Cost & Project Accounts Manager at DRA Global

The Cost and Project Accounts Manager will be required to mentor and train cost control staff therefore it will be expected that the manager will be able to perform the following activities at expert level

EPCM Man-hour Schedule

• Populating EPCM schedule with the Actual, Budget, and Forecast hours and rate
• Capturing Man-hours on Monthly Basis and updating forecast with the Project manager prior to month end
• Request reconcile & capture all reimbursable costs from finances, on a monthly basis
• Analyse and reconcile all man-hours and reimbursable expenses to Sage X3 and the correct general ledger
• EPCM services progress and performance measurement typically utilizing earned value
• Update EPCM status report and project managers executive dashboard

Cost Control

• Coding of capital budget estimate in excel, converting flat files into import file, Data Mapping - Set up Import File in accordance with Coding methodology
• Monthly Forecasting update meeting with Project Manager, Engineers & QS. Completing cashflow and FFC
• Monthly Cost control, financial Reports and Dashboards
• Reconciling Procurement to Costrac with Commitment Register
• Process Mapping and ensuring all departments integrate timeously

Costrac

• Loading Cost Flow templates (Cash flow, Terms & Condition as per contract)
• Ensuring through reviews that all capturing of orders are against correct cost centres by verifying orders against cost centre before commitment
• Reviewing variances on budgets and ensuring the capturing of change notices to ensure correct change reason get captured
• Journals - Back up required
• Month End closure procedures are adhered to and reporting on overall cost control function
• Creating Costrac Project SQL Pivots. Auditing Cost and Accounting project operations to ensure conformity to Company Procedures and accuracy

Key Performance Areas

People Leadership

• Motivate personnel and communicate with personnel on both a professional and personal level
• Motivate staff in the Cost Control teams to provide an excellent service to all Stakeholders
• Encourage staff to develop their skills and expertise
• Set-up and implement applicable training for Cost Control departments for career and personal growth, to enable staff to become more competent, efficient and skilled in their positions

People Management

• Engage with the business to identify the key Cost Control priorities and ensure that resources are assigned accordingly.
• Maintaining and manage the relations between cost control and finance (especially with accounts payable and senior accountant)
• Delegate duties and functions to others within the Cost Control department
• Departmental resource management and planning
• Managing the relationship with Cost Controllers internally and with contracting partners
• Maintaining relationships internally with the procurement and estimating groups

Operational Management

• Identifying opportunities to streamline and improve cost control processes, procedures and systems
• Maintaining and developing Costrac along with interfacing with Sage X3
• Assist with the integration of cost control and procurement systems
• Ensuring Work in Progress (WIP) reports and Costrac are reconciled by the Cost Controllers on EPC Project and EPCM manhour budgets.
• Providing technical support, monitor and review cost control activities on projects along with the responsible cost controller Supporting the development of control budges for projects from study phase through to project implementation 
• Support the cost controller to do the coding of all detailed estimate line items using the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), package and assets codes
• Supporting the setup of cost reports for project as per client and company requirements
• Review with the cost controller cost report and analyse variances
• Support and setup the forecasting of project contingency requirements, escalation, forex currencies
• Supporting the setup and tracking of cash flow for projects (including EPC projects)
• Supporting and review the implementation of change management processes and procedures. Ensure that all projects update and maintain budgets with the approval of Change Notices (CNs)
• Supporting the development of Final Forecast Cost (FFC) and proactive identification of risks and mitigation
• Establish with the assistance of the cost controller asset management methodology, based on client asset management philosophy (asset register)
• Support the production of asset registers in accordance with client requirements
• Carrying out the necessary research and assembling all information regarding the cost situation of all projects
• Provide a companywide project’s cost report highlighting the statues of the capital and EPCM manhour budgets indicating risk areas in terms the FFC vs the approved capital budget or EPCM contract

Stakeholder Relations

• Ensures that interactions with all Stakeholders are conducted in a professional and respectful manner
• Ensures that all relevant Stakeholders are kept informed and up to date on status of project technical aspects
• Ensures that DRA remains the Clients engineering service provider of choice

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance or Business-related discipline is essential
• CIMA / CA (SA) advantageous
• MS Excel advanced skills essential

Experience

• 8+ years experience in a similar role within the multi-disciplinary EPCM environment is essential
• 5+ years in Cost / Management accountant is essential
• 2+ years Junior Management positionis essential

Knowledge Areas

• Worked within and EPCM/Mining environment is essential
• Specific department i.e. Projects, Project Controls etc. is essential
• Financial reporting requirements with management reports is essential
• ISO 9001, ISO14001 & OHSAS 18001 advantageous
• Multi-discipline environment advantageous
• Budgeting, forecasting final costs, cash flows and estimating is essential
• Procurement, contracts, quantity surveying, planning, scheduling and engineering processes and procedures advantageous
• Working knowledge of estimating and tendering processes advantageous
• Project management principles advantageous