
Cost Controls Project Manager - Real Estate Development
SALT LAKE CITY, UTJob$110–170K/yrSeen 1 day agoSeen in employer's feed 1 day ago
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At a glance
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Job overview
The Cost Controls Project Manager serves as WGU’s independent commercial and cost management lead for new campus construction. The role oversees project budgeting, cost planning, and financial performance throughout the project lifecycle, providing objective cost guidance, validating estimates, supporting procurement decisions, and maintaining financial discipline. The position works in the office at WGU’s Salt Lake City headquarters; relocation assistance is available for candidates outside a 50-mile radius.
Skills & qualifications
Skills
Benefits
Full job description
If you're passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country-and you're committed to working hard to play your part in building that future-consider WGU as the next step in your career. Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families. The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs. At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is: Grade: Professional 312 Pay Range: $109,900.00 - $170,400.00 Job Description The Cost Controls Project Manager serves as WGU's independent commercial and cost management lead for our new campus construction. This role is responsible for overseeing project budgeting, cost planning, and financial performance throughout the full project lifecycle. The Cost Manager provides objective cost guidance, validates estimates, supports procurement decisions, and ensures strong financial discipline to protect project outcomes. *This position will be working in office out of our Salt Lake City, Utah headquarters. Relocation Assistance will be provided for those not currently located in a 50 mile radius of Salt Lake. Primary Responsibilities Cost Planning and Budget Management * Lead development and management of project budgets from early planning through completion. * Establish and maintain detailed cost plans aligned to scope, schedule, and risk. * Validate and challenge estimates from architects, consultants, contractors, and third parties. * Monitor budget performance, identifying risks, variances, and savings opportunities. * Prepare budget forecasts and cash flow projections. Design Phase Cost Management * Provide cost modeling and estimating support throughout design development. * Evaluate design alternatives and recommend cost-effective solutions. * Lead value engineering efforts while preserving design intent and project objectives. * Conduct commercial and comparative analyses of design and procurement options. * Assess cost impacts of scope changes, design revisions, and market conditions. * Provide independent cost analysis to inform key project decisions. Procurement and Contract Support * Support procurement strategy development and package planning. * Participate in consultant, contractor, and vendor selection. * Review bid submissions and provide commercial analysis and recommendations. * Evaluate contract pricing structures, contingencies, and key commercial terms. * Support negotiations and contract award decisions. Construction Phase Commercial Management * Evaluate change orders, claims, and contingency usage. * Validate contractor cost proposals and supporting documentation. * Monitor committed costs, forecast final... For full info follow application link. Western Governors Univeristy is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation or any other classification protected by federal, state or local law.
How this job compares
Set against the 15,599 open Project Management jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 29, 2026.
- Pay
- This posting$110–170K/yr
- Utah median$102–171K/yr134 salary ranges
- US median$106–175K/yr10,042 salary ranges
This range's midpoint, $140K, is close to the Utah median midpoint ($139K) — in the middle half of Project Management salary ranges in Utah.
- Openings
- Olive Jobs lists 247 open Project Management jobs in Utah and 15,599 across the US. 4% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
- Hiring the most in Utah
- Oracle32 open
- CDM Smith16 open
- Northrop Grumman16 open
- Experience
- Project Management postings that state a minimum ask for 5 years of experience at the median; the middle half ask for 4 to 8 years (12,521 postings).
- Education
- 6,562 of the 15,599 open Project Management jobs (42%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.
Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 29, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.
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