Construction Project Cost Engineer - Mission Critical

ISC Constructors, LLC

Location:         Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Plain City, Ohio

Division:          Mission Critical

Who We Are:

For over 35 years, ISC has provided safe, high quality electrical, instrumentation and controls solutions to global leading industrial manufacturers. With offices in Baton Rouge, Beaumont, Houston, Corpus Christi, and Columbus, as well as job sites around the country, ISC has grown our team to 3,000 associates and offers full-service engineering, construction, and maintenance solutions throughout the United States. 

SUMMARY

For ISC, the Cost Engineer is responsible for administering and controlling project costs. This role ensures accurate cost tracking, budget alignment, billing compliance, and timely financial reporting by managing costs at the Schedule of Values (SOV) level and maintaining strong alignment between Vista phase codes, budgeted costs, and client billing requirements.

 The Cost Engineer works closely with the onsite Project Manager, Accounting, and Project Controls leadership to ensure financial accuracy, contract compliance, and transparency throughout the life of the project.

 RESPONSIBILITIES

• Monitor, analyze, and report billable costs versus approved GMP budgets at the SOV line-item level.
• Track actual, committed, and forecasted costs to ensure alignment with the approved project budget.
• Identify cost variances early and communicate trends, risks, and discrepancies to the Project Manager and Management team.
• Support cost to complete forecasts and participate in corrective action discussions when unfavorable trends are identified.
• Ensure all project costs are coded to the correct Vista Phase Codes, which are directly linked to the Vista Contract and client SOV line items.
• Review and validate labor, material, equipment, subcontract, and indirect cost coding for accuracy and consistency.
• Coordinate with the field team, accounting, and project management to correct miscoded costs and prevent billing or reporting errors.
• Enforce compliance with internal phase code rules and job setup requirements defined within the Project Controls program.
• Collaborate with project managers, finance, and procurement teams to ensure accurate allocation of costs and revenue recognition
• Review all billable labor charges for accuracy, compliance with contract billing rates, and proper phase coding.

• Act as a control point to prevent unallowable, misallocated, or unsupported costs from being billed to the client. Prepare and complete all required client specific billing support documents required for each monthly invoice.
• Review procurement and material charges to confirm:
• Allowable costs under the GMP contract
• Proper SOV and phase code alignment
• Supporting documentation is complete and compliant

 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field required
• Experience: 3–5 years of accounting experience, preferably in construction or project-based environments
• Technical Skills: Proficiency in accounting software (Vista Viewpoint) and Microsoft Excel
• Analytical Skills: Strong ability to analyze financial data, identify trends, and provide actionable insights
• Attention to Detail: Accuracy in maintaining project financial records and preparing reports
• Communication: Effective verbal and written communication skills for collaboration with project teams and management
• Problem-Solving: Ability to resolve financial discrepancies, budget variances, and accounting issues efficiently
• Organizational Skills: Strong ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and complex accounting data 

COMPETENCIES:

• Professional written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to maintain positive business relationships with internal and external customers
• Motivated to recognize and resolve problems independently
• Skilled at performing tasks accurately and meeting posted deadlines
• Capacity to manage multiple priorities
• Willingness to work as part of a team

  
  Other Information:

  • We are an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
  • ISC evaluates and hires applicants for employment-based exclusively upon the applicant’s merit. No applicant will ever be required to pay money (or any other form of compensation) to an ISC employee in order to be hired by or considered for employment with the Company.
  • This is not intended to be a complete listing of all similar, miscellaneous, or incidental duties that may be required.  ISC utilizes a multi-skill concept and expects associates to perform other tasks that are necessary to safely accomplish the job.