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

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

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

Retirement plans

Paid time off

Job summary

Cushman & Wakefield is seeking a Senior Manager, Project Controls (Cost) to lead cost performance on large capital programs. You will develop cost control processes, partner with project teams, and deliver actionable insights to inform decisions.

This role requires a minimum of 10+ years in project controls, CCP/PMP preferred, with strong Excel and cost software proficiency. Mentoring junior staff and driving standard practices across programs are key outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in a related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in project controls and cost management.
• Experience with budgets, forecasts, and financial performance metrics.
• Strong communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
• Advanced proficiency with Excel and cost management software.
• Construction industry experience; CCP, PMP, EVP preferred.

Responsibilities

• Develop, manage, and maintain cost control processes and reporting tools for large projects.
• Provide cost management expertise, forecasting insights, and recommendations.
• Develop and maintain budgets, forecasts, and cash flow analyses.
• Monitor cost performance, identify variances, risks, and opportunities.
• Lead cost management standards, methodologies, and best practices.
• Analyze expenditures, commitments, accruals, and forecasted costs.
• Collaborate with project teams to align cost with schedule and performance.
• Prepare periodic cost reports, budgets, forecasting analyses, and dashboards.
• Evaluate changes in scope and assess cost impacts with record-keeping.
• Support risk management with cost-related mitigation strategies.
• Review contractor payments, change orders, and cost proposals.
• Mentor junior project controls professionals and drive continuous improvement.

Skills

Cost management

Forecasting

Executive reporting

Mentoring

Education

Bachelor's degree (Construction/Engineering)

Tools

Excel

Project controls software

Job description

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

• 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 & 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”