Join the Team Driving Educational Excellence in Los Angeles!
Are you ready to step into a role where your analytical skills, financial acumen, and project controls expertise directly influence the success of billion-dollar educational construction projects across Los Angeles? Join us in supporting the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) as a Project Controls Specialist III (Cost Analyst)— where precision meets purpose.
This is more than just a job — it's a chance to be a key player in one of the largest community college construction programs in the country. As part of Project Support Services, you’ll work directly with Project Managers, Construction Managers, and the Program Management Office (PMO) to ensure financial alignment, cost control, and strategic success for campus-specific capital improvements.
What You’ll Do – Your Mission
- Maintain and manage the accuracy and integrity of project budgets and financial forecasts, ensuring compliance with established cost management procedures and policies.
- Collaborate with Project and Construction Managers in drafting white papers for project establishment, re-baselining, and securing funding for capital projects.
- Participate in monthly Estimate at Completion (EAC) reviews, collaborating with the Project Management Office (PMO) to provide in-depth variance analysis and identify underlying causes.
- Allocate and manage Estimates to Complete (ETCs) for projects, including but not limited to change order proposals, task order requests, online vendor portal requests, and PBAs to ensure continued alignment with financial objectives.
- Participate in the change management and risk assessment meetings to analyze cost-related trends, risks, and exposures, contributing to proactive cost mitigation strategies.
- Conduct detailed analysis of cost variances, performance data, and trends to identify potential impacts on budgets, recommending corrective actions where necessary, ensuring financial data aligns with project goals.
- Perform monthly reconciliation of budget & costs to ensure month-end data reporting accuracy.
- Track and analyze trends in project costs and the effectiveness of mitigation plans, comparing these against actual performance and forecasts.
- Work with scheduling teams to assess the impact of cash flow and schedule performance on project costs, identifying variances, cost overruns or underruns, and potential forecasting issues.
- Review and analyze financial reports, cost performance, and progress data to ensure accuracy, providing insights into potential financial risks on a regular and/or as needed basis.
- Examine staffing plans to identify resource demand peaks and recommend cost-effective strategies to level resources and reduce unnecessary financial strain.
- Assist in preparation and validation of contract amendment exhibits, task order requests, and change orders, PBAs for proper budget allocation, cost coding accuracy, and adherence to reporting and financial standards ensuring alignment with project budget and cost tracking procedures.
- Ensure compliance with BuildLACCD policies and procedures regarding cost management for capital projects with multiple funding sources.
- Generate detailed financial and budget reports for campus-specific budgeting, cost control, auditing, and asset tracking using systems like Proliance, Deltek Costpoint, and other standard office program & applications.
- Create and deliver tailored financial, budget, and schedule reports in response to directives from the College Project Director (CPD) and other stakeholders.
- Serve as the primary contact for College financial information requests from CPLT and the PMO, providing timely and accurate budget and cost details.
- Administer the processing of budget transfers, financial closeouts, contract requests, purchase requisitions, amendments, PBAs, change orders and other necessary documentation into the cost management systems.
- Collaborate with the PMO to validate and collect project budget data, contributing to the development of accurate dashboard reports for stakeholders.
- Manage and reconcile project control data, ensuring accuracy in program control databases and related financial reports.
- Oversee the review and approval process for contractor and consultant payment applications, ensuring financial accuracy and compliance.
- Assist in assembling contract requests, purchase requisitions, amendments, PBAs, and change orders, ensuring proper accounting treatment and alignment of supporting documents.
- Assist in gathering physical completion data and perform necessary data entry to adjust project budgets and forecasts accordingly.
- Take on additional duties or special projects as needed to support cost management initiatives and overall project success.
Minimum Required Qualifications:
- 5 - 10 years’ experience professional experience in program and/or project controls on a construction program.
- BS/BA Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business or related degree. Additional qualifying experience in excess to the minimum stated above may be substituted for the required education on a year for year basis.
- Experience working through the entire project life cycle
- Knowledge of theories, principles and practices of cost/schedule management, earned value management, change management, forecasting, and risk assessment.
- Ability to present data to management in an organized manner..
- Exceptional communication skills required.
- Ability to adapt to changing requirements and situations.
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment.
- Ability to work as part of a team.
- Ability to perform in a business environment, maintaining professionalism in all communications and demeanor.
Preferred Qualifications:
- Experience utilizing Microsoft Office, Advanced Excel Skills, Proliance, Data-Warehouse or other systems used by a large capital program, and any educational facility experience.
Why Join Us?
- Be part of one of the most transformative educational infrastructure programs in the country
- Work with a mission-driven team focused on accountability, innovation, and community impact
- Receive competitive compensation through Project Support Services, a trusted partner in delivering talent to high-stakes public sector programs
- Thrive in a supportive, inclusive company culture that values growth, teamwork, and work-life balance — we invest in our people, celebrate achievements, and believe in building careers, not just filling roles
Ready to make an impact on the financial backbone of public construction?
Apply today through Project Support Services and help bring financial clarity to one of California’s most important educational programs.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $145,000.00 - $160,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Application Question(s):
- Do you have 5-10 years of experience in program and/or project controls on a construction project?
- Do you have your BS/BA Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business or related degree? Additional qualifying experience in excess to the minimum stated above may be substituted for the required education on a year for year basis.
- Do you have the ability to successfully complete an Excel test to include:
Calculate EAC, Calculate Budget Variance, Create Status column,Use XLOOKUP to populate PM names, Use SUMIFS to summarize costs by campus, Create a Pivot Table, and Apply Conditional Formatting?
Work Location: In person
