Project Cost Control Lead

Job Description

Job Description

We are hiring a CAPEX Project Cost Control Lead—a newly created, high-impact role designed to build and standardize our enterprise-wide capital project cost control framework across Houston, Beaumont, and Akron.

As our subject matter expert, the initial focus will be to assess current practices, understand business and Finance requirements, identify process gaps, and develop standardized processes, tools, controls, and reporting for capital project financial management. Lead the development of capital reporting requirements for SAP S4/Hana implementation.

The role will lead ongoing project cost tracking, forecasting, accruals, variance analysis, financial reporting, and project closeout. This position will also serve as the Project Cost Control subject matter expert, providing functional leadership, training, and guidance to Project Managers to improve financial visibility, accountability, and proactive cost management.

Job Responsibilities

• Assess current project cost and financial management practices and identify gaps, risks, and improvement opportunities.
• Develop and maintain a standardized enterprise Project Cost Control process, including procedures, tools, reporting requirements, and controls appropriate to project size and complexity.
• Establish consistent requirements for project budgets, commitments, actuals, accruals, forecasts, cash flow, funding changes, and project closeout.
• Continuously evaluate and improve processes to support business needs, financial controls, and effective project execution.
• Lead project cost tracking and the monthly forecasting process across the capital portfolio, including actuals, commitments, accruals, and estimates at completion.
• Analyze project financial performance, identify cost trends and variances, and provide forward-looking analysis to help Project Managers proactively address potential issues.
• Evaluate the impact of project schedule, scope, and execution changes on cost and forecast.
• Develop standardized project and portfolio reporting, KPIs, and dashboards that provide management with clear visibility into financial performance, funding, forecast accuracy, and emerging risks.
• Support capital planning, supplemental funding, budgeting, Change Orders, and other financial analysis as required.
• Serve as a key interface between Capital Projects and Finance to ensure project financial processes and reporting meet corporate requirements.
• Coordinate project accruals, funding information, financial reconciliations, and monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting requirements.
• Maintain accurate project financial information within applicable ERP, approval, SharePoint, and project reporting systems.
• Work with Project Managers, Finance, Procurement, Accounts Payable, and vendors to resolve invoice, commitment, funding, and cost-allocation issues.
• Lead the financial closeout process to ensure projects are closed timely and in accordance with company requirements for capitalization and depreciation.
• Serve as the enterprise subject matter expert for Project Cost Control and provide functional leadership to Project Managers across all sites.
• Develop and deliver training on cost-control processes, tools, forecasting, reporting, and financial expectations.
• Review project financial performance with Project Managers, challenge assumptions and forecasts when appropriate, and support the development of corrective actions.
• Monitor adherence to established Project Cost Control requirements and promote consistent application across the enterprise.

Qualifications 

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or a related discipline.
• Minimum of 10 years of relevant experience in project controls, project cost management, capital project finance, cost analysis, or related disciplines.
• Experience supporting capital projects in chemical, petrochemical, manufacturing, refining, or similar industrial environments.
• Demonstrated experience with project budgeting, forecasting, accruals, commitments, variance analysis, and project financial closeout.
• Experience developing or improving project cost-control processes, tools, and reporting, preferably across multiple sites or business units.
• Experience working with Project Management, Finance, Procurement, Accounts Payable, and other cross-functional stakeholders.
• Experience with SAP, Oracle, or comparable ERP/financial systems.
• Experience supporting a portfolio of small- to medium-sized capital projects preferred.
• Strong knowledge of project cost-control principles and the relationship between project scope, schedule, cost, and forecast.
• Strong analytical, reconciliation, research, and problem-solving skills with the ability to identify trends, risks, and financial issues.
• Ability to evaluate existing processes, identify gaps, and develop practical, scalable enterprise solutions.
• Strong Excel skills and proficiency with Microsoft Office applications, ERP systems, and project reporting tools.
• Ability to develop clear procedures, financial reports, dashboards, KPIs, and management-level analysis.
• Strong written, verbal, presentation, and training skills with the ability to communicate across all levels of the organization.
• Ability to influence, coach, and professionally challenge Project Managers and stakeholders to maintain financial discipline and process compliance.
• Ability to travel routinely to Beaumont and periodically to Akron or other company locations as required.