Cost Engineer (Hiring Immediately)
Insight Global
Job Description
What to Expect This is a highly KPIâdriven, ownerâside role. As a Senior Cost Specialist , youâll act as the steward of cost performance for large, complex mega projects. From an ownerâs perspective, youâll be responsible for ensuring cost transparency, consistency, and discipline across the entire project lifecycle.
Youâll partner closely with project leadership, finance, procurement, and external EPC partners to drive accurate reporting, proactive decisionâmaking, and cost efficiency that directly impacts project profitability and longâterm competitiveness. Day to Day In this role, you will: Own and oversee the total cost management program for major mining and metals projects, ensuring alignment with owner financial objectives Track, forecast, and trend project costs to provide clear visibility into performance, risks, and opportunities Analyze historical and current project data to establish cost benchmarks and trends for future capital projects Support ownerâled change management on fastâtracked, multiâinterface mega projects, including cost and schedule impacts Evaluate scope changes, variations, and contract amendments from an ownerâs lens, quantifying cost exposure and entitlement Support review and assessment of change orders and collaborate with EPCs, contractors, and suppliers as needed Develop and maintain accurate owner forecasts and cost reports to support executive decisionâmaking Monitor actuals versus budget, perform variance analysis, and clearly articulate root causes and corrective actions Lead cost KPI tracking and deliver weekly and monthly cost performance reporting and presentations to senior leadership Surface emerging cost trends, risks, and mitigation strategies early to enable proactive decisions Support daily cost management deliverables, including change control and internal cost management systems Must Haves Selfâstarter who can operate independently, prioritize competing demands, and represent the ownerâs interests Advanced Excel skills, including complex formulas, data analysis, and summarization Strong attention to detail with the ability to manage repeatable, processâdriven tasks Experience using Power BI dashboards to report cost performance to executive and owner leadership teams Ability to build and maintain Excel models and workbooks where inâhouse systems are evolving or under development Handsâon experience processing change orders and budget adjustments within ownerâside cost management systems Experience reviewing and auditing contractor invoices and coordinating across internal teams and third parties Ability to partner with project managers and leadership to track performance against approved budgets and schedules Experience using procurement and cost systems to maintain spend profiles and drawdown curves Agile, flexible, and comfortable working in complex, evolving project environments Ownerâside experience is strongly preferred Qualifications Bachelorâs degree in Business, Data Analytics, Project Management, Construction Management, or equivalent megaâproject experience Typically 5+ years of experience in ownerâside cost management, budgeting, and forecasting, ideally on large industrial or EPCâled projects Strong understanding of owner cost governance, controls, and largeâscale project cost structures Dataâdriven background with strong analytical and financial modeling skills Ability to communicate clearly with executives, project teams, and external partners in complex and sometimes ambiguous environments