Hire Cost Engineers who defend fee margin from day one — EVM-disciplined forecasting, bid-to-actual variance tracking, and cash-flow-grade cost reports. Verified from prior project executives and controllers, not just resume claims.
.png)
Example candidateA structured process for hires where a soft forecast in month 6 becomes a $12M gross-profit surprise in month 18 — and a controller who can’t sign the cash certification.
30-minute call. Align on sector, delivery model (GMP vs. lump-sum), EVM expectations, forecasting cadence, cost stack (Sage, CMiC, Kahua, Prolog), and start date.
Within 2 weeks we introduce 3–5 Cost Engineers with delivered EVM and forecasting discipline. Prior controllers and project executives referenced where reachable.
Every placement carries a replacement guarantee. If the hire fails within the warranty window, we run a no-fee replacement search.
Cost is where fee margin is defended or eroded. EVM discipline, forecasting rigor, and reference-verified variance history separate a Cost Engineer who catches the drift at month 3 from one who documents the crash at month 18.
Every Cost Engineer on the shortlist has documented earned-value management on prior projects — CPI / SPI trend rigor, S-curves aligned to schedule, and forecast-at-completion discipline. Not just cost-book maintenance.
Verified forecasting discipline referenced by prior controllers and project executives: monthly forecast-at-completion, cash-flow projection, and variance-driver documentation that supports owner-facing certification.
$/MW variance analysis for hyperscale, $/bed benchmark tracking for healthcare, cleanroom $/sqft variance for life sciences, per-tool cost trend for semi. Matched to your sector, not commercial-office cost-book habits.
Every candidate is credential-verified, controller-referenced, and matched to your sector. Anonymized examples below reflect real placement profiles.
.png)
Example candidate.png)
Example candidate.png)
Example candidate“Cost Engineer” means different things across sectors and delivery models. Below are the specializations we recruit for:
We’ll help you scope the role on the call — delivery model, sector, EVM expectations, and reporting cadence.
Cost hires live and die on EVM discipline, forecast integrity, and controller trust. Below is what every candidate has documented before you meet them:
Reference-verified from prior project executives and controllers: CPI / SPI trend rigor, S-curve integration, forecast-at-completion discipline. Not just cost-book updates.
Hyperscale $/MW, healthcare $/bed, cleanroom $/sqft, per-tool semi. Matched to your sector, not generic commercial cost-book habits.
Sage 300 CRE, CMiC, Kahua, Primavera Unifier, Prolog, Textura, Procore Financials. Matched to your existing environment before finalist interviews.
AACE CCP, PMI-SP, PMI-PMP where applicable, and sector-specific credentials as required. Not just software certifications.
Reference-verified from prior controllers and CFO-office roles on forecast integrity, change-order documentation, and month-end certification support.
Cost Engineer, Senior, Cost Manager, and Director of Project Controls comp bands aligned before finalist interviews.
Time to shortlist is typically 2 weeks from scoping call. Total time to placement (shortlist through offer acceptance) is typically 3–4 weeks.
Pricing depends on engagement model. Per-role recruiting is a defined fee. Embedded is a monthly retainer. Executive search (Director of Project Controls) is a retained fee, typically 30–35% of first-year cash comp.
Yes. Every level and adjacency — Change Order Analyst, EVM Analyst, Cost Engineer, Senior, Cost Manager, and Director of Project Controls.
Where obtainable. We reference-verify with prior project executives, controllers, and CFO-office roles on the accuracy of prior forecast-at-completion vs. actuals. Where the data isn’t reachable, we mark the assertion as unverified.
Yes. Hyperscale $/MW variance discipline is core coverage. MEP represents up to 75% of GMP on AI-optimized builds — Cost Engineer fluency at the MEP layer determines whether fee margin holds.
Yes. Every Cost Engineer placement carries a replacement guarantee. Guarantee terms are confirmed in writing at engagement start.
Yes. Multi-hire project-controls builds (Director + Sr Cost Engineers + EVM Analysts + Schedulers) route through embedded recruiting or RPO.
Generalist recruiters treat all cost-book maintainers as interchangeable. iRecruit.co Cost Engineer recruiters verify EVM discipline, forecast integrity, and sector unit-cost fluency — every candidate is matched to your delivery model.
30-minute scoping conversation. We’ll review the cost-engineering role you need, delivery model, EVM expectations, and reporting cadence — then recommend the right hire path and start sourcing.
