience, may be substituted
• 15+ years of project controls experience with multi-year design and construction projects, specifically in the EPC space
• Thorough knowledge and proficiency of Primavera P6
• Strong knowledge of Microsoft Office Suite
• JDE and EcoSys experience is a plus
• Document control (Procore a plus) and contract administration and management preferred

Skills

• Maintain a safe office working environment
• Strong knowledge of, and the interrelationship of, a thorough technical project scope definition, quality of the schedule and estimate, construction sequence and execution, procurement and contracting strategies through substantial completion
• Thorough understanding of project controls activities related to cost control, planning/scheduling, progress / manpower / productivity, change management, risk management, contingency management and reporting
• Proven team player with the ability to work effectively in cross-function teams and to develop and maintain collaborative working relationships
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (both written and verbal) with the ability to communicate effectively and professionally to all levels of the organization
• Strong organizational and time management abilities; capable of managing multiple projects and priorities simultaneously
• Innovative individual with pro-active, analytical approach to problem identification and resolution

Travel Requirements

• Travel: YesPercent of Time: Up to 25%