Construction Cost Engineer (Project Engineer I)

Facade Today; Missouri; On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Gilbane is seeking a Construction Cost Engineer - Project Engineer I (Data Center) to support cost management, forecasting, and financial controls on large-scale construction projects. You will work with Project Managers, Superintendents, Cost Managers, and teams to track changes, validate costs, and maintain accurate financial performance.

The role emphasizes proactive change management, cost validation, and reporting, serving as a critical partner to project leadership and field teams to

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Building Construction, or related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• 3–7 years of construction industry experience with increasing responsibility in cost engineering, project controls, or related roles.
• Strong understanding of commercial construction processes and cost tracking.

Responsibilities

• Support identification, evaluation, and execution of project change events.
• Coordinate change orders and pricing reviews with project teams and subcontractors.
• Maintain change logs, forecasts, and project cost documentation.
• Analyze cost trends and risks to assist management decisions.
• Utilize project management systems to manage change workflows and cost documentation.

Skills

Cost engineering

Forecasting

Change management

Financial analysis

Stakeholder management

Drawing interpretation

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management / Engineering

Tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Overview

Are you looking for a highly rewarding opportunity that provides extensive career growth opportunities? Gilbane is seeking a Construction Cost Engineer - Project Engineer I (Data Center) to support project cost management, change management, forecasting, and financial controls on large-scale mission critical construction projects.

Working directly with Project Managers, Superintendents, Cost Managers, and project teams, this position is responsible for supporting the identification, evaluation, tracking, and execution of project change events while helping maintain accurate project financial performance throughout the project lifecycle.

Unlike a traditional Project Engineer role focused primarily on field coordination or document control, the Cost Engineer is dedicated to supporting project financial performance through proactive change management, cost validation, forecasting, reporting, and stakeholder coordination. This role serves as a critical partner to both project leadership and field teams in maintaining accurate cost controls and financial accountability

Who are we?

As a Top-10 ENR Contractor, Gilbane is a family-owned business with 45 offices that has been shaping communities since 1870. Consistently recognized as one of the most reputable construction management firms in the country, Gilbane is committed to delivering projects safely and on-time. You will have the opportunity to build schools, labs, hospitals, corporate offices, sports arenas and more!

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Who are you?

You are a detail-oriented construction professional with strong analytical and problem-solving skills. You understand how projects are built and can connect field conditions, construction scope, and project execution activities to financial outcomes. You are comfortable reviewing drawings, specifications, changes in scope, and subcontractor pricing to help determine cost impacts and support decision-making.

You collaborate effectively with Project Managers, Superintendents, subcontractors, and clients while maintaining accountability for timely, accurate, and well-documented project cost information. You take ownership of assigned tasks and proactively drive issues to resolution rather than simply tracking or forwarding information.

Your core values match Gilbane's: Integrity, Caring, Teamwork, Toughmindedness, Dedication to Excellence, Discipline, Loyalty, and Entrepreneurship.

What’s in it for you?

Gilbane offers employees multi-dimensional training opportunities through a number of resources. While managing your responsibilities on the project, you will be able to enroll in training programs through our award-winning Gilbane University to build leadership and technical skills. You will work alongside experienced Cost Managers, Project Managers, and Project Executives supporting some of the industry's most complex mission critical projects.

This role provides a defined growth path into advanced cost management, project controls, and construction management leadership positions.

Responsibilities

• Supportidentification,tracking,evaluation,andexecutionofprojectchangeevents.
• Managechangerequestsfrominitialidentificationthroughpricingreview,approval,documentation,andimplementation.
• CoordinatewithProjectManagers,Superintendents,subcontractors,andprojectstakeholderstocollectandvalidatechangedocumentation.
• Assistinpreparingandpackagingownerchangeorderrequestsandsubcontractchangeorders.
• Maintaincompletechangelogs,trendlogs,andsupportingprojectdocumentation.
• Trackprojectcosts,commitments,forecasts,andpotentialfinancialrisks.
• Supportmonthlycostforecasting,financialreporting,andprojectcontrolsactivities.
• Analyzeprojectcosttrendsandidentifyvariancesrequiringmanagementattention.
• Reviewandvalidatesubcontractorpricing,quantityimpacts,laborproductivityassumptions,andadd/deductcostproposals.
• Reviewdrawings,specifications,installedwork,andfieldconditionstodeterminecostimpactsassociatedwithprojectchanges.
• UtilizeClearstoryandotherprojectmanagementsystemstomanagechangeworkflowsandprojectcostdocumentation.
• SupportGMPdevelopment,projectbudgeting,costmodeling,andfinancialplanningactivities.
• Generatereportsanddashboardssupportingprojectfinancialperformanceandforecastingefforts.
• Partnerwithfieldandprojectleadershiptoidentifycostexposures,scopegaps,andchange-relatedrisks.

The ideal candidate brings a combination of practical construction knowledge and financial accountability. They understand how work is built in the field and can effectively evaluate the cost impacts of changing conditions. They demonstrate ownership of assigned change-management activities, contribute to accurate forecasting efforts, and support project teams by providing timely and reliable cost information.

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Building Construction, or related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• 3-7 years of construction industry experience with increasing responsibility in project engineering, cost engineering, project controls, project management, or related functions.
• Strong understanding of commercial construction processes and field operations.
• Ability to read and interpret construction drawings and specifications.
• Knowledge of project cost tracking, forecasting, and change-management principles.
• Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Strong technical and communication skills are critical
• Ability to work in a team environment
• Knowledge of industry standard software, Microsoft Office (preferred)
• Ability to evaluate pricing assumptions and understand financial impacts associated with project changes.

Salary to be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and/or experience of the applicant, as well as the internal equity and alignment with the team. Gilbane offers an excellent total compensation package which includes competitive health and welfare benefits and a generous profit-sharing/401k plan. We invest in our employees’ education and have built Gilbane University into a top training organization in the construction industry. Qualified applicants who are offered a position must pass a pre-employment substance abuse test.

Gilbane is an affirmative action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or disability status.Click here to view the physical demands and working conditions required to perform this role. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.