Senior Cost Engineer

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Job Description:

Parsons is looking for an amazingly talented Senior Cost Engineer – Airport Infrastructure to join our team! In this role you will get to lead cost planning, budgeting, forecasting, cost control, and performance reporting across major airport and infrastructure projects. You will provide accurate and timely cost information, evaluate changes and commercial impacts, and support project leadership in maintaining financial control throughout the full project lifecycle.

What You'll Be Doing

• Develop and maintain project cost estimates, approved budgets, cost plans, and cost control baselines.

• Support the preparation of project funding requirements and phased expenditure plans.

• Monitor budget utilization and identify potential cost overruns, underruns, and emerging variances.

• Ensure cost information is aligned with the project scope, Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), control accounts, and work packages.

• Support project leadership in maintaining effective financial control throughout design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and closeout.

• Monitor committed costs, actual expenditures, accruals, forecasts, and anticipated final costs against approved budgets.

• Analyze project cost performance and identify trends, risks, opportunities, and areas requiring corrective action.

• Prepare detailed cost variance analyses and recommend appropriate mitigation and recovery measures.

• Support the implementation of consistent cost control processes across all project packages and disciplines.

• Prepare periodic cost forecasts, including Estimate at Completion (EAC) and Estimate to Complete (ETC).

• Develop monthly cost reports, dashboards, expenditure profiles, and management presentations.

• Monitor project cash flow requirements and support financial planning and funding reviews.

• Provide accurate and timely cost information to support project and executive-level decision-making.

• Evaluate the cost implications of design changes, variations, scope modifications, and emerging project requirements.

• Review contractor variation submissions, quotations, and change requests from a cost engineering perspective.

• Prepare cost impact assessments, commercial evaluations, and recommendations for management review.

• Maintain change registers and track approved, pending, and forecast variations against project budgets.

• Support the commercial team in monitoring and managing overall project cost exposure.

• Provide cost engineering support across major airport development components, including:

  • Passenger terminals
  • Runways and taxiways
  • Cargo aprons and aircraft stands
  • Roads and external infrastructure
  • Utility networks
  • Mechanical, electrical, and plumbing systems
  • ICT systems and airport operational facilities

• Coordinate with engineering, design, procurement, construction, and commercial teams to ensure accurate cost allocation across work packages.

• Monitor cost performance across multidisciplinary project activities and identify package-level cost pressures.

• Coordinate with Planning, Quantity Surveying, Commercial, Finance, and Project Controls teams to integrate cost and schedule information.

• Support Earned Value Management analysis and project performance measurement.

• Maintain alignment between cost reports, progress updates, forecasts, and approved project schedules.

• Contribute to project controls reporting, performance reviews, and governance forums.

• Support risk-based forecasting, sensitivity analysis, and cost scenario modelling.

• Participate in commercial meetings, progress reviews, cost workshops, and project controls meetings.

• Provide technical cost advice and recommendations to project leadership.

• Coordinate the timely collection, review, and validation of cost data from contractors, consultants, and internal stakeholders.

• Identify cost-related risks and develop appropriate mitigation strategies.

• Support value engineering initiatives to optimize project costs without compromising safety, quality, functionality, or performance.

• Monitor contingency utilization, cost recovery opportunities, and exposure against approved allowances.

• Conduct sensitivity analyses, trend evaluations, and scenario assessments to support decision-making.

• Promote continuous improvement in cost management, forecasting, reporting, and controls processes.

• Maintain comprehensive records of budgets, forecasts, cost reports, variations, approvals, and commercial decisions.

• Support the preparation of final accounts, financial closeout records, and project completion reports.

• Assist with internal and external audits and financial compliance reviews.

• Ensure cost documentation is complete, traceable, and properly archived.

• Support the preparation of lessons learned and cost performance benchmarks for future projects.

• Perform other responsibilities associated with this position as appropriate.

What Required Skills You'll Bring

• Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Cost Engineering, or a related discipline.

• Minimum 10+ years of experience in cost engineering, project controls, commercial management, or a related field.

• Proven experience supporting major airport developments, infrastructure projects, transportation programs, or large-scale construction projects.

• Strong experience in:

  • Cost control
  • Budget management
  • Cost estimating
  • Forecasting
  • Cost reporting
  • Earned Value Management
  • Change management
  • Cash flow analysis

• Experience working within Delivery Partner, PMC, EPC, or client-side project environments.

• Strong understanding of cost engineering principles, project controls methodologies, and commercial management practices.

• Advanced knowledge of:

  • Estimate at Completion
  • Estimate to Complete
  • Cost variance analysis
  • Budget and commitment tracking
  • Contingency management
  • Risk-based forecasting
  • Cost and schedule integration

• Proficiency with project controls and cost management systems, including:

  • Primavera P6
  • Primavera Unifier
  • Oracle Primavera Cloud
  • SAP
  • Advanced Microsoft Excel
  • Power BI or equivalent reporting tools

• Knowledge of FIDIC contract frameworks and change control procedures.

• Experience preparing cost reports, dashboards, forecasts, and executive management information.

• Strong analytical, numerical, reporting, and problem-solving capabilities.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

• Strong stakeholder management and coordination abilities.

• Ability to manage multiple priorities and reporting cycles within a fast-paced airport project environment.

• Ability to work effectively with clients, consultants, contractors, commercial teams, project controls personnel, and financial stakeholders.

What Desired Skills You'll Bring

• Master’s Degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Cost Engineering, or a related discipline.

• Professional certification such as:

  • AACE Certified Cost Professional
  • MRICS
  • PMP
  • Equivalent cost or project controls certification

• Experience delivering international airport mega-projects.

• Strong understanding of aviation infrastructure project delivery and airport development requirements.

• Familiarity with ICAO, FAA, and other applicable aviation standards and guidance.

• Experience supporting Design-Build, EPC, PMC, or Delivery Partner delivery models.

• Experience with BIM 5D cost integration and model-based quantity and cost management.

• Experience implementing cost dashboards, automated reporting, and business intelligence tools.

• Knowledge of digital project controls and integrated cost-schedule reporting.

• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of contractor claims, variations, and final accounts.

• Experience conducting cost benchmarking and developing cost databases for future projects.

• Strong stakeholder management experience with clients, contractors, consultants, finance teams, and executive leadership.

• Ability to mentor junior cost engineers and contribute to the development of project controls teams.

• Commitment to continuous improvement, financial discipline, and accurate project reporting.

Parsons equally employs representation at all job levels no matter the race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy), national origin, age, disability or genetic information.

We truly invest and care about our employee’s wellbeing and provide endless growth opportunities as the sky is the limit, so aim for the stars! Imagine next and join the Parsons quest—APPLY TODAY!

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