Senior Project Manager – Project Cost Forecasting | General Contractor | Vancouver | Outpost Re[...]

Outpost Recruitment; Vancouver; On-site; CAD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

A major construction firm in Vancouver is seeking a Senior Project Manager specializing in project controls to oversee high-rise commercial and residential projects. This full-time role requires extensive experience in cost forecasting and stakeholder management, focusing on ensuring financial health through accurate forecasting and risk assessment. The ideal candidate will have a bachelor’s degree in a related field and at least 10 years of experience in the construction industry. Excellent communication and Excel skills are essential, and candidates must be authorized to work in Canada.

Qualifications

• 10 years experience with 5+ years in cost forecasting, cost controls, or project finance.
• Strong understanding of construction delivery and cost management.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Maintain alignment of cost forecasts with real world plans.
• Quantify risks and opportunities with scenario models.
• Provide forecasts and improve consistency across portfolio.

Skills

Cost forecasting

Stakeholder management

Advanced Excel skills

Construction knowledge

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Finance, Engineering, or related field

Job description

Major regional building contractor in Vancouver is currently seeking a Senior PM with project controls expertise (Project Controls Manager) to work on portfolio of commercial and residential high-rise projects in Western Canada. Salary $150,000+. The Project Controls Manager will be based in the downtown Vancouver office and will be responsible for the development and implementation of Project Controls for high-rise buildings across the region. Outpost Recruitment is excited to work with our client on this full-time permanent role. The Senior Project Manager - Project Cost Forecasting plays a critical role in ensuring the financial health and predictability of residential construction projects by delivering accurate, timely, and forward‑looking cost forecasts. The core focus of this role is anticipating issues before they materialize—identifying forecast drift, surfacing risks early, and helping project teams connect “real-world plans” to defensible financial projections. Reporting to the VP, Construction and working closely with Project Managers, site teams, and the Financial Planning & Analysis team, the Senior Project Manager - Project Cost Forecasting improves forecast quality and consistency across a portfolio of projects—strengthening a core muscle of the business.

Key Responsibilities

Forecast integrity & early warning

• Maintain alignment of cost forecasts with real world plans through engagement with project teams on schedule, resourcing and related topics;
• Proactively quantify risks and opportunities by building and maintaining scenario models that evaluate financial exposure as project conditions evolve;
• Provide early warning to PMs and leadership with clear, defensible forecast narratives.

Cost analysis & root cause

• Analyze actual costs vs. budget and forecast; identify variances, trends, and likely root causes (not just deltas);
• From the venue point of a portfolio level view, or even company level view, provide actionable insights to project teams related to cost efficiencies and risks;
• Conduct analysis on internal labour metrics, identifying trends and insights that support productivity improvements and more accurate future planning.

Portfolio insights & collaboration

• Support portfolio-level forecasting and planning (cashflow, margin, and annual revenue projections) so that financial reporting to the wider business is consistent and accurate;
• Capture and translate field-level cost and resource data into actionable input for estimating and future budget development, supporting more accurate labour and resource planning for upcoming projects;
• Contribute to continuous improvement of cost forecasting methodologies, tools, and processes.

Skills & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Finance, Engineering, or related field; or an equivalent combination of education and construction experience.
• 10 years experience with 5+ years’ experience in cost forecasting, cost controls, or project finance within a project-based environment.
• Strong understanding of construction delivery; exposure to Construction Management contract models (e.g., CCDC 3 / 5A) is an asset.
• Strong knowledge and intuition of cost burn, sequencing, resourcing, and productivity signals.
• Advanced Excel capability and comfort working with financial systems and project cost data.
• Excellent communication skills (written/verbal): able to translate complex cost signals into clear, actionable insights.
• Strong stakeholder management: builds trust through clarity, respect, and consistent value-add.

Ideal Candidate

• Only candidates with authorization to work in Canada for consideration.
• Please clearly highlight relevant work experience, project overviews and project scale ($) in your resume.