As a part of the Data Center organization, the Senior Cost Manager is responsible for leading and overseeing all regional cost management activities across data center construction projects. This individual provides strategic direction and governance for cost control, cost modeling, cash flow management, and Estimate at Completion (EAC) processes.
They oversee the Cost Control team, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and alignment with corporate financial objectives. The Senior Cost Manager is a subject-matter expert in project financial performance, with strong leadership, analytical, and communication skills, and the ability to drive standardization and best practices across a portfolio of projects.
- Provide leadership and oversight to regional Cost Managers across multiple data center construction projects.
- Establish and enforce standardized cost management practices, tools, and reporting frameworks across all regions.
- Oversee development, validation, and consolidation of project cost models, budgets, and forecasts at a portfolio level.
- Ensure accuracy and consistency of Estimate at Completion (EAC) processes and outputs across all projects.
- Lead portfolio-level cash flow planning, monitoring, and reporting to ensure alignment with corporate financial targets.
- Review and analyze cost performance, identifying trends, risks, and opportunities across regions and projects.
- Provide strategic guidance on cost control, forecasting accuracy, and financial risk mitigation. Oversee benchmarking efforts and support development of cost baselines and unit rate standards across the organization.
- Review and approve major cost changes, change orders, and financial decisions impacting project budgets.
- Ensure timely and accurate preparation of executive-level reports, dashboards, and presentations.
- Drive continuous improvement initiatives in cost management processes, systems, and data analytics capabilities.
- Mentor and develop team members, fostering a high-performance culture across cost management functions.
- Ensure compliance with company policies, financial controls, and contractual requirements.
- Communicate complex financial information and insights effectively to senior executives and stakeholders.
- Conduct business with the highest level of integrity and sound judgment, particularly in high-impact or ambiguous situations.
- Bachelor’s degree required (Construction Management, Engineering, Finance, or related field preferred)
- 8+ years of experience in cost management, project controls, or estimating within EPC or large-scale construction environments
- Proven experience managing teams and overseeing multiple large, complex projects or programs
- Strong expertise in cost modeling, forecasting, cash flow management, and EAC methodologies
- Experience with portfolio-level financial oversight and reporting
- Deep understanding of construction cost structures, particularly for data center or mission-critical projects
- Experience leading standardization and process improvement initiatives
- Strong financial acumen and strategic thinking capabilities
- Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel and familiarity with cost management and reporting tools
- Experience working in an engineered systems / project-based business model
- Data center construction experience preferred, but not required
Location: Redwood City, CA, Denver, CO, San Diego, CA or Remote