Project Controls Specialist IV (Cost Analyst)

About Vanir

Vanir is a proud minority- and woman-owned company, recognized as a national leader in program, project and construction management (PMCM) and real estate development. Since 1964, we have consistently exceeded client expectations. Ranked as a top PMCM firm by Engineering News-Record (ENR) for more than three decades, our award-winning team provides a full range of services to public and private sector clients in the aviation; healthcare; education (K-12 and higher); justice and essential services; science and technology; state and local government; transportation; water and wastewater; energy; and commercial, residential and nonprofit markets.

Job Description

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Oversee the integrity and accuracy of project budgets and forecasts in compliance with approved standard operating procedures.
• Actively participate in monthly EAC (Estimate at Completion) meetings, ensuring accurate validation, reviewing current EACs, and providing justification for any variances.
• Contribute to change management discussions by identifying emerging trends, risks, and exposure factors.
• Engage in Risk Assessment workshops, offering insights on potential financial impacts and identifying mitigation strategies.
• Conduct thorough cost variance analyses to identify trends and proactively address any potential budget impacts.
• Continuously monitor trends and associated mitigation plans, comparing projected versus actual performance over time.
• Review project budgets and expenditures, ensuring alignment with diverse funding sources and financial goals.
• Collaborate closely with schedulers to evaluate cost and schedule performance, identifying cost overruns, delays, and variances in planned versus actual expenditures.
• Review and analyze monthly cost reports and progress reports to ensure alignment with project financial objectives.
• Analyze staffing plans to identify potential cost impacts, such as excessive peaks, and provide recommendations for optimizing resource allocation.
• Validate cost coding and budget allocations for contract change orders and amendments, assessing potential impacts on project timelines and financials.
• Ensure that contracts, purchase orders, task order, change orders, and amendments are accurately budgeted and reported, with proper cost coding and financial oversight.
• Enforce cost management policies and procedures for capital projects, especially those with multiple funding sources.
• Allocate Estimate to Complete (ETC) amounts as required for PBA (Project Budget Adjustments), change orders, and other financial adjustments.
• Manage and monitor ETCs for each project to ensure timely and accurate tracking of financial changes.
• Create comprehensive reports related to budgeting, cost control, auditing, and asset tracking, utilizing systems like e-Builder, Proliance, DELTEK, and other relevant platforms used by the Program Management Office.
• Work closely with Project Managers and Construction Managers to maintain data coding structures, project control tools, and high-quality data for budgets, contracts, change orders, trends, and actual costs.
• Conduct budget and financial reconciliations, ensuring alignment between project forecasts, expenditures, and actual costs. Address discrepancies and implement corrective actions as necessary.
• Support management with the preparation of regular budget and cost reports, ensuring clarity and accuracy.
• Assist with preparing regular and ad hoc reports on project budgets, financial status, and forecasting for senior leadership.
• Provide support for weekly/monthly cost and status reports, keeping project teams informed of financial performance.
• Perform necessary data entry tasks related to budget and forecast updates.
• Develop and maintain change management logs in accordance with established processes and procedures.
• Travel to offsite project locations as required.
• Undertake additional duties and special projects assigned.

Minimum Qualification:

• BS/BA Degree in Business Administration, Engineering, Project Management, Construction Management, and/or related degree. Additional four years of qualifying experience in excess to the minimum stated below may be substituted in lieu of formal education.
• 7 - 10 years minimum recent professional experience in project controls, particularly on a capital construction program.
• Strong analytical capabilities, with the ability to organize and interpret complex financial data
• Proficiency in financial modeling and advanced Excel functions.
• Exceptional attention to detail, ensuring accuracy in data analysis and reporting.
• Advanced problem-solving skills and a