Planning Cost Control Engineer

NES Fircroft; Town of Texas (WI); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

NES Fircroft in Wisconsin seeks an experienced Planning & Cost Control Engineer to support planning, scheduling, forecasting, and performance management of upstream oil and gas projects. You will develop integrated project schedules and monitor execution to align with cost forecasts.

The ideal candidate has Primavera P6 expertise, drilling operations knowledge, and the ability to deliver executive dashboards, KPIs, and scenario analyses to inform management decisions and optimize capital spend.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree required in a technical field such as Engineering, Construction Management, or PM.
• Minimum 5+ years in oil and gas project planning, scheduling, and cost control.
• Strong background in drilling, completions, facilities, or production projects.
• Expert Primavera P6 capabilities for baseline and schedule integration.
• Proven ability to align schedules with cost forecasts and execution objectives.
• Experience with executive-level reporting and dashboards.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and update integrated project schedules using Primavera P6.
• Coordinate drilling, completion, facilities, and production milestones.
• Track critical path activities and monitor schedule performance metrics.
• Conduct schedule variance analysis and recommend corrective actions.
• Prepare executive dashboards, reports, KPIs, and project status updates.
• Support capital budget planning, forecasting, and resource allocation.
• Identify schedule risks and develop mitigation and recovery plans.
• Facilitate scheduling workshops with stakeholders.
• Provide schedule analytics and insights to support management decisions.
• Develop scenario analyses and evaluate execution strategies.
• Monitor contractor performance against schedule commitments.
• Ensure alignment between cost forecasts, budgets, and schedules.
• Establish and maintain baseline schedules and change control processes.
• Support project controls activities including forecasting and progress reporting.

Skills

Oracle Primavera P6

Schedule Risk Analysis

Baseline Schedule Development

Progress Measurement

Drilling Operations Planning

SAP

Microsoft Project

Power BI

Advanced Excel

Spotfire

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or related field

Tools

SAP

Microsoft Project

Power BI

Advanced Excel

Spotfire

Job description

Planning & Cost Control Engineer

Top Required Skills

• Expert proficiency in Oracle Primavera P6
• Schedule Risk Analysis & Mitigation Planning
• Baseline Schedule Development & Control
• Progress Measurement & Performance Tracking
• Drilling Operations Planning & Execution Experience
• SAP
• Microsoft Project
• Power BI
• Advanced Excel (PivotTables, Power Query, Advanced Formulas)
• Spotfire or Similar Analytics Tools

Planning & Cost Control Engineer Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Planning & Cost Control Engineer to support the planning, scheduling, forecasting, and performance management of upstream oil and gas projects. This role will be responsible for developing and maintaining integrated project schedules, monitoring execution performance, supporting capital budget planning, and providing schedule analytics to drive informed business decisions. The ideal candidate will possess strong Primavera P6 expertise, drilling operations knowledge, and a proven ability to align project schedules with cost forecasts and execution objectives.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain, and update integrated project schedules using Primavera P6.
• Coordinate drilling, completion, facilities, and production milestones across multiple projects.
• Track critical path activities and monitor schedule performance metrics.
• Conduct schedule variance analysis and recommend corrective actions.
• Prepare executive-level dashboards, reports, KPIs, and project status updates.
• Support capital budget planning, forecasting, and resource allocation activities.
• Identify schedule risks and develop mitigation and recovery plans.
• Facilitate planning and scheduling workshops with internal and external stakeholders.
• Provide schedule analytics and performance insights to support management decision-making.
• Develop scenario analyses and evaluate alternative execution strategies.
• Monitor contractor performance against established schedule commitments.
• Ensure alignment between project cost forecasts, budgets, and execution schedules.
• Establish and maintain baseline schedules and manage schedule change control processes.
• Support project controls activities, including forecasting, progress measurement, and performance reporting.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Project Management, or a related technical field.
• 5+ years of project planning, scheduling, and cost control experience within the oil and gas industry.
• Strong experience supporting drilling, completions, facilities, or production projects.
• Advanced expertise with Oracle Primavera P6.
• Experience developing and maintaining baseline schedules for capital projects.
• Demonstrated experience conducting schedule risk assessments and mitigation planning.
• Strong understanding of project controls, forecasting, and performance measurement methodologies.
• Experience preparing executive-level reports and project performance dashboards.

Technical Skills Scheduling & Project Controls

• Oracle Primavera P6 (Expert)
• Schedule Risk Analysis
• Critical Path Method (CPM) Scheduling
• Baseline Schedule Development & Control
• Progress Measurement & Performance Tracking
• Forecasting and Recovery Planning
• Contractor Performance Monitoring

Software & Analytics

• SAP
• Microsoft Project
• Power BI
• Advanced Microsoft Excel (PivotTables, Power Query, Advanced Formulas)
• Spotfire or equivalent business intelligence and analytics tools

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting upstream drilling and completions operations.
• Knowledge of integrated cost and schedule management practices.
• Experience working within capital project environments.
• Strong stakeholder management and cross-functional coordination skills.
• Excellent analytical, communication, and presentation abilities.

Key Competencies

• Project Planning & Scheduling
• Cost Control & Forecasting
• Risk Management
• Data Analytics & Reporting
• Strategic Decision Support
• Stakeholder Engagement
• Continuous Improvement
• Problem Solving & Critical Thinking

With over 90 years' combined experience, NES Fircroft (NES) is proud to be the world's leading engineering staffing provider spanning the Oil & Gas, Power & Renewables, Chemicals, Construction & Infrastructure, Life Sciences, Mining andManufacturingsectors worldwide. With more than 80 offices in 45 countries, we are able to provide our clients with the engineering and technical expertise they need, wherever and whenever it is needed. We offer contractors far more than a traditional recruitment service, supporting with everything from securing visas and work permits, to providing market-leading benefits packages and accommodation, ensuring they are safely and compliantly able to support our clients.