Job Description

Cost Control & Cost Audit Specialist

Industry

Construction / Real Estate Development

Location

UAE

Seeking Candidates having substantial construction/project cost-control experience and understand how construction costs are generated, contracted, measured, certified, invoiced, and ultimately paid.

A candidate who has worked as a Cost Controller, Cost Auditor, Project Controls Specialist, Quantity Surveyor with audit exposure, or Construction Cost Analyst, particularly within a developer or large contracting organisation, would be highly suitable.

Key Responsibilities

Cost Control

• Monitor and control project costs against approved budgets, BOQs, estimates, and forecasts.
• Establish and maintain project cost-control systems and procedures.
• Track committed, actual, accrued, and forecast project costs.
• Analyse cost variances and identify reasons for budget overruns.
• Prepare monthly cost reports, cost-to-complete reports, and project cost forecasts.
• Monitor subcontractor, supplier, consultant, and contractor expenditure.
• Review and validate invoices, payment applications, and supporting documentation.
• Monitor variations, claims, change orders, and their financial impact.
• Ensure all project expenditures are correctly allocated to the appropriate cost codes and projects.
• Work closely with Project Managers, Quantity Surveyors, Procurement, Finance, and Contracts teams.

Cost Audit

• Conduct periodic and project-based cost audits to verify the accuracy and validity of construction expenditure.
• Audit contractor and subcontractor invoices, payment certificates, variations, claims, and supporting documents.
• Reconcile approved budgets, contracts, purchase orders, invoices, payments, and actual project costs.
• Identify duplicate payments, incorrect rates, unsupported costs, overbilling, and unauthorized expenditure.
• Review contractual rates, BOQ quantities, material costs, labour costs, and subcontractor charges.
• Verify that project costs comply with approved contracts, budgets, procurement procedures, and company policies.
• Conduct audits of procurement and purchasing transactions related to construction projects.
• Highlight cost leakage and recommend corrective and preventive actions.
• Prepare audit findings and present recommendations to senior management.
• Follow up on implementation of agreed cost-control and audit recommendations.

Reporting & Analysis

• Prepare detailed cost-control dashboards and management reports.
• Provide management with early warnings on potential cost overruns and financial risks.
• Analyse project profitability, cost trends, and forecast final costs.
• Develop and maintain cost-control KPIs.
• Support annual budgeting, project feasibility reviews, and financial forecasting.
• Provide data and analysis for internal and external audits when required.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying, Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Finance, Accounting, or a related discipline.
• 5–10 years of relevant experience in construction cost control, project controls, quantity surveying, cost audit, or a similar role.
• Strong experience specifically in construction cost auditing is essential.
• Previous experience working with main contractors, developers, consultants, or construction companies is preferred.
• Strong knowledge of construction contracts, BOQs, variations, payment certificates, subcontractor accounts, and procurement.
• Experience in analysing project costs and identifying discrepancies and cost leakage.
• Strong understanding of budgeting, forecasting, cost-to-complete, accruals, commitments, and variance analysis.
• Excellent Excel and financial analysis skills.
• Experience with ERP/project cost-control systems is highly desirable.
• UAE/GCC construction experience is preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• RICS, MRICS, CIMA, ACCA, CPA, CMA, PMP, or equivalent certification would be an advantage.
• Experience auditing large-scale building, infrastructure, residential, commercial, or real estate development projects.
• Experience in both cost control and internal/project cost audit will be strongly preferred.