Cost Control Engineer

Orenda is on a mission to make the grid more efficient with renewable energy projects and proprietary asset management technology. We develop build own and operate battery energy storage projects in dense urban environments to bridge the gap between renewables and electricity consumption.

We are a dynamic NYC-based startup at the forefront of a new industry. We are seeking highly motivated and incredibly talented individuals who wish to contribute to our important mission.

Orenda’s Project Execution Division is responsible for taking projects from late-stage development through commercial readiness and into safe predictable construction delivery. We own the operating system that makes delivery repeatable at scale: decision-grade scopes standardized readiness artifacts cost and risk narratives and disciplined handoffs into construction.

We partner cross-functionally with Development Construction Procurement and Finance to ensure project inputs are synchronized before mobilization and exceptions are explicit.

Orenda’s Project Execution Division is responsible for designing permitting procuring equipment and constructing distributed energy resources. We thoughtfully develop processes and manage third parties to bring these projects to life.

Orenda’s preconstruction function is responsible for turning early project concepts into contract-ready execution plans by defining scope validating feasibility and building defensible budgets.

We are seeking a Cost Control Engineer (Governance) to embed a true “owner’s check” inside the preconstruction team. This role owns the cost governance truth system used to keep budgets and scope assumptions consistent traceable and defensible as projects advance from concept into contract-ready execution. This role does not run procurement or contract execution. It owns the project budget baseline and the structured change-control mechanism as scopes and assumptions evolve. It makes sure the cost model and supporting assumptions are clear consistent and easy to audit. When inputs are missing or uncertain the role flags what is unknown and what is needed to close the gap.

This role partners tightly with pre-construction procurement development/engineering construction and finance.

• Project budget compilation (viability): Build and maintain the project-specific cost baseline used to assess commercial viability using a standard reference design + quantified variances. Ensure the budget is complete internally consistent and decision-grade.
• Budget governance and change control: Maintain a structured log of potential cost increases/decreases as assumptions evolve. Periodically recommend budget adjustments with clear rationale traceability and an audit trail.
• Reference design + variance engine: Build and maintain standardized reference cost models by configuration and the quantified variance drivers used to price deltas off schematic inputs (including subsurface and site diligence inputs as available).
• Allowance & confidence scoring discipline: Enforce explicit allowances for uncertainty (no hidden contingency in unit rates) and maintain a standardized confidence scoring rubric as scope maturity increases.
• Bid-to-BoQ normalization: Normalize contractor proposals into a standard BoQ/cost code structure so bids are comparable apples-to-apples and can be cleanly mapped into the budget model.
• Estimate-to-actual reconciliation: Reconcile model outputs to quotes bids and awards. Update unit rates and variance logic so the system compounds over time.
• Change sensitivity (“delta pricing”): Maintain a library of common scope-change drivers and unit-rate deltas to enable rapid “what does this change do to cost?” analysis.
• Escalation of unknowns: When a cost package is not complete document gaps and required follow-ups. Flag what is unknown and what is needed to close the gap.
• Artifact traceability: Maintain a clean audit trail for assumptions sources and model updates including a change log for the unit-rate and variance libraries.

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering Construction Management Quantity Surveying or a related field.
• Cost Modeling: Demonstrated ability to build and maintain unit-rate models and reconcile them to real market pricing.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in cost engineering estimating project controls or preconstruction for complex projects (energy utility industrial or comparable).
• Commercial & Scope Rigor: Strong command of scope definition cost-code structures and bid leveling / normalization.
• Governance Mindset: High standards for assumptions hygiene traceability and document control; able to enforce standards without being the “doer” for every task.
• Communication: Ability to write concise decision-grade readouts: what changed vs baseline what is uncertain and what requires escalation.
• Tools: Strong Excel/Sheets capability. Comfortable adopting project controls platforms (Kahua/Procore equivalents) and structured document control practices.

• Experience estimating or managing civil/GC scopes in dense-urban environments.
• Experience with BESS projects and NYC constraints (DOB / FDNY / Con Edison).
• Experience creating base case configurations and variance libraries for repeatable product types.
• Experience implementing cost controls systems and integrations (ERP cost code structures dashboards).

• Extremely organized and process-oriented; low tolerance for ambiguity left un-owned.
• Strong judgment and ability to identify where the estimate is fragile and how to de-risk it.
• Comfortable challenging assumptions and clearly calling out uncertainty.
• Collaborative partner who can work cross-functionally without creating drag.
• Bias to durable artifacts and repeatable mechanisms over one-off estimates.

This is a full-time in-office position requiring work from our headquarters (Brooklyn NY) five days a week with periodic travel to project sites and vendor/factory visits as needed.

You’ll join a mission-driven culture that values ownership accountability continuous learning high performance and genuine collaboration. We work hard move quickly and enjoy doing it together.

In addition to the chance to do important work with a great team Orenda offers a competitive compensation package designed to attract and retain top talent:

• Base Salary: The anticipated base salary range for this full-time position in New York City is $120000-$170000 ****per year. The final base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the successful candidate's relevant experience skills and qualifications.
• Bonus: In addition to the base salary this role is eligible for a significant annual performance-based bonus.
• Benefits: Our comprehensive benefits package includes:
  • Health dental and vision insurance
  • 401(k) plan
  • LifeTime Fitness corporate membership
  • Monthly commuter stipend
  • Learning and education stipend
  • Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy
  • Regular company events

Orenda Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to fair and inclusive hiring and employment practices in accordance with federal New York State and New York City law. We do not discriminate in any aspect of employment—including hiring promotion compensation or termination—on the basis of any protected characteristic including race color religion sex gender sexual orientation gender identity or expression age national origin disability veteran status or any other status protected by law.

What We Do

Renewable energy technology company developing and operating energy storage assets in New York City. We have developed a data-driven process to optimize and limit the risk of early-stage asset development as well as a software platform and associated AI/ML models which optimize the dispatch of energy over the life of the energy storage assets.