Project Controls / Cost Engineer - Huntsville

100 Eli Lilly and Company; Huntsville (AL); On-site; USD 68,000 - 174,000; Full time

Job summary

Lilly is seeking an Advisor, Project Controls/Cost Engineer to lead project controls across a diverse capital portfolio. You will oversee budgeting, cost control, earned value, change and risk management, and forecasting within Global Facilities Delivery.

The role emphasizes governance, mentorship, and continuous improvement while ensuring compliance with finance policies on capital projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience in a related field.
• At least 8 years of project controls experience or similar.
• Authorized to work in the United States; Lilly does not sponsor work visas.

Responsibilities

• Own and improve project controls processes, standards, and systems.
• Review controls across the portfolio and drive corrective actions.
• Author/update standards, instructions, and playbooks for best practices.
• Provide governance and training to project controls teams.
• Lead organizational change to adopt advanced PM and controls.
• Advise on scope, cost, and schedule performance for projects.

Skills

Influence and results orientation

Analytical and numerical skills

Effective communication (written and,

Self-discipline and autonomy

Problem solving and innovation

Education

Bachelor's degree in business/finance/engineering/construction or related field

Tools

SAP

Sage Timberline

Oracle Unifier

Primavera P6

Primavera Risk

Job description

At Lilly, the work is demanding because patients are waiting. We unite caring with discovery to help make life better for people around the world, knowing that every decision, every detail, and every day matters. Headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, our over 50,000 employees around the globe take on complex challenges to discover and deliver life-changing medicines, strengthen how health is understood and managed, and support the communities we serve. This is hard, urgent, selfless work—but it’s work worth doing. If you’re driven by purpose and ready to bring your best to work that truly matters for patients, we invite you to join us.

Role Summary

The Advisor, Project Controls/Cost Engineer is the central steward for project controls functions within Global Facilities Delivery (GFD). This role ensures best-in‑class practices in budgeting, cost control, earned value management, change and risk management, forecasting, and planning. The Project Controls Engineer provides strategic governance, leadership, and mentorship to project controls teams across a diverse portfolio of capital projects, with a strong focus on cost management and business value. The incumbent drives continuous improvement, compliance, and capability development, enabling successful project delivery and organizational growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and continuously improve project controls processes, standards, and systems to ensure alignment with industry best practices and organizational objectives.
• Conduct reviews of project controls across the portfolio, identifying gaps and driving corrective actions.
• Author and update standards, work instructions, and playbooks to establish and maintain best practices.
• Provide governance, mentoring, and training to project controls teams, fostering a culture of excellence and continuous learning.
• Lead organizational change initiatives to adopt advanced project management and controls methodologies.
• Advise project teams and contractors on effective project management systems for scope, cost, and schedule performance.
• Collaborate in developing project estimates, budgets, and value engineering strategies.
• Analyze contractor spend and invoices to ensure accuracy and prevent financial loss.
• Establish and maintain comprehensive risk management processes, including risk registers and probabilistic assessments.
• Implement robust change control processes in alignment with standard operating procedures.
• Ensure consistent and proper use of project controls systems, processes, and resources across all projects.
• Ensure proper application of company finance policies on capital projects, safeguarding compliance and financial integrity.
• Identify opportunities for process improvement and innovation in project controls, driving adoption of new tools and techniques.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business management, finance, engineering, construction, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• At least 8 years of experience in project control, quantity surveying, or similar field.
• Qualified applicants must be authorized to work in the United States on a full‑time basis.
• Lilly will not provide support for or sponsor work authorization or visas for this role, including but not limited to F-1 CPT, F-1 OPT, F-1 STEM OPT, J-1, H-1B, TN, O-1, E-3, H-1B1, or L-1.

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional certification from a project control body such as RICS, AACE, or PMI.
• Proficiency with project management and estimating systems (e.g., SAP, Sage Timberline, Oracle Unifier, Primavera P6, Primavera Risk).
• Advanced understanding of financial concepts and estimating, cost management theory (e.g. TCM), project change and risk management, project planning and scheduling, and work/cost breakdown structures.
• Capacity to achieve results and influence people.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills.
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Self-disciplined, motivated, and able to work with limited supervision.
• Excellent problem-solving skills and innovative thinking.

Additional Information

Travel required up to 25% Lilly is dedicated to helping individuals with disabilities to actively engage in the workforce, ensuring equal opportunities when vying for positions. If you require accommodation to submit a resume for a position at Lilly, please complete the accommodation request form (https://careers.lilly.com/us/en/workplace-accommodation) for further assistance. Lilly is proud to be an EEO Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of age, race, color, religion, gender identity, sex, gender expression, sexual orientation, genetic information, ancestry, national origin, protected veteran status, disability, or any other legally protected status. Our employee resource groups (ERGs) offer strong support networks for their members and are open to all employees. Our current groups include: Africa, Middle East, Central Asia (AMECA), Black Employees at Lilly (BE@Lilly), Chinese Culture Network (CCN), EnAble, Evolve, Lilly Indian Network (LIN), Organization of Latinx at Lilly (OLA), Pride (LGBTQ+ Allies), Veterans Leadership Network (VLN) and Women’s Initiative for Leading at Lilly (WILL). Actual compensation will depend on a candidate’s education, experience, skills, and geographic location. The anticipated wage for this position is $67,500 - $173,800 Full-time equivalent employees also will be eligible for a company bonus (depending, in part, on company and individual performance). In addition, Lilly offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees, including eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k); pension; vacation benefits; eligibility for medical, dental, vision and prescription drug benefits; flexible benefits (e.g., healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts); life insurance and death benefits; certain time off and leave of absence benefits; and well-being benefits (e.g., employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities). Lilly reserves the right to amend, modify, or terminate its compensation and benefit programs in its sole discretion and Lilly’s compensation practices and guidelines will apply regarding the details of any promotion or transfer of Lilly employees.

At Lilly we strive to ensure our employees are part of a team that cares about them and our shared purpose of making life better for those around the world. How do we do this? We continue to look for ways to include, innovate, accelerate and deliver while maintaining integrity, excellence and respect for people. We hope that you seek to join us on our journey as we create medicine and deliver improved outcomes for patients across the globe! #WeAreLilly