Our client, a leading mining company is looking to appoint an experienced Cost Engineer to join a major mining project during its study phase, based in Rosebank, Johannesburg.
The Cost Engineer will provide owner-side cost engineering, cost control and commercial support for the project. Responsible for coordinating the estimating service, maintaining transparent and auditable control of the study budget, administering the commercial aspects of study consultant appointments, supporting procurement and tendering, and validating cost-related inputs used in option business cases and financial models.
Minimum Requirements:
Relevant Bachelor's degree, B-Tech or National Diploma in Quantity Surveying, Cost Engineering, Construction Management, Engineering, Commercial Management or equivalent.
Minimum 8 years' relevant project cost engineering or commercial experience, with demonstrated experience in mining or major capital-project studies.
Hands-on experience in estimating, cost control, consultant contract administration and commercial reporting.
Demonstrated experience supporting procurement, tender evaluation and option / feasibility studies.
Strong understanding of CAPEX, OPEX, cost forecasting, budgeting and financial reporting.
Advanced MS Excel skills, with strong Word and PowerPoint capabilities.
Ability to interpret engineering drawings, layouts, scopes and equipment lists.
Advantageous:
Experience in mining infrastructure projects.
Previous owner's-team or EPCM experience.
Professional registration such as PrQS, SACQSP, MRICS or equivalent.
Experience working on mining projects.
Exposure to project financial models and investment evaluations.
Experience with project cost systems, ERP, procurement systems or Power BI.
Duties include but are not limited to:Safety, Health, and Environment:
Ensure compliance with all applicable safety, health and environmental practices, requirements and site procedures.
Apply the organisation's SHE policies and procedures when undertaking site visits, consultant engagements and commercial activities.
Escalate unsafe practices, conditions or SHE risks to the Project Manager and relevant responsible person.
Participate in applicable VFLs, risk assessments and close-out of assigned safety actions.
Ensure commercial and consultant activities do not compromise SHE requirements or approved project controls.
Support consultant and service-provider compliance with the organisation's SHE standards and requirements.
Cost Engineering, Estimating & Estimate Governance:
Manage the day-to-day interface with the appointed estimating team and coordinate estimate deliverables for all study options and scenarios.
Develop and maintain the estimate execution approach, estimate schedule, deliverable register and responsibility matrix in alignment with the study programme.
Ensure the estimating team completes quantity take-offs from available high-level drawings, layouts, equipment lists, scopes and other design information where required.
Review the Basis of Estimate, WBS/CBS alignment, quantities, rates, productivity assumptions, escalation, foreign exchange, indirects, owner's costs, contingency and other estimate allowances.
Challenge estimate completeness, scope gaps, interface omissions, double counting, unsupported allowances and inconsistencies between options.
Ensure estimate revisions are fully auditable, with clear reconciliation of movements between estimate versions and required peer or independent assurance prior to owner approval.
Study Budget Control & Financial Reporting
Establish and maintain the approved study budget and cost breakdown structure, aligned with the project WBS, contracts and study schedule.
Track commitments, purchase orders, actual costs, accruals, approved changes, forecasts and Estimate at Completion against the approved study budget.
Maintain monthly cash-flow and forecast phasing aligned with the latest approved study schedule and expected consultant deliverables.
Analyse cost variances, identify root causes and recommend corrective actions or forecast adjustments to the Project Manager.
Review consultant and service-provider invoices against contractual terms, approved scope, progress achieved and available budget before recommendation for approval.
Maintain the study contingency, allowance and budget-transfer records, with a complete audit trail for all approved budget movements.
Prepare monthly study cost reports, dashboards and management commentary covering budget status, forecast, cash flow, commitments, variances and key exposures.
Commercial & Contract Administration:
Administer the commercial aspects of study consultant appointments, including scope, deliverables, rates, fees, commercial terms and contractual obligations.
Maintain a complete contract register covering appointment values, milestones, payment terms, expiry dates, commitments and key commercial obligations.
Prepare and administer variations, change instructions, fee adjustments and supporting commercial evaluations in accordance with delegated authority.
Track consultant performance against contracted scope, budget, deliverables and schedule and escalate deviations or underperformance.
Prepare or coordinate commercial correspondence, notices, records of decisions and contractual meeting actions where required.
Identify, assess and report contractual risks, potential claims and disputes and support the Project Manager in resolution and mitigation strategies.
Review the completeness and commercial accuracy of invoices, claims and supporting records and provide recommendations for certification or rejection.
Integration and Coordination:
Interface closely with the Project Manager, engineering, project controls, geology, finance, procurement and other study disciplines to maintain an integrated cost and commercial position.
Ensure alignment and data integrity between scope, WBS, schedule, estimates, study budget, contracts, option evaluations and business case inputs.
Coordinate information requests to the estimating team and maintain visibility of assumptions, exclusions, qualifications, information gaps and outstanding design inputs.
Coordinate cost and commercial inputs into study reports, review packs, governance submissions and investment-gate deliverables.
Maintain auditable source data, estimate back-up, commercial records and decision trails sufficient for owner review, assurance and future study phases.
Ensure concise, audience-focused communication of key cost, estimate and commercial messages to the Project Manager and stakeholders.
Financial Model & Business Case Support:
Prepare and review CAPEX, OPEX and cost-input packs required for option evaluations, business cases and financial models.
Reconcile financial-model cost inputs to the latest approved estimate and clearly identify any model adjustments, timing changes or assumptions made outside the estimate.
Validate assumptions relating to escalation, foreign exchange, implementation timing, owner's costs, sustaining capital, operating-cost build up and other cost drivers relevant to the option.
Prepare concise commercial and cost summaries for option-selection workshops, study reviews and investment decisions.
Cost, Change & Risk Management:
Establish and apply study cost-control and commercial change-control processes aligned with the approved Cost Management Plan and project governance.
Quantify the cost impact of scope, schedule and commercial changes and ensure approved changes are reflected consistently in budgets, forecasts, estimates and business-case inputs.
Provide early warning of forecast overruns, estimate uncertainty, procurement risks, consultant commercial exposure and emerging contractual issues.
Desired Skills:
Cost Engineering
Cost Control
Commercial
Cost Administration
Feasibility Studies
Cost Estimating
Forecasting
Capital Projects
Mining Projects
Desired Qualification Level:
Diploma