Cost Controller (Contract)

Trans Mountain Corporation operates Canada’s only pipeline system transporting oil products to the West Coast. We deliver approximately 890,000 barrels of petroleum products each day through a dual pipeline system of more than 1,150 kilometres of pipeline in Alberta, British Columbia and Washington state.

Trans Mountain also operates a state-of-the-art loading facility, Westridge Marine Terminal, with three berths providing tidewater access to global markets.  

As a federal Crown corporation, Trans Mountain continues to build on more than 70 years of experience delivering operational and safety excellence through our crude oil pipeline system. 

With our expanded pipeline system now in place, Trans Mountain provides enhanced direct access for Canadian crude oil to world markets. The expansion realizes a world-class system for oil transport, developed to Canada’s high standards within one of the most stringent regulatory regimes in the world, creating long-term economic benefits, enhanced marine protection, enhanced safety and emergency management capabilities, and enhanced skilled-worker capacity building in communities and Indigenous groups.

Our Core Values

Trans Mountain’s core values – Safety, Integrity, Respect and Excellence – guide our every step. Each obstacle we’ve overcome or success we’ve experienced has been the result of a shared commitment to living these values every day. Together, we’re focused on doing the right thing for each other and our communities. If you are looking for an opportunity to apply your strengths in an environment that encourages Safety, Integrity, Respect, and Excellence, we invite you to explore this opportunity with us!

Location: Calgary Head Office                          

Department: WCOP Support          

Reports to: Director, Project Services               

Worker Type: Contract     

Schedule Type: Full-time  

Work Setting: In-office     

Trans Mountain is seeking a collaborative, motivated, and values driven individual to join our dynamic team as a Cost Controller (Contract). In this position, you will play a key role in developing and controlling project budgets and maintaining an integrated, defensible, and auditable cost baseline. The successful candidate will demonstrate expertise in estimating, forecasting, budget control, cost analysis, change management, and project controls governance.

Key Responsibilities

• Coordinate estimate development activities across project functions, discipline leads, contractors, consultants, and third-party stakeholders; gather, review, challenge, reconcile, and consolidate estimate inputs to ensure consistency with approved scope, assumptions, execution strategy, and project objectives.
• Support estimate reviews, estimate validation workshops, benchmarking exercises, and estimate reconciliation activities; develop estimate summaries and budget recommendations for project leadership and governance reviews.
• Develop and maintain project cost structures aligned with the approved Work Breakdown Structure (WBS); establish and maintain control budgets consistent with approved funding authorizations and governance requirements.
• Ensure alignment between scope, WBS, budget, schedule, contracts, and reporting structures.
• Establish project cost management processes, procedures, templates, and reporting requirements.
• Support fiscal planning, budget revisions, annual budget submissions, and long-range funding forecasts.
• Develop and maintain accurate project forecasts using available scope, commitment, expenditure, progress, resource, and schedule information; coordinate periodic forecasting cycles with discipline leads and budget owners.
• Challenge forecast assumptions and supporting rationale to ensure forecasts reflect current project conditions and expected outcomes.
• Identify emerging trends, opportunities, risks, and potential budget pressures.
• Prepare Estimate-at-Completion (EAC), Estimate-to-Complete (ETC), cash flow, commitment, and expenditure forecasts.
• Analyze cost and schedule performance trends and assess their potential impact on future forecast outcomes; provide timely recommendations to improve forecast accuracy and budget performance.
• Establish and maintain registers for assumptions, qualifications, exclusions, opportunities, and risks that impact project cost.
• Administer project change management processes and associated cost governance requirements; maintain project change logs and support impact assessments for proposed scope, schedule, commercial, and execution strategy changes.
• Coordinate cost impacts arising from Project Decision Records (PDRs), change requests, scope modifications, risk responses, and management actions.
• Interface closely with Planning & Scheduling, Estimating, Supply Chain, Finance, and Project Management to ensure integrated project controls outputs.
• Support Earned Value Management and integration between cost, progress, and schedule information where appropriate.
• Prepare cost reports, management reports, budget summaries, and executive presentations; report commitments, expenditures, accruals, forecast costs, funding utilization, contingency utilization, changes, and performance trends.
• Support monthly, quarterly, and stage-gate reporting requirements.
• Promote application of recognized project controls and cost management best practices.
• Support continuous improvement of estimating, forecasting, reporting, and cost governance processes.

Qualifications and Professional Experience

• 8–12 years of progressive experience in project estimating, budget development, forecasting, cost control, and project controls.
• Advanced knowledge of project estimating, budget development, forecasting, and cost control, with a strong understanding of scope development and cost estimating relationships.
• Strong understanding of WBS development, control budgets, control accounts, governance structures, project change management, and decision tracking.
• Advanced forecasting and cost analysis capability, including trend analysis, variance analysis, forecasting, and scenario evaluation.
• Ability to challenge and reconcile estimate and budget inputs from discipline leads and stakeholders, and explain and defend the basis of an estimate, budget, forecast, or cost report.
• Ability to develop and maintain assumptions, decisions, and cost management registers with strong attention to detail, data integrity, and auditability.
• Experience applying AACE cost management principles and industry-recognized project controls practices.
• A consistent track record of delivering high‑quality work, managing competing priorities, and supporting key business processes or operational functions.
• Demonstrated ability to work effectively with colleagues and stakeholders from a variety of backgrounds and levels across the organization.
• Effective communication skills, including the ability to convey information clearly, respectfully, and professionally.
• Commitment to inclusive practices and a willingness to contribute positively to a collaborative and supportive workplace culture.

Working Conditions

• Willingness and ability to travel as required.
• May need to provide support outside of regular business hours and/or on the weekend.

Application

Candidates may submit their application in English or French. To apply in French, please use our French careers site: Careers (French)

We Build Careers and Pipelines That Last

Our story is about determination, resourcefulness and resilience. It’s about charting our own course, finding innovative solutions to challenging problems and doing the right thing. It was true when Trans Mountain became a company in 1951 and it’s just as true today. We welcome new members to our team that embrace the qualities in our story, that thrive on the new path and directions we take.  Our culture is one of care and taking our responsibilities seriously. If you would like to contribute to our culture, then join our journey.

A Rewarding Opportunity

We offer:

• Valuable experience providing opportunity for professional development and career advancement;
• An opportunity to engage with and learn from some of the most talented and experienced people in the business;
• Competitive compensation;
• A place to share a sense of purpose and build relationships;
• Meaningful work that makes a difference;
• An opportunity within the Canadian energy industry.

We value:

• The health, safety and wellness of everyone working in our company;
• Meaningful participation from Indigenous and local communities;
• The commitment and resilience of our people;
• Collaboration and achieving success together. 

In keeping with Trans Mountain’s commitment to maximize benefits for communities, priority will be given to qualified candidates from Indigenous, local and regional communities along the Trans Mountain pipeline corridor.

In Alberta, the pipeline system spans the traditional territories of Treaty 6, 7 and 8, and the Métis Nation of Alberta (Zone 4).

In British Columbia, the system crosses the traditional territories of numerous First Nations that are affiliated with the Secwepemc, Dakelh (Carrier), Nlaka'pamux, Syilx/Okanagan, Interior and Coast Salish, Stó:lo, as well as the Métis.

Trans Mountain also operates through 15 First Nation Reserves located within the region spanning the BC interior through Fraser Valley.

Our Commitment to Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA)

Trans Mountain is committed to fostering inclusion, diversity, equity and accessibility.  The diverse viewpoints and cultural knowledge that our employees bring to work enrich our organization’s collective cultural understanding, which is reflected in the work we do every day.  We strive to create an environment that is free of barriers to promote full participation in the workplace. Trans Mountain welcomes new team members from traditionally underrepresented groups, including but not limited to women, Indigenous Peoples, members of racialized groups, persons with disabilities and members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community.