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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