We are seeking a highly experienced, hands-on
Senior Cost Engineer - Change Management and Forecasting to support practical construction change management and cost forecasting across large-scale data center and mission-critical projects, with transferable experience from infrastructure, EPC, industrial, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor, or other large capital project environments. The
Senior Cost Engineer - Change Management and Forecasting provides hands-on evaluation of project changes and develops the forward-looking cost exposure used in the campus forecast. The role owns change pricing, trend management, contingency recommendations, risk-weighted exposure and change-related EAC movement, but does not own the full monthly project cost report.
RESPONSIBILITIES- Evaluate and forecast potential, pending, approved, and disputed changes, including PCOs, change orders, construction change directives, contractor proposals, trends, and emerging cost events.
- Review scope, quantities, labor rates, materials, equipment, subcontractor quotations, markups, productivity assumptions, and supporting documentation; identify scope gaps, duplicate or unsupported costs, inaccurate quantities, excessive markups, unreasonable assumptions, and incomplete backup.
- Develop independent cost assessments, comparisons, and recommendations to support change negotiations, project leadership, and the Contracts team.
- Track changes from identification through evaluation, approval, forecast incorporation, and resolution; maintain auditable change-order, trend, contingency, allowance, exposure, and forecast records.
- Develop approved and risk-adjusted inputs for project budgets, commitments, cash flow, contingency, and EAC, including pending changes, unresolved scope, construction risk, procurement exposure, escalation, and anticipated costs.
- Apply probability, value, timing, and financial impact to unresolved exposure; analyze change-related EAC movement and explain key drivers, assumptions, risks, and recommended actions.
- Monitor contingency utilization, recommend event-specific drawdowns, and confirm contractor forecasts appropriately reflect changes, remaining scope, schedule impacts, and unresolved exposure.
- Assess cost impacts from design development, scope clarification, field conditions, sequencing, delays, acceleration, disruption, and procurement; coordinate with scheduling and project controls on duration-related costs and extended general conditions.
- Provide controlled change and forecast inputs to the Senior Cost Engineer, Cost Control and Reporting; prepare management reports and presentations and escalate material exposure, forecast movement, documentation gaps, and unresolved issues.
- Coordinate with project management, construction, engineering, design, procurement, contracts, scheduling, finance, project controls, and contractors; support claims, allowance reconciliation, unresolved changes, final account closeout, and other assigned duties.
QUALIFICATIONSRequired Qualifications- 8+ years of progressive experience in construction cost engineering, change management, forecasting, cost control, project controls, commercial cost management, quantity surveying, or a related discipline.
- Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Finance, Accounting, Engineering Management, or a related technical field.
- Hands-on experience evaluating construction changes and maintaining forecasts on large capital projects, including reviewing scope, quantities, labor, materials, equipment, quotations, productivity assumptions, markups, and supporting documentation.
- Strong knowledge of change, trend, and contingency management; cost forecasting; variance analysis; and EAC development.
- Ability to independently evaluate contractor submissions and identify scope gaps, unsupported or duplicated costs, incomplete documentation, and commercially unreasonable assumptions.
- Experience maintaining change-order, trend, contingency, allowance, exposure, and forecast records and incorporating risk-weighted pending or unresolved changes into forecasts.
- Understanding of how design development, field conditions, procurement, schedule movement, sequencing, and risk affect project costs and forecasts.
- Strong commercial judgment, communication, analysis, organization, documentation, and problem-solving skills.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills and experience with SAP, Oracle, EcoSys, Unifier, Power BI, or similar platforms.
Preferred Qualifications- Experience with hyperscale data centers, mission-critical facilities, or MEP-intensive programs in an owner's representative, consultancy, general contractor, EPC, quantity surveying, or major capital-program environment.
- Experience evaluating changes under GMP, lump-sum, design-build, CMAR, cost-plus, or EPC delivery models.
- Experience assessing schedule-related costs, extended general conditions, acceleration, disruption, productivity impacts, and claims.
- Experience with EVM, integrated cost-schedule-risk analysis, cash flow, probabilistic forecasting, claims, allowances, contingency drawdown, retention release, final account negotiation, and unresolved changes.
- AACE Certified Cost Professional, RICS, PMP, or equivalent certification.
POSITION DETAILS- Primary Locations (On-site):
- Corsicana, TX
- Sweetwater, TX
- Position: Senior Cost Engineer - Change Management and Forecasting
- Position Classification: Salary-based full-time hours
- Current US work permit required. This position does not offer sponsorship for employment, including H-1B visa sponsorship or transfer.
PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS- Microsoft Excel
- Microsoft Office Suite
- SAP or similar ERP/cost management systems
- Power BI
- Primavera P6
