Senior Cost Specialist
Location: Sweden (Boden)Contract Type: Annually renewable contract
Rotation/Work Schedule: 6/2 rotation (53 hours per week, Mon-Sat, half day Sat usually) or residential (5 days a week, 8 hours a day)
Benefits: Daily rate, accommodation, rotational flights
Job Brief
The Senior Cost Specialist is responsible for independently applying cost control procedures, best practices, and analysis to projects of any size or type. This role manages project budgets, forecasts, controls, and reporting of project costs. Responsibilities include tracking hours expended, reviewing project costs incurred, and calculating future costs based on labor productivity, wage rates, and risk analysis. The position works closely with the Project Management Team and interacts with the client cost control team. The Senior Cost Specialist supports and reports to the Lead Cost Engineer, leads less experienced cost engineers, and is part of the project control team. The main responsibility is to provide cost forecast data for construction activities and support change management at the construction site.
Experience required: 8-18 years of site experience with multidiscipline construction projects. Oil and Gas experience is preferred but not mandatory if relevant experience can be proven.
Key Tasks and Responsibilities
- Set up and write an effective cost engineering plan as part of the project controls plan.
- Set up a Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS).
- Recast and conform the project estimate into a project budget, correcting for errors or late developments as needed.
- Prepare and/or direct the development of engineering, procurement, and construction cost databases for various project types.
- Set up and/or direct the setup of effective physical cost trending tools based on earned value principles.
- Prepare effective cost/quantity analyses and recommendations using all associated information and tools.
- Prepare a cost forecast at project completion based on estimate-to-complete for remaining work and registered expenditures & commitments.
- Regularly analyze project cost/quantity trending/progress data, forecast trends, raise issues, and advise on corrective actions.
- Analyze discipline performance and manpower, resulting in cost forecasts per discipline, execution center, and total project.
- Represent project management in client discussions regarding all aspects of cost management, including bid assessment, counter estimates, claims, and negotiations.
- Prepare and/or direct the preparation of internal and client cost reports, including close-out reports and asset breakdowns.
- Advise project accounting on project costs, revenues, reservations, and margins.
- Set up and guide Monte Carlo forecast analysis and contingency requirement calculations.
- Build models tailored to project-specific requirements and maintain incentive forecasting models.
- Set up and maintain a change management system.
- Support the risk management process.
- Supervise and/or work on multiple projects if required.
- Be prepared to act as Project Controls Manager on a small project if needed.
- Lead the invoicing process with the client.
- Utilize advanced cost engineering tools and techniques.
- Be familiar with material control, estimating, planning & scheduling, and project accounting techniques.
- Use experience and problem-solving skills to develop and improve processes and to recognize and communicate project issues early.
Essential Qualifications and Education
- Bachelor's degree.
- Sound knowledge of project controls principles.
- Ability to independently handle cost control aspects of FEED and large EPC projects.
- Experience leading and guiding less experienced cost control personnel.
- Ability to contribute to a safe working environment.
- Good communication skills and a team player.
Preferred Qualifications and Education
- Experience in EPC Oil and Gas projects.
- At least 15 years of relevant experience and working knowledge of cost control tools.
- Previous experience on projects in oil and gas and/or petrochemical, construction.
- Experience in EPC projects with cost management on equipment and materials.
- Proficient in Microsoft Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Word.
- Experience working with financial databases such as SAP or JD.