Cost Manager – Onsite, KSA (Data Center)

Decima International; Riyadh; On-site; SAR 450,000 - 750,000; Full time

Job summary

Decima International is seeking an experienced Cost Manager to lead cost control and quantity surveying for a major data center project in Saudi Arabia. You will oversee budgets, forecasts, cash flow, and cost reporting to senior leadership.

Responsibilities include reviewing contractor submissions, managing variations, and ensuring cost-control compliance while guiding a team of cost professionals and coordinating with project controls, procurement, and engineering teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying or related field.
• Professional accreditation or certification preferred.
• 10+ years experience in cost management or QS roles.
• 8+ years in cost management on major projects.
• 6+ years in senior cost-control capacity.

Responsibilities

• Lead cost control and quantity surveying across the project lifecycle.
• Develop and monitor budgets, cost plans, forecasts, and cash flow.
• Review submissions, valuations, payments, and documentation.
• Prepare cost reports, variances, and estimates at completion.
• Identify cost risks and opportunities; support mitigation.
• Coordinate with controls, commercial, procurement, engineering, and construction teams.
• Ensure compliance with contracts and cost-control standards.
• Manage and develop the cost-control team.

Skills

Cost control

Budgeting

Variance analysis

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Excel proficiency

Contract understanding

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying / Construction Management / Engineering

MRICS or equivalent certification (preferred)

CCP certification (preferred)

Tools

Cost Management Systems

Project Controls Platforms

Cost Reporting Dashboards

Quantity Surveying Tools

Job description

Cost Manager – Onsite, KSA (Data Center)

Decima International is a professional services company, providing project management and controls services to clients in the United States and the Middle East. Our mission is to become the premier professional services provider across all industry sectors we are engaged in. To accomplish this, Decima International’s founders established a simple yet powerful formula:

Approach each client engagement as apartnership, create an environment that attracts themost talented professionalsand allows them to flourish, and regulategrowthto maintainexcellencein our service standards.

Decima International is a professional services company providing project management and controls services to clients in the United States and the Middle East. Our mission is to become the premier professional services provider across the industries we serve.

We are seeking an experienced Cost Manager to lead cost management and quantity surveying activities for a major data center project. The role will oversee project measurement and cost control, ensure budget compliance, manage variation assessments, and provide accurate and timely cost reporting to project leadership.

The successful candidate will lead the cost-control team, perform final reviews and sign-offs of cost reports and commercial assessments, and report directly to the PMC Lead / Site Director.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead and manage project cost control and quantity surveying activities throughout the project lifecycle.
• Develop, maintain, and monitor project budgets, cost plans, forecasts, and cash flow.
• Perform measurement and quantity verification for construction works.
• Review contractor cost submissions, valuations, payment applications, and supporting documentation.
• Perform final review, sign-off, and escalation of project cost reports.
• Monitor project expenditure against approved budgets and identify potential cost overruns.
• Prepare regular cost forecasts, estimates at completion, and variance analyses.
• Review, assess, and validate variations, change orders, and contractor claims.
• Evaluate the cost impact of design changes, scope changes, and project risks.
• Maintain accurate records of commitments, expenditures, forecasts, and approved changes.
• Support change management and ensure approved variations are accurately reflected in project cost reporting.
• Conduct cost benchmarking and provide recommendations to support value-for-money decisions.
• Monitor contingency usage and advise project leadership on potential financial exposure.
• Prepare monthly cost reports, dashboards, and executive-level summaries for the PMC Lead / Site Director.
• Coordinate closely with project controls, commercial, procurement, engineering, construction, and commissioning teams.
• Support tender evaluations, commercial assessments, and contractor negotiations as required.
• Identify cost risks and opportunities and recommend appropriate mitigation measures.
• Ensure compliance with project commercial procedures, contractual requirements, and cost-control standards.
• Manage, guide, and review the work of the project cost-control team.
• Provide accurate and timely commercial and cost advice to project leadership and the Owner.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Engineering, Commercial Management, or a related discipline.
• Relevant professional certification or accreditation.
• Minimum 10+ years of overall professional experience in cost management, quantity surveying, or commercial management.
• Minimum 8 years of relevant cost management experience on major construction or capital projects.
• Minimum 6 years of experience in a senior or comparable cost-control capacity.
• Strong experience in measurement, quantity surveying, cost planning, and cost control.
• Proven experience managing project budgets, forecasts, commitments, and cost reports.
• Strong experience reviewing contractor valuations, payment applications, variations, and change orders.
• Experience conducting variation assessments and evaluating commercial impacts.
• Strong understanding of construction contracts, cost management principles, and project controls.
• Ability to identify cost risks, analyze variances, and provide clear recommendations to senior stakeholders.
• Strong leadership and team management capabilities.
• Excellent analytical, numerical, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to prepare and present clear cost reports to senior project and client leadership.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Excel and other cost-management tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• RICS qualification, such as MRICS, or equivalent professional accreditation.
• AACE Certified Cost Professional (CCP) certification.
• Experience delivering hyperscale data centers or other mission-critical facilities.
• Experience working on large-scale construction, infrastructure, or capital projects.
• Experience within a Project Management Consultancy (PMC) environment.
• Strong knowledge of quantity surveying and commercial management practices.
• Experience with cost management and project controls systems.
• Familiarity with FIDIC or similar international forms of contract.
• Experience managing contractor claims, variations, and change-control processes.
• Strong knowledge of cost benchmarking, value engineering, and lifecycle cost analysis.

POSITION DETAILS

• Position: Cost Manager
• Function: Cost Management / Quantity Surveying
• Work Setting: Full-Time Onsite
• Role Type: Cost Manager combined with Quantity Surveying responsibilities
• Industry: Data Centers / Mission-Critical Construction

PRODUCTIVITY TOOLS

• Microsoft Excel
• Microsoft Office
• Cost Management Systems
• Project Controls Platforms
• Cost Reporting and Dashboard Tools
• Quantity Surveying / Measurement Tools

Decima International is an Equal Opportunity Employer that is committed to the safety and well-being of all. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, creed, color, national origin, ancestry, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or medical conditions related to pregnancy, childbirth, or breastfeeding), age, medical condition, marital or domestic partner status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression and transgender status, mental disability or physical disability, genetic information, military or veteran status, citizenship, low-income status or any other status or characteristic protected by applicable law.