Senior Project Cost Analyst

Position Title: Senior Project Cost Analyst (Hybrid)

Location: Detroit, MI, USA

Duration: 01 year Contract on W2 (Possible extension)

Position Description:

• Senior Project Cost Analyst Manages the financial aspects of complex projects across all phases, including planning, execution, and close-out.
• Develops and maintains accurate financial forecasts, tracking project progress, validating costs, and managing monthly accruals to ensure alignment with project scope and objectives.
• Provides oversight of larger portfolios, collaborates with cross-functional teams, drives process improvements, provides actionable insights, and mentors less experienced team members, emphasizing expertise in cost analysis, resource optimization, and financial leadership.
• Serves as the mentor for associate project cost analysts.
• Span of control: this is an individual contributor job.

Key Accountabilities:

• Lead and coordinate efforts with project teams, and cross-functional teams, including controllers, estimators, logistics, supply chain, and governance, to ensure successful execution of project cost management strategies across a broad portfolio of projects.
• Serve as a primary point of contact for contracted field staff, field personnel, and vendors, providing oversight, resolving complex issues, and ensuring project milestones are achieved efficiently.
• Conduct site visits to validate progress and address escalated concerns.
• Utilize robust knowledge of construction methodologies and project management gating systems to guide teams through project phases, ensuring alignment with organizational standards and best practices.
• Lead detailed budget tracking, resource planning, and operational execution, including crew coordination and material management, identifying opportunities for cost optimization and risk mitigation.
• Lead the review and approval process and gating requests, ensuring compliance with spend controls and strategic alignment with project goals.
• Ensure the timely closure of Internal Orders (IOs) and maintain accountability for the accuracy and compliance of financial reporting processes.
• Develop and refine detailed financial forecasts, provide comprehensive variance analyses and actionable insights to inform executive decision-making and ensure project performance alignment.
• Establish and maintain processes for monitoring key performance metrics, delivering high-impact reports, and conducting in-depth analyses to support project management and field operations.
• Lead efforts to forecast and optimize labor requirements, material procurement, inventory management, and contractor crew scheduling to ensure efficient project execution and cost-effectiveness.
• Manage escalations by overseeing the most complex projects, serving as a key point of contact for stakeholders, and providing expertise in SAP systems, credit memos, and tax memos.

Minimum Education and Experience Requirements:

• Bachelor's Degree in Business, Accounting, Finance, Project Management or Construction Management with 6 years of job relevant experience in construction management, project management, financial analysis, accounting, scheduling, or estimating.

Preferred:

• MBA, CPA, and/or Masters in Accounting, Finance, Project Management, Construction Management.
• Experience within project controls (scheduling and estimating
• Professional certification in cost control (Association for the Advancement of Cost Engineering or equivalent).
• Working knowledge of financial analysis, project and risk management.
• Analyze complex financial data and develop optimal recommendations and solutions to senior leadership.
• Collaborate within a 'team' and/or 'matrixed' structure, supporting multiple clients, procedures & policy.

Other Requirements:

• Proficiency in Excel and SAP is sufficient to apply/support senior project cost analysts and leadership.
• Experience in operating system software utilized by the Corporation (e.g. Maximo, SAP R/3, SRM, BW)
• Ability to apply project planning & implementation and/or continuous improvement principles (typically acquired through several years of experience in these areas) to affect tangible, positive outcomes.
• Ability to present financial results and analysis to all levels of the business unit.rator.