Cost Optimisation & Value Engineering Manager

About Bin Omairah Company

Bin Omairah Company is a Saudi-based conglomerate with over 50 years of history, known for its rapid growth and diversified portfolio. The company specializes in infrastructure solutions (D&B and EPC), real estate and renewables development and co-investment, and manufacturing of renewable technologies. We are expanding locally and regionally, seeking leaders who can contribute to meeting infrastructure needs across the MENA region. This full-time position for a Cost Optimisation & Value Engineering Manager is based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

The Role: Cost Optimisation & Value Engineering Manager

The Cost Optimisation & Value Engineering Manager will play a critical role in reviewing and analyzing project costs, identifying opportunities for optimization, and leading Value Engineering initiatives across various functions. This position involves close collaboration with all internal departments, including PMO, Engineering, Projects, Commercial, Contracts, Procurement, Estimation, Finance, Equipment & Logistics, HSE, Operations, Business Development, and Executive Management. External interactions will include clients, government authorities, suppliers, consultants, and other project stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Review project budgets, forecasts, commitments, expenditures, and cost reports against approved budgets and commercial assumptions.
• Analyze major project cost drivers and identify opportunities for cost optimization, cost avoidance, and improved resource utilization.
• Review high-value and high-risk expenditures, challenging cost assumptions, methodologies, and proposed commitments as appropriate.
• Lead and coordinate Value Engineering (VE) initiatives across projects, Engineering, Procurement, and other relevant functions.
• Evaluate alternative materials, specifications, construction methods, equipment, resources, and sourcing strategies to improve overall project value.
• Assess the total cost of ownership and lifecycle cost of major project, procurement, equipment, and operational decisions.
• Review project execution methodologies, productivity assumptions, quantities, durations, equipment utilization, and manpower deployment to identify optimization opportunities.
• Conduct Rent vs. Buy, Own vs. Hire, Make vs. Buy, and alternative sourcing analyses where applicable.
• Review significant supplier quotations, subcontractor proposals, commercial offers, variations, and other major cost-related submissions.
• Coordinate with Procurement, Supply Chain, Engineering, Projects, Finance, Commercial, Contracts, and other functions to identify and implement cost optimization opportunities.
• Establish and maintain cost benchmarks for materials, equipment, manpower, subcontractors, suppliers, and services using historical and market data.
• Conduct historical and comparative cost analysis to identify cost trends, abnormal variances, recurring inefficiencies, and potential areas of waste.
• Maintain a Cost Optimization & Value Engineering Register covering opportunities, responsible owners, status, expected savings, approved savings, and realized savings.
• Monitor approved cost optimization initiatives through implementation and coordinate with Finance to validate and document realized savings and cost avoidance.
• Develop data-driven recommendations and business cases to support management decisions on major cost, procurement, technical, and operational matters.
• Establish appropriate review thresholds and governance mechanisms for significant expenditures, cost risks, and optimization opportunities.
• Prepare concise weekly and monthly management reports and executive dashboards covering cost optimization, savings, major cost risks, VE initiatives, and required management decisions.
• Provide early visibility of material cost exposures, unjustified expenditures, recurring inefficiencies, and delayed or unimplemented optimization opportunities.
• Recommend alternative solutions, additional reviews, benchmarking, Value Engineering studies, or other corrective actions where significant cost concerns are identified.
• Support the development and continuous improvement of company-wide Cost Optimization, Value Engineering, Cost Control, and Cost Governance practices and promote a culture of cost awareness and value for money.

Qualifications and Experience

• Experience: 10-15 years of relevant experience within EPC, construction, engineering, infrastructure, or major project environments.
• Specialized Experience: Strong experience in one or more of the following areas: Cost Management / Cost Control, Project Controls, Commercial Management, Estimation, Procurement, Quantity Surveying, Value Engineering, Project Management.
• Analytical Skills: Demonstrated experience in analyzing project costs, construction methodologies, resource utilization, procurement decisions, and total-cost implications.
• Project Environment: Experience working across multidisciplinary EPC project environments.
• Leadership Interaction: Experience dealing with senior management and project leadership teams.
• Industry Knowledge: Strong understanding of EPC project lifecycle and construction methodologies; strong knowledge of project cost structures and cost drivers.
• Technical Aptitude: Ability to analyze budgets, forecasts, commitments, quotations, and expenditure; ability to perform cost-benefit and alternative-option analysis; strong benchmarking and data-analysis capabilities.
• Cost Understanding: Good understanding of procurement, subcontracting, equipment, manpower, logistics, and project execution costs.
• Communication: Strong reporting and presentation skills; ability to communicate complex cost issues in a concise and executive-friendly manner.
• Problem Solving: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Professional Attributes: Strong stakeholder management; results-oriented and commercially aware; high level of integrity, objectivity, confidentiality, and professional ethics; ability to work independently while influencing multidisciplinary teams.
• Software Experience (Asset): Experience using Microsoft Dynamics 365 or other ERP systems to retrieve and analyze business information.
• Regional Experience (Preferred): Experience working in a multicultural environment, particularly in Saudi Arabia or GCC EPC / construction / infrastructure projects.