Principal Data Center Cost Manager

Overview

This role involves managing and controlling project costs for data center construction and infrastructure initiatives. Responsibilities include developing and maintaining accurate project budgets, overseeing cost estimation processes, and implementing cost control and reporting strategies. The position focuses on cost management, contract administration, and risk mitigation within the data center or critical infrastructure sector.

Responsibilities

• Review and maintain project budgets and cost forecasts throughout the project lifecycle.
• Monitor and report project expenditures, cash flow, and financial performance against approved budgets.
• Lead contract administration activities including procurement, change orders, and claims management.
• Identify, assess, and mitigate project risks, proactively addressing potential cost overruns and schedule delays.
• Collaborate with project managers, engineers, architects, contractors, and other stakeholders to align financial objectives with project delivery goals.
• Implement and maintain best practices for cost management, control, and reporting processes.
• Prepare and present regular cost and financial reports to senior management and relevant stakeholders.
• Support value engineering efforts to optimize costs while maintaining quality and project requirements.
• Ensure compliance with company policies, industry standards, and regulatory requirements throughout all project phases.

Cost Strategy, Governance & Controls

• Own the cost management strategy across one or more gigascale projects/programs from early design through closeout.
• Build cost governance, including WBS/CBS structures, cost codes, control accounts, reporting cadence, and executive dashboards.
• Establish standards for estimating, forecasting, contingency management, and cost risk practices across the program.
• Provide cost narratives to leadership, including variances, drivers, corrective actions, and forward-looking risk.

Estimating, Budgeting & Forecasting

• Lead concept-to-definitive estimating aligned to design maturity (e.g., ROM, schematic, DD, CD).
• Develop and maintain the overall project budget, cash flow, and long-range forecast; reconcile to funding and finance requirements.
• Benchmark costs using historical data, market intelligence, and parametric models; validate unit rates and productivity assumptions.
• Drive monthly cost report cycles with cost-to-complete and earned-value-informed forecasting where applicable.

Change Management & Commercial Management

• Implement a robust change control process to manage scope, schedule, and cost impacts with strong documentation.
• Evaluate change orders and claims, including pricing, entitlement, schedule linkage, and negotiation support.
• Partner with contracts/procurement to align cost controls with contract types (GMP, lump sum, target cost, T&M) and commercial terms.
• Manage contingencies and allowances using risk-based approaches; maintain traceability of drawdowns and releases.
• Develop and govern dashboards (e.g., Power BI/Tableau) integrating schedule, procurement, and cost data for predictive insights.
• Ensure AI outputs are explainable, auditable, and compliant with data governance and privacy requirements.

Procurement & Market Intelligence

• Support procurement strategy through cost modeling, bid analysis, supplier benchmarking, and should-cost frameworks.
• Track material and labor indices; assess escalation exposure and recommend mitigation actions (buyouts, alternates, hedging where applicable).
• Coordinate with logistics and construction teams to quantify impacts from lead times, resequencing, and field productivity shifts.

Stakeholder Leadership

• Serve as a trusted advisor to program leadership, project managers, design teams, construction managers, and finance partners.
• Lead cost reviews with internal and external stakeholders; communicate complex cost topics clearly to non-cost audiences.
• Mentor junior cost engineers/analysts; standardize templates, playbooks, and training for scale and repeatability.

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Finance, or related field (or equivalent experience).
• 12+ years progressive experience in cost management/cost controls for large capital projects (multi-site or campus-scale preferred).
• Demonstrated expertise in estimating, forecasting, change control, and contract/commercial evaluation.
• Strong working knowledge of construction means and methods, cost drivers, productivity, and sequencing.
• Advanced Excel skills; proficiency with cost systems and project controls tools (e.g., EcoSys, Unifier, Primavera P6, MS Project, SAP/Oracle ERP, or similar).
• Ability to build executive-ready reporting and drive disciplined monthly performance routines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience on hyperscale/gigascale programs (data centers, semiconductor fabs, EV/battery plants, large infrastructure, energy).
• Experience integrating cost and schedule data (EVMS concepts, production/earned value methods).
• Certifications: CCP (AACE), MRICS, PMP, or equivalent.
• Experience designing cost data models, governance standards, and automated reporting pipelines.

Compensation & Benefits

• US Hiring Range (USD): $126,200 - $264,100 per year
• May be eligible for bonus, equity, and compensation deferral.
• Comprehensive benefits package may include:
  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance (including expert medical opinion)
  • Short term disability and long term disability
  • Life insurance and AD&D
  • Supplemental life insurance (Employee/Spouse/Child)
  • Health care and dependent care Flexible Spending Accounts
  • Pre-tax commuter and parking benefits
  • 401(k) Savings and Investment Plan with company match
  • Paid time off (including Flexible Vacation for eligible salaried, non-overtime positions; accrued vacation for other eligible employees; accrual rules based on weekly hours)
  • 11 paid holidays
  • Paid sick leave: 72 hours upon date of hire, refreshes each calendar year; unused balance carries over up to a maximum cap of 112 hours
  • Paid parental leave
  • Adoption assistance
  • Employee Stock Purchase Plan
  • Financial planning and group legal
  • Voluntary benefits including auto, homeowner and pet insurance

Location

United States (posting notes that ranges and benefits information are specific to the stated locations only).

Additional Information

• Certain U.S. based or U.S. customer or client-facing roles may be required to comply with applicable requirements, such as immunization/occupational health mandates, and/or drug testing requirements.
• The role will generally accept applications for at least three calendar days from the posting date or as long as the job remains posted.