Cost Control & Governance Lead

Arada; Dubai; On-site; AED 480,000 - 720,000; Full time

Job summary

Arada is seeking a Senior role to lead Cost Control Audit & Governance across pre- and post-contract stages for its UAE portfolio. The candidate will ensure baseline integrity, audit commercial recommendations, and enforce governance over FFC vs. project budgets.

This role drives cost strategy, reporting integrity, and team capability, working with multi-disciplinary teams. The incumbent will lead a team of Senior Cost Controllers and Analysts, engage with procurement, project management, and

Qualifications

• 12–15 years of experience in cost control and commercial management within top-tier developers or international consultancies in the UAE.
• MRICS certification preferred; strong background in quantity surveying and cost governance.

Responsibilities

• Pre-Award Independent Audit & Gateway Control across projects.
• Review Pre-Tender Estimates and Tender Recommendation Reports before package finalization.
• Independent Budget Verification against approved business cases.
• Executive Gateway Reporting to senior leadership on budget variances and risks.
• Design-stage cost checks with Value Engineering triggers if baselines are breached.
• Post-Award Budget Governance: Budget vs. Forecast Final Cost (FFC) reconciliation.
• Contingency governance and data-backed drawdown validation.

Skills

Cost control

Data analysis

Excel

Power BI

Education

Bachelor’s Degree in Quantity Surveying, Civil Engineering

MRICS certification

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Power BI

Job description

Arada is seeking a Senior role to lead Cost Control Audit & Governance across pre- and post-contract stages for its UAE portfolio. The candidate will ensure baseline integrity, audit commercial recommendations, and enforce governance over FFC vs. project budgets.

This role drives cost strategy, reporting integrity, and team capability, working with multi-disciplinary teams. The incumbent will lead a team of Senior Cost Controllers and Analysts, engage with procurement, project management, and