Sr. Cost Controller

MVL Group; Dubai; On-site; AED 1,000,000 - 1,400,000; Full time

Job summary

MVL Group in the United Arab Emirates seeks a seasoned Cost Control Leader to establish and head a dedicated cost control department across project jurisdictions. You will define standardized processes, build a cross-geography team, and ensure timely budgets and reporting into the COO and executive team.

With 15+ years in cost control and leadership, you will translate audit findings into actionable improvements, drive consistency with industry best practices, and collaborate closely with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Finance, or equivalent.
• 15+ years of experience in cost control, project controls, or commercial management within construction, EPC, or government contracting environments.
• At least 7-10 years in a leadership or managerial capacity overseeing cost control functions across multiple projects and geographies.
• Demonstrated experience establishing or restructuring a cost control department, including process design, reporting frameworks, and team building.
• Strong leadership presence with ability to establish credibility and authority across multiple departments and senior stakeholders.
• Excellent problem-solving mindset with the ability to translate audit findings and strategic direction into actionable process improvements.

Responsibilities

• Establish, lead, and develop the Cost Control function as a dedicated department reporting to the COO, covering all project jurisdictions.
• Define and implement standardized cost control processes, procedures, and reporting frameworks across the entire project portfolio, consistent with industry best practice and the recommendations of the independent cost control review.
• Build and manage a team of Cost Controllers allocated across jurisdictions, with clear reporting lines to the COO and day-to-day coordination with Project Directors, VPs, Finance, and Planning teams.
• Oversee the development of approved project budgets within 30 days of project award, ensuring a formal commercial handover process from the Proposals team to the Execution team is completed within the first weeks following award.
• Establish a comprehensive monthly cost reporting framework linking initial budget, approved budget, budget transfers, variations, commitments, actual costs, ETC, EAC, margins, and contingency within a single standardized report structure.
• Ensure Project Directors have full visibility of forecasts, risks, opportunities, and overall financial performance, and actively own project budget performance and corrective actions.
• Coordinate with the Accounting department to ensure accurate and timely capture of cost data from Deltek, and resolve issues related to cost allocation, overhead distribution, and charge code accuracy.
• Provide cost impact assessment and cost estimates for change orders and modifications, supporting the Commercial/Contracts function which owns the change management process.
• Oversee subcontractor payment certification support, back-charge administration, and procurement commitment visibility.
• Collaborate with the Project Controls Director (Planning/Scheduling) to ensure integrated schedule and cost reporting, while maintaining clear functional separation between cost control and planning responsibilities.
• Participate in executive management meetings and provide strategic cost performance insights to the CEO, COO, and EVPs.

Skills

Cost control

Project controls

Leadership

Budgeting

Reporting

Process design

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Construction Management

Quantity Surveying

Finance

Tools

Deltek

ERP systems

Job description

• Attractive compensation package with strong career growth opportunities.
• Work across international project jurisdictions for strong global exposure.

Qualifications
& Skills

Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Finance, or equivalent

15+ years of experience in cost control, project controls, or commercial management within construction, EPC, or government contracting environments

At least 7-10 years in a leadership or managerial capacity overseeing cost control functions across multiple projects and geographies

Demonstrated experience establishing or restructuring a cost control department, including process design, reporting frameworks, and team building

Strong leadership presence with the ability to establish credibility and authority across multiple departments and senior stakeholders

Excellent problem-solving mindset with the ability to translate audit findings and strategic direction into actionable process improvements

Key
Responsibilities

Establish, lead, and develop the Cost Control function as a dedicated department reporting to the COO, covering all project jurisdictions

Define and implement standardized cost control processes, procedures, and reporting frameworks across the entire project portfolio, consistent with industry best practice and the recommendations of the independent cost control review

Build and manage a team of Cost Controllers allocated across jurisdictions, with clear reporting lines to the COO and day-to-day coordination with Project Directors, VPs, Finance, and Planning teams

Oversee the development of approved project budgets within 30 days of project award, ensuring a formal commercial handover process from the Proposals team to the Execution team is completed within the first weeks following award

Establish a comprehensive monthly cost reporting framework linking initial budget, approved budget, budget transfers, variations, commitments, actual costs, ETC, EAC, margins, and contingency within a single standardized report structure

Ensure Project Directors have full visibility of forecasts, risks, opportunities, and overall financial performance, and actively own project budget performance and corrective actions

Coordinate with the Accounting department to ensure accurate and timely capture of cost data from Deltek, and resolve issues related to cost allocation, overhead distribution, and charge code accuracy

Provide cost impact assessment and cost estimates for change orders and modifications, supporting the Commercial/Contracts function which owns the change management process

Oversee subcontractor payment certification support, back-charge administration, and procurement commitment visibility

Collaborate with the Project Controls Director (Planning/Scheduling) to ensure integrated schedule and cost reporting, while maintaining clear functional separation between cost control and planning responsibilities

Participate in executive management meetings and provide strategic cost performance insights to the CEO, COO, and EVPs