VS Database Project failed to build with post-deployment script adding agent job

I am maintaining and publishing a DBA tools database using a Visual Studio 2017 Database Project. Now I am trying to add a SQL Server agent job using a post deployment script. The job is scripted out by SSMS and is parsing/executing just fine there. It is created with the option "Script (not in build)" and called by the post-deployment script (":r /path/file.sql"). Several other scripts are called like this and the build is working like that. VS is parsing the script in the editor as well until I try to build. The build fails with: > 72006: Fatal scripting error: Incorrect syntax was encountered while parsing '$(Escape_SQUOTE('. The lines it fails on is: @command=N'sqlcmd -E -S $(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(SRVR)) -d MSSYS -Q "EXECUTE dbo.IndexOptimize @Databases = ''USER_DATABASES'', @FragmentationLow = NULL, @FragmentationMedium = NULL, @FragmentationHigh = NULL, @UpdateStatistics = ''ALL'', @OnlyModifiedStatistics = ''Y'', @MaxDOP = 8, @LogToTable = ''Y''" -b', @output_file_name=N'$(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(SQLLOGDIR))\StatisticUpdate_$(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(JOBID))_$(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(STEPID))_$(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(STRTDT))_$(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(STRTTM)).txt', So it tries to parse something as code that is actually supposed to be just a Unicode sting. I tried to put both strings into a variable ending up with the same error in the SET statements. The full code for your reference: USE [msdb] GO BEGIN TRANSACTION DECLARE @ReturnCode INT SELECT @ReturnCode = 0 IF NOT EXISTS (SELECT name FROM msdb.dbo.syscategories WHERE name=N'Database Maintenance' AND category_class=1) BEGIN EXEC @ReturnCode = msdb.dbo.sp_add_category @class=N'JOB', @type=N'LOCAL', @name=N'Database Maintenance' IF (@@ERROR 0 OR @ReturnCode 0) GOTO QuitWithRollback END DECLARE @jobId BINARY(16) EXEC @ReturnCode = msdb.dbo.sp_add_job @job_name=N'MSSYS StatisticUpdate - USER_DATABASES', @enabled=1, @notify_level_eventlog=2, @notify_level_email=0, @notify_level_netsend=0, @notify_level_page=0, @delete_level=0, @description=N'Source: https://ola.hallengren.com ', @category_name=N'Database Maintenance', @owner_login_name=N'sa', @job_id = @jobId OUTPUT IF (@@ERROR 0 OR @ReturnCode 0) GOTO QuitWithRollback EXEC @ReturnCode = msdb.dbo.sp_add_jobstep @job_id=@jobId, @step_name=N'StatisticUpdate - USER_DATABASES', @step_id=1, @cmdexec_success_code=0, @on_success_action=1, @on_success_step_id=0, @on_fail_action=2, @on_fail_step_id=0, @retry_attempts=0, @retry_interval=0, @os_run_priority=0, @subsystem=N'CmdExec', @command=N'sqlcmd -E -S $(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(SRVR)) -d MSSYS -Q "EXECUTE dbo.IndexOptimize @Databases = ''USER_DATABASES'', @FragmentationLow = NULL, @FragmentationMedium = NULL, @FragmentationHigh = NULL, @UpdateStatistics = ''ALL'', @OnlyModifiedStatistics = ''Y'', @MaxDOP = 8, @LogToTable = ''Y''" -b', @output_file_name=N'$(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(SQLLOGDIR))\StatisticUpdate_$(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(JOBID))_$(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(STEPID))_$(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(STRTDT))_$(ESCAPE_SQUOTE(STRTTM)).txt', @flags=0 IF (@@ERROR 0 OR @ReturnCode 0) GOTO QuitWithRollback EXEC @ReturnCode = msdb.dbo.sp_update_job @job_id = @jobId, @start_step_id = 1 IF (@@ERROR 0 OR @ReturnCode 0) GOTO QuitWithRollback EXEC @ReturnCode = msdb.dbo.sp_add_jobschedule @job_id=@jobId, @name=N'MSSYS StatisticUpdate - USER_DATABASES', @enabled=0, @freq_type=8, @freq_interval=62, @freq_subday_type=1, @freq_subday_interval=0, @freq_relative_interval=0, @freq_recurrence_factor=1, @active_start_date=20171010, @active_end_date=99991231, @active_start_time=190000, @active_end_time=235959 IF (@@ERROR 0 OR @ReturnCode 0) GOTO QuitWithRollback EXEC @ReturnCode = msdb.dbo.sp_add_jobserver @job_id = @jobId, @server_name = N'(local)' IF (@@ERROR 0 OR @ReturnCode 0) GOTO QuitWithRollback COMMIT TRANSACTION GOTO EndSave QuitWithRollback: IF (@@TRANCOUNT > 0) ROLLBACK TRANSACTION EndSave: GO