Cost Engineer - Rail Infrastructure

AECOM Middle East Ltd; Abu Dhabi; On-site; AED 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

AECOM Middle East Ltd in Abu Dhabi is seeking a Cost Engineer to support cost management and financial control for a large-scale rail programme. The role focuses on maintaining budgets, forecasts, and clear cost information for programme-level decision-making across planning, commercial, and delivery teams.

The candidate should have 5+ years of cost engineering experience, strong Excel skills, and knowledge of cost management platforms such as Primavera Unifier, EcoSys, or Cleopatra.

Qualifications

• Minimum 5 years of cost engineering, cost control, or commercial support experience.
• Solid budgeting, forecasting, cost reporting and change control knowledge.
• Strong analytical ability with focus on financial and project data.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency.
• Experience with cost management platforms (Primavera Unifier, EcoSys, Cleopatra).
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Prepare, maintain, and monitor project budgets, cost plans, and cost breakdown structures.
• Track actual and committed costs against budgets and forecasts.
• Analyze cost variances and explain financial performance clearly.
• Develop cost forecasts, including EAC and cash flow projections.
• Assess financial impact of change requests and support change management.

Skills

Budgeting

Forecasting

Cost reporting

Change control

Analytical thinking

Communication

Education

Engineering degree

Quantity Surveying degree

Construction Management degree

Tools

Primavera Unifier

EcoSys

Cleopatra

Job description

Job Snapshot

Role: Cost Engineer
Location: Abu Dhabi, UAE
Industry: Civil Engineering
Function: Project Management
Experience: Minimum 5 years
Job Type: Full Time

Position Overview

AECOM is seeking a Cost Engineer in Abu Dhabi, UAE to support cost management and financial control for a large-scale, multidisciplinary rail infrastructure programme. This opportunity focuses on maintaining reliable budgets and forecasts, monitoring actual and committed expenditure, assessing project changes, and delivering clear cost information that supports programme-level decision-making across planning, commercial, and delivery teams.

Job Details

Country: UAE
City: Abu Dhabi
Industry: Civil Engineering
Function: Project Management
Salary: Not disclosed
Gender: No Preference
Candidate Nationality: Not specified
Job Type: Full Time
Work Arrangement: On-site

Key Responsibilities

• Key Responsibilities - Prepare, maintain, and monitor project budgets, cost plans, and cost breakdown structures.
• Track actual and committed costs against approved budgets and forecasts.
• Analyze cost variances and provide clear explanations of financial performance.
• Develop and regularly update cost forecasts, including estimate-at-completion and cash flow projections.
• Assess the financial impact of change requests and variations and support the change management process through submission and approval.
• Maintain cost control systems, databases, and financial records with accurate and auditable project data.
• Produce periodic cost reports, dashboards, and financial information for project and programme management.
• Coordinate with planning teams to align cost and schedule information.
• Support earned value analysis where applicable to programme requirements.
• Work with commercial and delivery teams to identify and address cost-related matters, risks, and opportunities.
• Provide reliable cost information to support project leadership decisions.
• Support cost audits, management reviews, and continuous improvement of cost control procedures.

Essential Requirements

• Minimum 5 years of experience in cost engineering, cost control, or commercial support within design or construction projects.
• Solid working knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, cost reporting, and change control processes.
• Strong analytical capability with close attention to financial and project data.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel proficiency.
• Experience using cost management platforms such as Primavera Unifier, EcoSys, Cleopatra, or comparable systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to explain and present cost information clearly to non-specialist stakeholders.

Preferred Experience

• Experience on large and complex infrastructure or transportation programmes is desirable, with rail project exposure particularly relevant to this position.
• Middle East experience, especially within the UAE, is also preferred.
• Familiarity with earned value management and FIDIC or NEC contract forms would support the programme 's cost control requirements.
• Experience producing reports and visualisations using Power BI is an additional advantage.

Qualifications

• Degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, or a related discipline, or equivalent demonstrated experience.
• Professional membership with an organization such as AACE, RICS, or ICE is an advantage.

Cost Control Focus

The Cost Engineer will help establish a clear financial view of programme performance by connecting budgets, commitments, actual expenditure, forecasts, changes, and schedule information. The position requires disciplined cost data management and close coordination with planning, commercial, and delivery functions throughout the rail programme. Key technical areas include cost breakdown structures, estimate-at-completion forecasting, cash flow projections, variance analysis, change control, earned value analysis where applicable, cost reporting, and management dashboards.

Recruitment and Onboarding

Newly hired employees are required to attend an in-person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office location as a condition of employment. This requirement forms part of AECOM 's secure recruitment process.

About AECOM

AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm providing professional services across transportation, water, environment, energy, and buildings. Its teams support public- and private-sector clients throughout the project lifecycle, including advisory, planning, design, engineering, program management, and construction management. AECOM reported revenue of $16.1 billion in fiscal year 2025 and has a global team of more than 50,000 professionals.