Senior Manager, Project Controls (Cost), Project & Development Services

Cushman & Wakefield; Fogelsville (Lehigh County); On-site; USD 157,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Vision Insurance

Dental Insurance

Retirement Savings Plan

Disability Insurance

Paid Time Off

Job summary

Cushman & Wakefield is seeking a Senior Manager, Project Controls (Cost) to lead cost performance across large capital projects and programs. You will partner with project teams and stakeholders to deliver actionable cost insights, forecast costs, and mitigate financial risks throughout the project lifecycle.

The role requires strong analytical abilities, mentoring skills, and the ability to communicate financial information to leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction-related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in project controls and cost management.
• Experience in large capital projects and cross-functional environments.
• Certifications such as CCP, PMP, EVP preferred.
• Strong communication and leadership skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop, manage, and maintain project cost control processes, procedures, and reporting tools for large-scale capital projects and programs.
• Provide cost management expertise, forecasting insights, and recommendations to support informed decision-making.
• Develop and maintain project budgets, cost plans, forecasts, and cash flow analyses aligned with objectives.
• Monitor cost performance against budgets and identify variances, trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Support the development of project controls standards and best practices for cost management.
• Analyze expenditures, commitments, accruals, and forecasted costs to ensure accurate reporting.
• Collaborate with project managers, estimators, schedulers, procurement, and construction teams to align cost, schedule, and performance.
• Prepare and deliver cost reports, budget updates, forecasting analyses, dashboards, and executive summaries.
• Evaluate changes in scope and assess potential cost impacts; maintain budget change records.
• Support risk management by identifying cost-related risks and mitigation strategies.
• Review contractor payments, change orders, and cost proposals for accuracy against budgets.
• Perform cost trend analyses and provide recommendations to improve financial performance.
• Ensure accuracy and credibility of cost data and reporting.
• Support governance reviews with cost insights and recommendations.
• Mentor junior cost management professionals.
• Support continuous improvement of cost management processes and analytics.

Skills

MS Excel

Cost management

Budgeting

Forecasting

Financial reporting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Finance, Quantity Surveying, Project Management, or related field

Tools

Project controls software

Microsoft Project

Job description

Job Title

Senior Manager, Project Controls (Cost), Project & Development Services

Job Description Summary

The Senior Manager, Project Controls (Cost) serves as a key client-facing leader responsible for managing cost performance across large capital projects and programs. This role partners closely with project teams and stakeholders to deliver actionable cost insights, mitigate financial risks, and support informed decision-making throughout the project lifecycle. The ideal candidate possesses strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to lead cost management efforts and mentor junior team members in a complex project environment.

Job Description

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

• Develop, manage, and maintain project cost control processes, procedures, and reporting tools for large-scale capital projects and programs.

• Serve as a trusted advisor to project stakeholders by providing cost management expertise, forecasting insights, and recommendations to support informed decision-making.

• Develop and maintain project budgets, cost plans, forecasts, and cash flow analyses aligned with program and project objectives.

• Monitor project cost performance against approved budgets and identify variances, trends, risks, and opportunities.

• Support the development and implementation of project controls standards, methodologies, and best practices related to cost management.

• Analyze project expenditures, commitments, accruals, and forecasted costs to ensure accurate financial reporting.

• Collaborate with project managers, estimators, schedulers, procurement teams, and construction teams to ensure alignment between cost, schedule, and project performance.

• Prepare and deliver periodic cost reports, budget updates, forecasting analyses, dashboards, and executive-level summaries.

• Evaluate changes in project scope and assess potential cost impacts while maintaining accurate records of budget modifications and approvals.

• Support project risk management activities by identifying cost-related risks and developing mitigation strategies.

• Review contractor payment applications, change orders, and cost proposals for accuracy and alignment with project budgets.

• Perform cost trend analysis and provide recommendations to improve project financial performance and cost predictability.

• Ensure the accuracy, consistency, and credibility of project cost data and reporting.

• Support project governance reviews by providing financial performance insights and cost management recommendations.

• Mentor and provide guidance to junior project controls and cost management professionals.

• Support continuous improvement initiatives related to project controls systems, reporting processes, data analytics, and cost management best practices.

EDUCATION/EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Finance, Quantity Surveying, Project Management, or a related field.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in project controls, cost management, cost engineering, financial analysis, or construction project management supporting large capital projects.

• Demonstrated experience developing and managing project budgets, forecasts, cost reports, and financial performance metrics throughout the project lifecycle.

• Experience working within complex, cross-functional, matrixed project environments.

• Strong understanding of project controls principles, including budgeting, forecasting, cost tracking, change management, and performance reporting.

• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and project controls or cost management software applications.

• Construction industry experience required; life sciences, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, data center, pharmaceutical, or industrial project experience strongly preferred.

• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to effectively communicate financial and cost performance information to project teams, clients, and leadership stakeholders.

• Professional certifications such as CCP (Certified Cost Professional), PMP, EVP, or related credentials are preferred.

Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.

The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications.

The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.

The compensation for the position is: $ 157,250.00 - $185,000.00

Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.

In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email [e-mail]. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.

INCO: "Cushman & Wakefield"