Senior Cost Controller

Wood; Chennai District; On-site; INR 1,800,000 - 3,000,000; Full time

Job summary

Wood is seeking an experienced Cost Controller based in Chennai to lead and manage project cost budgets and forecasting for offshore and brownfield initiatives. You will coordinate with procurement, finance, and planning teams to ensure accurate cost capture and reporting throughout the project lifecycle.

The role requires a strong background in cost control, budgeting, and change management, with readiness for periodic overseas travel to the UK for governance and knowledge transfer.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical or business discipline.
• Minimum 8 years of cost control experience.
• Excellent knowledge of budgeting, forecasting, and cash-flow management.
• Advanced knowledge of cost management including Change Management and WBS/CBS structures.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain project cost budgets in accordance with WBS and Basis of Estimate.
• Liaise with procurement, finance, and time-capture functions to ensure accurate cost data across all elements.
• Monitor and review cost commitments and expenditure through all project phases.
• Liaise with project management and planning to ensure accurate cost phasing and forecasting.
• Review and evaluate project cost performance reports and forecast updates.
• Lead and support project cost close-out and contingencies.

Skills

Cost control

Budgeting

Forecasting

Cash-flow management

Education

Bachelor's degree in a relevant discipline

Tools

Budgeting software

Cost software

Job description

• Develop and maintain project cost budgets in accordance with the Project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and the Basis of Estimate
• Liaise with procurement, finance, and time-capture functions to ensure accurate and timely capture of all cost elements — procurement, materials, subcontracts, and labour
• Monitor and review cost commitments and expenditure through all phases of project lifecycle
• Liaise with project management and planning to ensure accuracy of cost phasing and forecasting
• Review and evaluate project cost performance reports and forecast updates
• Review and analyse cost impact of manpower forecasts
• Review and issue project change orders and variations in accordance with change notifications
• Assess and communicate cost and schedule impact of change notifications
• Monitor overall project cost performance and contingency drawdown
• Lead the project cost close-out process
• Act as Cost Focal Point for all assigned project scopes

Job Description

Cost Management

• Develop and maintain project cost budgets in accordance with the Project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and the Basis of Estimate
• Liaise with procurement, finance, and time-capture functions to ensure accurate and timely capture of all cost elements — procurement, materials, subcontracts, and labour
• Monitor and review cost commitments and expenditure through all phases of project lifecycle
• Liaise with project management and planning to ensure accuracy of cost phasing and forecasting
• Review and evaluate project cost performance reports and forecast updates
• Review and analyse cost impact of manpower forecasts
• Review and issue project change orders and variations in accordance with change notifications
• Assess and communicate cost and schedule impact of change notifications
• Monitor overall project cost performance and contingency drawdown
• Lead the project cost close-out process
• Act as Cost Focal Point for all assigned project scopes

Reporting & Governance

• Ensure project budgets, costs, and reports are documented, auditable, and issued in a controlled manner
• Review and evaluate project cost performance reports in accordance with project reporting requirements
• Attend project and client periodic meetings and present cost performance status as required
• Ensure reports are accurate, timely, and issued in accordance with the contract reporting calendar
• Ensure original and current budgets correspond to approved estimates and scope changes throughout the project lifecycle
• Participate in contract and corporate risk analysis sessions and audits

PMBS & Efficiency

• Support the achievement of the contract PMBS efficiency target (target: PMBS below 50% of Engineering cost)
• Actively contribute to simplification of cost reporting structures and reduction of unnecessary reporting overhead
• Contribute to the development of fit-for-purpose cost controls for the Fast Track delivery model

Team & Capability Development

• Supervise, guide, and manage the Cost team — delegating work, reviewing outputs, and supporting development
• Play a key role in mentoring and career development of cost personnel within the GEC
• Lead and participate in Project Controls compliance and continuous improvement reviews
• Contribute to the recruiting and retention of project controls talent within the GEC Hub

Contract-specific Requirements

Location & Mobility

• Based at the Wood GEC office in Chennai, India — this is the primary place of work
• Willingness and ability to undertake periodic overseas travel, primarily to the UK (Aberdeen), for project governance, knowledge transfer, customer engagement, and team alignment purposes
• Estimated overseas travel: low frequency (approximately 2–4 trips per year depending on project phase)

International & Multicultural Experience

• Demonstrated experience working in multicultural environments — experience working or collaborating with teams in Europe (particularly the UK) is strongly preferred
• Proven ability to operate effectively across cultural, organizational, and time-zone boundaries
• Experience of UK North Sea or comparable European offshore oil and gas operations is advantageous

Brownfield Experience

• Preference for candidates with previous brownfield offshore modification or brownfield EPC project experience
• Familiarity with the particular challenges of brownfield scope definition, execution in operating environments, and interface management with asset operations teams

Transition & Uncertainty Leadership

• Demonstrable ability to lead teams through periods of significant change, transition, and operating model evolution
• Comfortable operating with managed uncertainty — able to keep teams focused, motivated, and delivering during periods when processes, structures, or accountabilities still maturing
• Experience of operating model transitions, onboarding programmes, or significant organizational change is advantageous

Workload Flexibility

• Ability to manage varied and changing workloads across multiple concurrent scopes of differing scale and complexity
• Comfortable moving between strategic planning, hands-on delivery support, and team leadership as the situation requires

Networking & Talent Development

• Strong professional networking capability — able to identify, attract, and retain talent within the GEC and the wider Wood organization
• Active approach to building an internal talent pipeline, mentoring junior team members, and contributing to the development of the GEC as a center of excellence
• Contribution to the wider recruiting effort for the GEC Hub build-out is expected

Qualifications

QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant technical or business discipline (or equivalent through relevant vocational training and industry experience)

Knowledge, Skills, And Experience

• Minimum 8 years of relevant cost control experience
• Excellent knowledge of cost software, budgeting, forecasting, and cash-flow management
• Advanced knowledge of Project Execution Procedures for Cost Management including Change Management
• Excellent understanding of WBS and CBS structures, earned value application, and cost/schedule variance analysis
• Prior experience in a senior cost role, with team management experience
• Experience of offshore oil and gas project delivery — brownfield experience strongly preferred

Personal Attributes

• Analytically rigorous with strong attention to accuracy and auditability
• Proactive communicator — raises issues early and clearly
• Able to work autonomously and within a team across multiple time zones
• Committed to continuous improvement and process simplification
• Strong organizational and planning skills with ability to manage multiple concurrent scopes

About Us

Wood is a global leader in consulting, engineering and operations for the energy and materials sectors. With 33,000 people in around 50 countries, Wood supports clients across the full asset lifecycle, delivering safe, predictable outcomes while enabling resilient operations and a lower carbon future. Wood forms the Energy & Materials pillar of Sidara - a global partnership uniting leading multidisciplinary engineering, design, and project management companies. www.woodgroup.com

Diversity Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer that recognises the value of a diverse workforce. All suitably qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment on the basis of objective criteria and without regard to the following (which is a non-exhaustive list): race, colour, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or other characteristics in accordance with the relevant governing laws.