Capital Project Analyst

Capital Project Analyst

Location: On-site, Champaign, IL

Make an immediate impact modernizing core manufacturing assets. In this on-site role, you will be the connective tissue between engineering, procurement, and finance, turning project data into decisions that keep critical capital initiatives on budget and on schedule. You will help stand up new projects, forecast spend, flag risks early, and give leaders clear visibility into value creation across an active portfolio.

What you will do:

• Build monthly project snapshots, comparing actuals, commitments, and forecasts, highlight variances, and update estimates to complete in partnership with project managers.
• Translate cost and schedule data into actionable insights for stakeholders, identify trends and risks across scope, schedule, and budget, and recommend course corrections, including support for earned value and cash flow forecasting.
• Partner with finance to connect business case assumptions to project metrics, and routinely report return on invested capital over the multi year horizon.
• Reconcile purchase orders, receipts, invoices, and payments on a regular cadence, resolve discrepancies with accounts payable and vendors, and maintain clean data across systems.
• Set up new projects in enterprise systems, including chart of accounts, fixed asset capitalization support, and closeout activities such as PO cleanup and lessons learned.
• Coordinate purchasing activities, from purchase requests and receipts through delivery, returns, and vendor setup, while tracking equipment and rental costs.
• Track contractor progress and productivity against schedule of values, review weekly and monthly contractor reports, and support on-site safety and KPI reporting.
• Keep complete, audit-ready project files and assist with communications and steering-level presentations.

What you bring:

• Associate’s degree in accounting, Finance, Business, or similar, plus 3 or more years in project accounting or financial analysis within industrial, construction, or manufacturing environments.
• Hands-on experience with purchase orders, accounts payable, project cost tracking, and fixed asset processes.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, Power BI, and SharePoint, with the ability to present financials clearly to both technical and non-financial audiences.
• Strength in organization, detail, and deadline management, with a proactive mindset and strong communication skills across levels.

Bonus points:

• Exposure to ERP or EAM tools such as SAP, Maximo, Coupa, or similar.
• Familiarity with construction benchmarking, schedule of values, and contractor cost tracking.

Work setting and travel:

• This role is on-site in Champaign, IL, supporting local operations and regional stakeholders, with occasional travel as projects require.

Why this role

Join a growth-minded manufacturer investing in capital upgrades across a multi site footprint. You will report into a capital projects leadership group, collaborate closely with project managers, and gain visibility with finance and operations while shaping how projects are planned, measured, and delivered.

About Blue Signal:

Blue Signal is an award-winning, executive search firm specializing in various specialties. Our recruiters have a proven track record of placing top-tier talent across industry verticals, with deep expertise in numerous professional services. Learn more at bit.ly/46Gs4yS