Senior Cost Estimation & Cost Control Expert

O Green; Muscat; On-site; OMR 46,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

O Green is seeking a senior cost control professional to own CAPEX and OPEX estimates for renewable energy projects in development through handover. You will ensure cost predictability, transparency, and alignment with budgets, contracts, and lender reporting across wind, solar, and BESS initiatives.

The role requires 8+ years in cost estimation/control on utility-scale projects, advanced Excel, and familiarity with Primavera P6 or MS Project, with preference for Oman/GCC experience.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, or related field.
• 8+ years in cost estimation and control on utility-scale renewable projects.
• Proven experience estimating or controlling costs for solar, wind, or hybrid projects from development to construction.
• Advanced Excel and scheduling tool knowledge (Primavera P6 or MS Project).

Responsibilities

• Prepare stage-appropriate capital cost estimates for renewable energy projects with documented basis and accuracy range.
• Develop cost baselines and budgets and maintain them under change control.
• Collaborate with engineering, procurement, and construction teams to refine estimates.
• Maintain a cost database and feed actual costs back into it at project close-out.
• Perform cost evaluation of bids and support negotiations with cost breakdowns.
• Create WBS/CBS structures and apply escalation and FX assumptions.
• Prepare operating cost estimates for financial models and tariff/bid submissions.

Skills

Cost estimation

Cost control

Excel proficiency

MS Project

Primavera P6

Financial modelling

Forecasting

Data analysis

English fluency

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering

Finance degree with technical estimating experience

Tools

SAP

Power BI

Primavera P6

MS Project

Job description

The role owns the accurate estimation, baselining and effective control of capital (CAPEX) and operational (OPEX) costs for the Company’s renewable energy projects (solar PV, wind, battery storage, or hybrid systems) from development through construction, commissioning and handover. Before financial close the focus is stage-appropriate estimating and the cost baseline; after financial close it is owner-side cost control against that baseline. This role ensures cost predictability, transparency, and compliance with approved budgets, contractual terms and lender and investor reporting requirements throughout the project lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

1. Cost Estimation

• Prepare stage-appropriate capital cost estimates (AACE Class 5 to Class 3 or equivalent) for renewable energy projects, including EPC and OEM supply, balance of plant, grid interconnection, land, development, permitting, owner’s costs, insurance, contingency, and indirect costs, each with a documented basis of estimate and accuracy range.
• Develop cost baselines and budgets based on feasibility studies, market benchmarks, supplier quotations, and engineering inputs, and maintain them under formal change control once approved.
• Collaborate with engineering, procurement, and construction teams to refine estimates and validate assumptions.
• Maintain and update a cost database for benchmarking purposes across technologies and geographies, tagged by estimate class, date and source, and feed actual out-turn costs and lessons learned back into it at project close-out.
• Perform the cost evaluation of EPC, OEM and supplier bids (scope leveling, bid normalization and whole-life cost comparison) and support commercial negotiation by providing cost breakdowns and sensitivity analyses.
• Build work breakdown and cost breakdown structures (WBS/CBS), validate quantities and unit rates from BOQs, specifications, drawings and supplier quotations, and apply escalation and FX assumptions.
• Prepare and maintain operating cost (OPEX) estimates for the financial model and tariff or bid submissions, covering O&M and asset management, insurance, land lease, grid and wheeling charges, BESS augmentation and replacement, and decommissioning.

2. Cost Control

• Monitor project expenditures and commitments against approved budgets using cost control software or spreadsheets.
• Track and analyze cost variances against the approved baseline, identify risks or trends, monitor contingency drawdown, and recommend corrective actions.
• Conduct monthly cost forecasting and cash flow projections in coordination with finance and project management.
• Review and validate contractor and supplier invoices against contract terms, milestone achievement and verified progress to ensure cost compliance.
• Prepare regular cost reports and dashboards for senior management and internal stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with project control standards, internal controls, the delegation of authority, and audit requirements.
• Apply earned value management and cost-loaded schedule integration (Primavera P6 or MS Project), using the schedule maintained by the planning function or EPC contractor, to measure cost performance and produce cost-to-complete and estimate-at-completion forecasts.
• Value and assess variations and change orders under Consultants, EPC and supply contracts (FIDIC Silver/Yellow Book or equivalent), verify milestone payments and recommend them for certification by the authorized signatory, and support claims, final account and closure.
• Verify physical progress and measured quantities on site, with the construction team or owner’s engineer, before milestone payments are recommended for certification.
• Maintain cost control records in ERP and cost management systems (e.g., SAP, Oracle), reconciled monthly to the finance ledger, and build automated Excel and Power BI dashboards to support the cost reports.
• Prepare budget-to-actual reconciliations, drawdown support and cost reporting for lenders, independent engineers and investors, and support their due diligence on CAPEX and OPEX budgets, in line with the reporting requirements in the financing documents (including DFI requirements such as IFC, where applicable).

3. General Support

• Interface with finance, procurement, legal, and engineering teams to align financial tracking with contracts and technical scope.
• Own the CAPEX and OPEX inputs to financial models and investment cases, keep them reconciled to the current estimate and baseline, and document any changes between model versions.
• Set the contingency and risk allowance methodology (deterministic or risk-based), participate in risk assessments, and update cost baselines accordingly.
• Ensure estimates and cost reports reflect local taxation (VAT, withholding tax, customs duties), in-country value (ICV) requirements and procurement regulations in Oman and the GCC, and in other project countries as required.
• Challenge cost assumptions independently, flag cost drivers and adverse trends early, and present clear technical and commercial cost positions to senior management.

Qualifications and Experience

Education & Experience (Mandatory)

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, or a related technical field; a Finance degree is acceptable only with equivalent hands-on technical estimating experience.
• 8+ years of experience in cost estimation and control, including at least 5 years on utility-scale power, renewable energy or comparable infrastructure projects, as developer/owner, EPC contractor or owner’s engineer.
• Proven hands-on experience preparing estimates or controlling costs for utility-scale solar, wind, or hybrid projects (including BESS) from development through construction, with at least one project followed from pre-financial-close estimate to construction out-turn cost.
• Advanced proficiency in MS Excel (cost models, sensitivity and scenario analysis) and working knowledge of project scheduling tools (e.g., Primavera P6 or MS Project).

Skills & Competencies (Mandatory)

• Strong analytical and numerical skills, demonstrated by building and auditing cost models with clear version control and traceable assumptions.
• Deep understanding of CAPEX and OPEX cost structures for solar PV, wind and BESS, and of EPC, multi-contract and OEM contracting models.
• Ability to handle multiple concurrent projects and deadlines in parallel, in line with internal controls, delegation of authority and audit requirements.
• Excellent reporting and communication skills for both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Fluent written and spoken English.

Strongly Preferred (may be substituted by comparable experience)

• Experience in Oman, GCC or wider MENA and emerging-market projects, including familiarity with local tax frameworks (VAT, withholding tax, customs duties), in-country value requirements and procurement practices.
• Knowledge of lender, DFI (e.g., IFC) or grant cost-reporting requirements for clean energy projects, including drawdown and independent engineer review procedures.
• Working knowledge of BESS and hybrid-plant cost structures (battery containers, PCS, EMS, integration, augmentation and replacement).
• Working knowledge of earned value management and of EPC contract cost administration under FIDIC (Silver/Yellow Book) or equivalent forms.

Advantage

• Professional certification (e.g., AACE CCP, CEP or EVP; PMP or PMI-SP; or RICS).
• Hands-on experience with ERP cost modules (e.g., SAP, Oracle) and Power BI dashboards.
• Arabic (spoken or written).