Cost Analyst

Petroplan; Corpus Christi (TX); On-site; USD 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Petroplan seeks a Cost Analyst in Corpus Christi to monitor, analyze, and report on operational and project costs. You will support budgeting and forecasting, track expenditures, and identify cost-saving opportunities across operations, procurement, and finance teams.

Candidates should have 3–7 years in cost analysis or related fields, with experience in refinery or petrochemical environments and strong Excel and ERP skills (SAP/Oracle).

Qualifications

• 3-7 years of experience in cost analysis, project controls, financial analysis, accounting, or related field.
• Experience in refinery, petrochemical, chemical manufacturing, energy, industrial, construction, or similar environments preferred.
• Experience supporting operating facilities, capital projects, maintenance activities, or turnaround events is a plus.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to interpret financial and operational data and communicate findings effectively.
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, or similar platforms preferred.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Analyze operational, maintenance, turnaround, and project costs to ensure accurate reporting and cost control.
• Monitor actual expenditures against budgets and forecasts and investigate variances.
• Prepare recurring cost reports, forecasts, and management summaries.
• Support annual budgeting and periodic forecasting processes.
• Track purchase orders, commitments, invoices, and accruals.
• Identify cost trends, risks, and opportunities and provide recommendations to management.
• Partner with operations, maintenance, procurement, and accounting teams to gather data and improve cost visibility.
• Assist with month-end close activities and financial reporting requirements.
• Maintain cost tracking systems, databases, and reporting tools.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to cost management, reporting accuracy, and business processes.
• Perform ad hoc financial analysis and special projects as assigned.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Time management

Teamwork

Tools

SAP

Oracle

Power BI

Job description

Position Summary

The Cost Analyst is responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and reporting on operational and project-related costs to support effective financial decision-making. This role partners with operations, procurement, project management, and finance teams to track expenditures, identify cost-saving opportunities, analyze variances, and support budgeting and forecasting efforts. Experience in refining, petrochemical, manufacturing, energy, or other industrial environments is preferred.

Key Responsibilities

• Analyze operational, maintenance, turnaround, and project costs to ensure accurate reporting and cost control.
• Monitor actual expenditures against budgets and forecasts and investigate variances.
• Prepare recurring cost reports, forecasts, and management summaries.
• Support annual budgeting and periodic forecasting processes.
• Track purchase orders, commitments, invoices, and accruals.
• Identify cost trends, risks, and opportunities and provide recommendations to management.
• Partner with operations, maintenance, procurement, and accounting teams to gather data and improve cost visibility.
• Assist with month-end close activities and financial reporting requirements.
• Maintain cost tracking systems, databases, and reporting tools.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to cost management, reporting accuracy, and business processes.
• Perform ad hoc financial analysis and special projects as assigned.

Qualifications

Experience

• 3-7 years of experience in cost analysis, project controls, financial analysis, accounting, or a related field.
• Experience in refinery, petrochemical, chemical manufacturing, energy, industrial, construction, or similar environments preferred.
• Experience supporting operating facilities, capital projects, maintenance activities, or turnaround events is a plus.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Ability to interpret financial and operational data and communicate findings effectively.
• Experience with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, or similar platforms preferred.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• Effective verbal and written communication skills.Ability to work independently and collaboratively across departments.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting refinery, petrochemical, or heavy industrial operations.
• Familiarity with budgeting, forecasting, accruals, and variance analysis.
• Experience working with large datasets and financial reporting tools such as Power BI or similar analytics platforms.