Cost Analyst I or II

Dairyland is a generation and transmission cooperative that provides wholesale energy for 24 electric distribution cooperatives and 17 municipal utilities in Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa, and Illinois.

• Level I: $61,100 - $91,700
• Level II: $77,400 - $116,100

The Cost Analyst I supports the collection, organization and basic analysis of project-related financial data used to develop performance and status reports for project management. The Cost Analyst II performs similar functions with increased responsibilities, providing cost control and schedule support for large and complex projects, advanced analysis, and guidance to project teams.

• Collects and organizes project data to support the development of project status and performance reports.
• Assists with preparing routine project performance, budget and status reports using established tools and templates.
• Supports project management by reviewing report data, identifying variances and escalating questions or issues to senior team members.
• Assists with monitoring contract, procurement and project documentation to track obligations, deliverables and compliance for contracted service providers.
• Interacts with Finance, Supply Chain and other departments to troubleshoot and solve issues related to project costs and vendor contract compliance.
• Supports the development and maintenance of resource demand plans, cost projections and cash flow forecasts.
• Assists project management with collecting and organizing documentation related to budget changes, impacts and change orders to support tracking against baseline budget and schedule.
• Helps monitor changes to project budgets and schedules and supports analysis of cost and performance trends.
• Develops working knowledge of technology and software platforms used for project financial transactions, scheduling, resource planning, risk assessment and project performance analysis.
• Supports project teams with maintaining budget information, forecasts and in-service milestone tracking through project completion.
• Participates in training and professional development to build project controls, reporting and utility project knowledge.
• Follows governance, process descriptions, guidelines and procedures and shares improvement suggestions with leadership.
• Other duties as assigned.

• Education & Experience:
  
  Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Management, Accounting, Project Management or a related field. Experience in project controls, finance, accounting, project management support or utility/industrial construction support preferred. Equivalent combination of education and experience considered.
• Skills:
  
  Basic understanding of cost tracking, budgeting and reporting principles; strong analytical, verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills; strong organizational and time‑management skills; ability to learn project controls processes, reporting methods and utility construction workflows; proficiency in Microsoft Office, especially Excel, and ability to learn D365, Power BI and related systems; basic problem‑solving skills and attention to detail; ability to work independently on routine assignments while seeking guidance on more complex issues;
  
  general understanding of accounting principles preferred; exposure to project management, construction or utility operations concepts preferred; willingness to participate in ongoing training and development.

• Education & Experience:
  
  Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Business Management, Accounting, Project Management or a related field, plus five or more years of experience. Equivalent combination of education and experience considered.
• Skills:
  
  Experience providing cost control and schedule support for large and complex projects; experience providing effective analysis of project performance and status; conversant with PMI Process and Knowledge areas and American Association of Cost Estimator standards and practices; strong verbal, written and interpersonal communication skills; strong organizational, time, project and change‑management skills with ability to multi‑task; ability to…