Cost Lead

Responsibilities

• Own cost planning across all project phases — from concept and pre-design through construction documents and GMP negotiation
• Develop detailed estimates for civil, structural, MEP, HV/LV power, cooling, fuel systems, and shell construction
• Maintain real-time cost forecasts across all active projects; track actuals vs. budget and surface variances early
• Own change order review: assess scope validity, commercial accuracy, and contract entitlement before recommending approval
• Prepare executive-level cost reports across the portfolio — clear, scannable, exception-based
• Manage contingency tracking and cost risk registers across project phases
• Lead value engineering exercises with design and construction teams to optimise cost without compromising scope or schedule
• Support GC and subcontractor procurement: bid leveling, scope gap analysis, and contract negotiation input
• Advise on contract structure and commercial risk allocation across delivery models
• Build the cost management function from the ground up: tools, templates, workflows, and reporting cadence
• Establish and maintain a unit cost benchmark database covering key DC cost categories — from $/MW to equipment and trade breakdowns
• Contribute to precon planning on new sites, including order-of-magnitude estimates to support site selection and investment decisions

Qualifications

• Experience with cost management, quantity surveying, or construction estimating
• Meaningful hands-on experience on data center or mission-critical construction — hyperscale, colo, or large-scale build-to-suit
• Owner-side experience strongly preferred; GC or QS consulting backgrounds considered if DC domain knowledge is deep
• Deep understanding of the DC cost stack: civil, structural, MEP, HV/LV power, cooling (CRAC/CRAH, DLC, immersion), emergency power, and IT fit-out
• Understands how design decisions — power density, redundancy tier, cooling strategy — translate directly to capital cost
• Comfortable benchmarking at $/MW, $/SF, and $/kW; knows what drives variation between projects
• Strong change order discipline: can assess pricing validity, identify scope gaps, and document entitlement
• Familiar with GMP, lump sum, and cost-plus contract structures
• Proficient with cost management tooling (Procore, Sage, or equivalent); can build process from scratch
• Degree in construction management, quantity surveying, engineering, or related field
• Builder mindset — comfortable setting up function and process where little exists, and operating with urgency in a fast-moving program

Compensation

• Base salary range: $160,000 - $250,000 per year, depending on experience, skills, qualifications, and location
• Competitive total compensation package (salary + equity)
• Retirement or pension plan
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous PTO policy