Senior Cost/Schedule/Controls Engineer

Ian Martin Group; Spring (TX); On-site; USD 116,000 - 152,000; Full time

Job summary

Ian Martin Group is seeking a Senior Cost/Schedule/Controls Engineer for a 14-month, onsite assignment in Spring, TX. The role emphasizes cost estimating within Brownfield projects, managing multiple projects with scopes ranging toward $5–$20 million, and ensuring estimates are defensible, benchmarked, and aligned with funding gates.

Qualified candidates will have 10+ years in cost estimating for industrial capital projects, hands-on ACE experience, and strong communication skills to present

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years of cost estimating experience in industrial capital projects.
• Strong command of estimating methodology, including direct and indirect cost build-up across engineering disciplines.
• Hands-on experience with an industry estimating tool such as ACE (Aspen Capital Cost Estimator) or comparable in-house system.
• Advanced proficiency in cost estimating with working knowledge of project planning and project controls.
• Ability to develop estimates from early or incomplete scope and drive inputs from teams.
• Strong communication, influencing, and presentation skills; ability to defend an estimate basis.
• Willingness to travel to U.S. project sites as needed.

Responsibilities

• Screen project scopes and convert them into cost estimates covering direct and indirect costs.
• Create an estimate development plan for each project with inputs and owners.
• Coordinate with engineering, scoping, and project teams to gather inputs.
• Benchmark estimates against historical and industry data and optimize.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities such as modularization or offsite fabrication.
• Incorporate vendor quotes and bids into estimates as projects approach funding.
• Prepare final estimate basis deliverable for endorsement by engineers and funding.

Job description

Senior Cost/Schedule/Controls Engineer

• Pay Rate: $ 84 - $110/hour (on W2)
• Contract Length: 14 Months
• Location:Onsite | Spring, TX - 77389

Job Overview

We are seeking Senior Cost/Schedule/Controls Engineers with a cost estimating focus to join the Brownfield Projects organization within Global Projects. Brownfield projects revamp, upgrade, or replace equipment at existing plants, from process and product mix improvements to regulatory compliance work and replacement of tanks, pipe racks, and systems past their design life. Most projects fall in the $5 million to $20 million range, and each team member typically works several projects at once. With about 20 major projects coming over the next year across the Gulf Coast, offshore, Canada, Europe, and Asia, the team is adding multiple experienced estimators now.

In this role, you turn early project scope into defensible cost estimates, benchmark them against historical and industry data, and push for competitive targets rather than padded ones. You work from early project phases through Gate 3 funding, and your project mix depends on your background, whether onshore refining and chemicals or upstream and offshore assets. The role is 100% onsite in Spring, Texas, with qualified candidates already living near the Baytown, Beaumont, or Baton Rouge sites able to work from those sites without relocating. The assignment runs one year with potential extension, and experience is helpful but not required.

Responsibilities

• Screen project scopes and convert them into cost estimates that cover direct costs (materials and installed equipment) and indirect costs (construction equipment, scaffolding and access, execution approach, and project management overheads).
• Build an estimate development plan for each project that defines the inputs needed, who provides them, and when, and use it to hold project teams accountable.
• Drive proactive follow-up with engineering, scoping, and project teams to gather and clarify inputs, since design deliverables often arrive late or in pieces.
• Benchmark estimates against comparable historical and industry projects to judge whether they are aggressive or conservative, then optimize from there.
• Identify cost-saving opportunities, such as modularization or offsite fabrication of pipe racks and pipe spools, and lead project teams in evaluating them.
• Incorporate and condition vendor quotes and bids so estimates rest on actionable pricing as projects approach Gate 3 funding.
• Prepare the final estimate basis deliverable explaining each component and its methodology, for endorsement by technical principal engineers before funding.
• Present estimates to project teams and leadership clearly and concisely, connecting cost, scope, and execution plan.
• Perform estimating oversight and quality assurance reviews for Company-operated and Other Builder Operator estimates at all Gate and funding milestones.
• Prepare check estimates and schedules to compare against Operated by Others (OBO) operator submittals, and participate in estimate and schedule assessments.
• Support early planning and schedule development alongside cost estimates, working with planners, schedulers, cost controls, and accounting staff.
• Mentor and support less experienced team members in a relatively young organization.
• Contribute to estimating process efficiency tools and quality assurance process improvements.

Qualifications

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or equivalent professional experience.
• 10+ years of cost estimating experience in a closely related role on industrial capital projects.
• Strong command of estimating methodology, including direct and indirect cost build-up across engineering disciplines.
• Hands-on experience with an industry estimating tool, such as Aspen Capital Cost Estimator (ACE), or a comparable company in-house system.
• Advanced proficiency in cost estimating, with working knowledge of project planning and project controls.
• Ability to develop estimates from early or incomplete scope and drive teams for the inputs needed.
• Strong communication, influencing, and presentation skills, with the confidence to explain and defend an estimate basis.
• Strong analytical, consulting, mentoring, and computer skills.
• Ability to organize, plan, and coordinate cross-functional activities and adapt to changing priorities.
• Ability to work 100% onsite in Spring, TX, or at a Gulf Coast site, and travel to U.S. project sites as needed.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with Independent Project Analysis (IPA) or comparable external benchmarking and competitiveness evaluation.
• Experience with IT+ or prior estimating experience.
• Primavera P6 planning and scheduling skills, including understanding of activity logic and schedule optimization, not only data entry.
• Brownfield or revamp project experience at operating refining, chemicals, or polyethylene and plastics facilities.
• Upstream, offshore, or deepwater project experience, including regions such as Guyana, Nigeria, or West Africa.
• Availability to work about 7 AM to 3 PM to maximize overlap with the India-based engineering team.

We strive to build teams that reflect the diversity of the communities we work in. We encourage all qualified applicants to apply, including people from traditionally underrepresented groups such as women, visible minorities, Indigenous peoples, people identifying as LGBTQ2SI, veterans, and people with visible/nonvisible disabilities.

We have a dedicated webpage for accommodations where you can learn more about what we offer, and request accommodation: https://raise.jobs/accommodations/