Lead Principal Cost Controller - Data Centers

Establish and lead the GoBig LV cost management framework, including cost breakdown structures, baseline budgets, estimating standards, forecast cadence, change control, contingency governance, and commercial decision records.

· Own consolidated LV cost plans, cash-flow projections, and estimates at completion across concurrent packages and phases; reconcile commitments, actuals, accruals, pending changes, and remaining exposure with Finance and delivery teams.

· Lead independent estimate reviews and validate quantities, labor productivity, unit rates, allowances, escalation, and market assumptions; challenge inconsistencies and establish defensible benchmarks for procurement and investment decisions.

· Shape procurement and packaging strategies with Procurement, Engineering, and delivery leaders; lead commercial analysis, bid leveling, and negotiation recommendations to improve value and manage scope interfaces and contractual exposure.

· Govern evaluation of change orders, scope gaps, claims, and schedule-related cost impacts; validate entitlement, quantities, pricing, and supporting evidence, and drive timely resolution through the appropriate approval process.

· Quantify cost risks and opportunities, assess contingency adequacy, and develop mitigation options for design changes, long-lead materials, labor constraints, resequencing, and acceleration; escalate exposures before milestones or budgets are compromised.

· Integrate cost reporting with PMO schedules, procurement plans, construction progress, and commissioning milestones; explain the commercial consequences of delivery options and dependencies to senior decision makers.

· Establish performance metrics and executive reporting for forecast accuracy, budget variance, change exposure, contingency use, cash flow, and vendor commercial performance; present clear recommendations and decision requests.

· Oversee commercial assurance of commitments, invoices, progress payments, accruals, and earned value against approved scope and verified progress; drive reconciliation of material discrepancies with accountable teams.

· Lead resolution of complex cross-functional commercial issues without direct reporting authority; establish accountability, decision deadlines, and escalation paths with internal leaders, contractors, and vendors.

· Lead commercial closeout and final-account reconciliation; capture lessons learned, maintain LV cost benchmarks, and mentor cost professionals to improve estimating quality and repeatable commercial practices.

Minimum Qualifications

· 12+ years of experience in infrastructure cost management, quantity surveying, commercial management, or project controls for complex capital projects.

· 5+ years leading cost or commercial workstreams across large-scale programs with multiple stakeholder organizations and complex technical and construction dependencies.

· Experience managing cost or commercial controls for infrastructure programs exceeding $100M in capital scope or supporting campus-scale deployments, including mission-critical, data center, telecom, or comparable infrastructure.

· Demonstrated expertise in cost planning, estimate validation, procurement commercial analysis, change and claims evaluation, forecasting, contingency, and final accounts.

· Demonstrated success establishing cost governance, presenting commercial recommendations to senior leaders, and resolving complex issues autonomously without direct management authority.

· Ability to travel 25% of time, otherwise remote.

Preferred Technical Experience

· LV/ICT estimating and quantity takeoffs for structured cabling, fiber, ISP/OSP infrastructure, pathways, and containment.

· Contractor bid leveling, commercial negotiations, contract administration, claims assessment, and schedule-related cost analysis.

· Cost and schedule integration, earned value, forecast accuracy, cash-flow modeling, accruals, risk analysis, and multi-package benchmarking.

· Advanced Excel, construction cost-control platforms, and reporting or analytics tools; familiarity with PMO scheduling and delivery systems.

Preferred Qualifications

· Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Finance, or a related field; an advanced degree is a plus.

· RICS, CCM, PMP, or an equivalent relevant professional credential.

· Experience with hyperscale data center LV packages, fast-track construction, and commercial interfaces through commissioning and turnover.

IC5 Lead Principal Cost Controller Expectations

· Lead highly complex and ambiguous commercial work, establishing scalable cost governance and resolving systemic issues with limited direction.

· Influence senior leaders through credible forecasts, fact-based recommendations, and clear financial and delivery tradeoffs.

· Serve as a recognized cost management subject matter expert, mentor others, and convert lessons learned into repeatable improvements across GoBig.

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