Cost Engineer - Life Sciences

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Jacobs is seeking a highly motivated Cost Engineer to support our growing portfolio of Life Sciences projects. You’ll play a key role in ensuring cost transparency, financial control, and commercial rigor across complex, multi disciplinary engineering programs. This is an opportunity to contribute to projects that advance pharmaceutical manufacturing, biotechnology, medical devices, and cutting edge research facilities.

Key Responsibilities:

Cost Management & Control:

• Develop, maintain, and manage project cost estimates, budgets, and forecasts across all project phases.
• Track and report actual costs vs. budget, identifying variances and recommending corrective actions.
• Maintain and update the project cost control system, ensuring accuracy and traceability of all financial data.

Project Support:

• Work closely with project managers, planners, procurement, engineering, and construction teams to ensure cost alignment with project scope and schedule.
• Participate in change management, including cost impact assessments, trend analysis, and change order evaluation.
• Support risk management activities by identifying cost risks, opportunities, and mitigation strategies.

Reporting & Governance:

• Prepare and deliver regular cost reports, dashboards, and KPIs for internal and client stakeholders.
• Ensure compliance with Jacobs’ project controls procedures, client requirements, and regulatory standards.
• Contribute to project reviews, audits, and financial governance activities.

Collaboration & Continuous Improvement:

• Engage with multidisciplinary teams to drive cost efficiency and value engineering initiatives.
• Support the development and refinement of Jacobs’ cost engineering tools, templates, and best practices.
• Foster a culture of transparency, accountability, and proactive problem solving.

• Degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Finance, Construction Management, or related field.
• Proven experience in cost engineering or project controls, ideally within Life Sciences, pharmaceuticals, biotech, or advanced manufacturing.
• Strong understanding of capital project lifecycles, estimating methodologies, and cost control principles.
• Proficiency with cost management tools (e.g., EcoSys, Prism, SAP, Excel).
• Excellent analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast paced, highly technical project environment.

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We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support.