Cost Controller

LanceSoft, Inc.; Brooklyn Park (MN); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

LanceSoft, Inc. seeks a Project Controller to oversee the full scope of project controls for a multi-discipline engagement at our client's Brooklyn Park, Minnesota facility.

The role covers scheduling, cost control, change management, and monthly reporting across engineering, procurement, construction, and CQV activities. On-site four days a week with one remote day, the position requires strong governance adherence and English-language deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Manage integrated project schedule in Microsoft Project, including IPS development and baseline maintenance.
• Coordinate cost baseline, budgets, commitments, actuals, accruals, and monthly cost reports.
• Apply Earned Value Management (EVM) where required and integrate with schedule status.
• Maintain risk register and issues log; lead risk workshops and develop mitigation actions.
• Produce monthly performance packages with executive summary, milestone tracking, risk status.
• Deliverables and reporting cadence aligned with governance and client requirements.

Job description

• Project Controller fully responsible for the complete scope of services described below, including all sub-contracted services. All such services must be properly integrated to meet Client’s project controls and governance requirements. All deliverables, reporting, and communications shall be provided in English.
• The engagement is expected to require one full-time Project Controller for approximately 40 hours per week for a 52-week duration, commencing on or about August 3, 2026. The Project Controller is expected to provide on-site support at Client’s Brooklyn Park, Minnesota facility four days per week, with one day per week permitted remote unless otherwise agreed by Client. Bidders shall confirm resource availability for the full engagement duration and identify any assumptions or exceptions related to on-site presence, remote work, or continuity of support.
• The Project Controller shall perform the following services, organized into the core areas of responsibility below.

Schedule Management (Microsoft Project)

Own the development, maintenance, and reporting of the integrated project schedule in Microsoft Project:

• Develop the integrated project schedule (IPS) in Microsoft Project, aligned to the project Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), with appropriate activity durations, logic relationships, constraints, and resource/cost loading including technical transfer, regulatory and operational ramp-up activities.
• Establish, obtain approval of, and maintain the baseline schedule; administer schedule baseline change control and document all revisions.
• Collect progress and percent-complete data across all project workstreams, including engineering, procurement, construction, commissioning, technical transfer, operational readiness, automation, and CQV activities. Progress measurement shall be based on deliverable completion and achievement of defined milestones, or alternatively, an agreed-upon progress measurement methodology jointly established by Client, the General Contractor, Automation Supplier, and CQV providers. Update actual dates, remaining durations, progress status, and forecasted completion dates on a defined reporting cycle (e.g., weekly).
• Perform critical path and total-float analysis; identify critical and near-critical activities and communicate schedule threats and opportunities.
• Produce rolling look-ahead schedules (e.g., 3-week and 6-week) and milestone tracking reports.
• Integrate contractor and vendor schedules into the master schedule and verify their logic and progress.
• Perform what-if and recovery-schedule scenario analysis to support decision-making and mitigate delays.
• Maintain the schedule basis document and ensure schedule assumptions are documented and current.
• Report schedule performance (Schedule Performance Index, planned vs. actual progress, variance to baseline) in the agreed cadence and format.

Cost Controlling

Establish and maintain the project cost controls framework and provide accurate cost status and forecasts:

• Develop, maintain, and manage the project cost baseline and control budget aligned with the approved capital appropriation, structured by Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and Cost Breakdown Structure (CBS) Levels 1, 2, and 3, including Main Equipment costs.
• Track and reconcile commitments, actuals, and accruals against budget; coordinate purchase requisitions, purchase orders, and invoice review with procurement and finance.
• Prepare monthly cost reports including budget, committed cost, incurred cost, forecast, Estimate to Complete (ETC), and Estimate at Completion (EAC).
• Develop and maintain the project cash flow / expenditure forecast (spend curve), track spend per the cost break down structure (CBS) categories.
• Apply Earned Value Management (EVM) where required — Cost Performance Index (CPI), Schedule Performance Index (SPI), Cost/Schedule Variance (CV/SV), and Variance at Completion (VAC) — integrated with schedule status.
• Manage contingency and reserve: track drawdown, maintain the contingency log, and reconcile remaining contingency to residual risk exposure.
• Perform cost variance analysis, explain drivers, and recommend corrective actions to the Project Manager.
• Gate keeper for purchase orders (PO), ensure timely approval from SOW submission to PO approval

Change Management

Maintain the change management program:

• Log potential and approved changes, quantify cost impacts, and track change orders through approval.
• Author project change notices, providing details of the change, cost impact and schedule impact.
• Within Project Change Notices (PCNs) track contingency spend needed for change and remaining contingency and project budget.
• Route PCNs for approvals based on financial thresholds
• Own the project risk management process from identification through mitigation and reporting:
• Establish and maintain the project risk register and issues log in line with Clientproject governance.
• Facilitate risk identification workshops with the project team and key stakeholders on a recurring basis.
• Perform qualitative risk assessment — scoring probability and impact (cost, schedule, quality, safety, compliance) — and prioritize risks by exposure.
• Develop risk response plans (avoid, mitigate, transfer, accept), assign risk owners, and define mitigation actions with due dates.
• Where required, perform quantitative risk analysis — schedule risk analysis (e.g., Monte Carlo / QSRA) and cost risk analysis — to inform contingency and confidence levels (P50/P80).
• Link risk exposure to cost contingency and schedule reserve; recommend adjustments as the risk profile changes.
• Track and follow up on mitigation actions; report risk status, trends, and top risks in the agreed cadence.
• Escalate emerging issues and threats to the Project Manager and governance forums per the project escalation path.

Monthly Performance Reporting

Provide a monthly reporting package that includes, as a minimum:

• Executive summary for the StCo, including key actions, decisions, issues, and overall project status
• Change control status
• Integrated Level 2 Master Schedule management, incorporating Engineering activities (GC, Clientdirect procurement equipment, and CQV activities), Technical Transfer, Regulatory, and Operational Ramp-Up activities
• Key milestone tracking and performance measurement
• Action tracker
• Progress measurement across all workstreams based on deliverables (including technical transfer and operational ramp-up activities, or alternatively, an agreed progress measurement methodology established jointly with McGough, the Automation supplier, and the external CQV partner during execution, specially for the Engineering activities.
• Risk management status, including updates from the monthly risk register review

Deliverables and Reporting Cadence

• The Project Controller shall produce the following deliverables at the frequencies noted. Formats and cadence may be adjusted by agreement with the Project Manager.

Tools and Systems

• Microsoft Project — primary scheduling tool for the integrated project schedule.
• Microsoft Excel — cost tracking, earned value, cash flow, and register maintenance.
• Client project controls / risk templates and governance procedures.