Junior Cost Controller

Talent Edge Recruiting; Abilene (TX); On-site; USD 100,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Daily per diem

Truck allowance

Cell phone reimbursement

Company-provided computer

401(k)

PTO/vacation

Job summary

Talent Edge Recruiting is partnering with a rapidly growing organization in the construction sector to hire a Junior Cost Controller. This role is 100% onsite in Abilene, TX and offers a strong foundation in cost management with room to grow alongside experienced leaders.

You'll be analyzing budgets, costs, and forecasts, preparing reports, and supporting audits while learning from a seasoned team and leveraging AI tools like Claude to enhance reporting and decision-making.

Qualifications

• 2–5 years of relevant construction or project-based experience.
• Construction experience is required.
• Experience with project cost tracking, budgeting, commitments, actuals, or forecasting.
• Ability to work on-site 100% in Abilene, TX.
• Strong analytical skills to identify discrepancies.

Responsibilities

• Track budgets, commitments, actual costs, and forecasts.
• Support cost-to-complete and forecasting updates.
• Compare budgeted costs to actual project performance.
• Identify discrepancies and investigate numbers.
• Maintain cost codes and project cost information.
• Prepare weekly/monthly cost reports and dashboards.
• Review invoices, purchasing docs, and supplier commitments.
• Track subcontractor costs and audits.
• Maintain project data in Procore.
• Collaborate with PMs and field personnel to gather missing information.
• Leverage AI tools (Claude) for reporting and analysis.

Skills

2–5 years experience

Construction experience

Cost tracking/budgeting

identify discrepancies

Proactive and coachable

Strong communicator

Onsite in Abilene

Tools

Procore

Claude (AI tools)

Job description

$100K–$120K Base + Significant Additional Compensation

Monday–Saturday | 6 10-hour shifts

Hiring ASAP | Ideal Start Date: September 1

Ready for the next step in your construction career?

We're partnering with a rapidly growing organization in the construction, oil & gas, pipeline, midstream, and industrial space to hire a Junior Cost Controller.

This is an ideal opportunity for someone who has built a strong foundation in construction and is thinking:

"I'm ready for more responsibility. I'm ready to prove myself. I'm ready to grow into leadership."

You don't need to be a seasoned Cost Controller today. They're looking for someone sharp, hungry, analytical, construction-minded, and highly coachable who wants the opportunity to learn directly from an experienced leader and progressively take on greater project ownership.

What You’ll Do

You'll work directly with Cost Controls leadership, Project Managers, Accounting/Finance, Estimating, Operations, Procurement, Scheduling, and field teams to help manage the financial performance of active construction projects.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Tracking project budgets, commitments, actual costs & forecasts
• Supporting cost-to-complete and forecasting updates
• Comparing budgeted costs against actual project performance
• Identifying discrepancies and digging into numbers that don't make sense
• Maintaining cost codes and project cost information
• Preparing weekly/monthly cost reports and dashboards
• Reviewing invoices, purchasing information and supporting documentation
• Tracking subcontractor and supplier commitments
• Supporting project audits and financial reviews
• Maintaining accurate project information within Procore
• Understanding how schedule changes, delays and field conditions impact project costs
• Working directly with PMs and field personnel to track down missing information
• Leveraging AI tools, including Claude, for reporting and analysis

Who We’re Looking For

• 2–5 years of relevant experience in construction or a project-based environment
• Construction experience is required
• Experience with project cost tracking, budgeting, commitments, actuals, or forecasting
• Experience working with Project Managers, field teams, accounting, and/or operations
• Strong analytical skills — able to identify discrepancies and question numbers that don’t make sense
• Proactive, hungry, and willing to chase down information
• Strong communicator who can be equally comfortable with field personnel and senior leadership
• Humble, coachable, and eager to grow into greater responsibility
• Able to work 100% onsite in Abilene, TX

The Package

The earning opportunity goes well beyond the base salary:

• $110K–$120K base, with some flexibility based on experience
• $175/day per diem while working the six-day schedule
• $1,200/month truck allowance
• $15/week cell phone reimbursement
• Company-provided computer
• 401(k)
• PTO/vacation
• Additional company-sponsored benefits

This could be a fantastic next step for a Senior Cost Accountant, Accounting Manager, Cost Accounting Manager or Senior Cost Analyst who's ready to accelerate their career.

The goal is to develop someone with the potential to grow into a leader.

If you have the construction background, you're sharp with numbers, and you're looking for a company where your work ethic can translate into more responsibility, significant earning potential, and long-term career growth, we'd love to talk.