Chief Estimator, AMER Estimating and Cost Control (AWS)

Amazon; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 153,000 - 255,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon seeks an experienced Chief Estimator equivalent to lead the AMER Estimating and Cost Control organization for AWS data centers. You will build a regional team of estimators across disciplines, own major estimating scope areas, manage vendors, and drive accuracy through benchmarking.

You will collaborate with finance, design, and preconstruction to support capital planning and operating plans while guiding cost governance on billions in annual data center projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management or related field.
• Experience in data center delivery and mission critical facilities is preferred.
• 8+ years in construction cost estimating or related field.
• Experience producing estimates for large-scale projects ($500M+).
• Proficient with cost estimating tools and databases.

Responsibilities

• Build, lead, and develop a team of estimating professionals across regional and discipline lines.
• Own delivery of major ECC estimating scope areas and budget support.
• Manage third-party estimating vendors and ensure quality and cost-effectiveness.
• Drive estimate-to-actual benchmarking to improve accuracy.
• Collaborate on capital planning, budgets, and pre-award inputs.
• Develop cost databases, tools, templates, and methodologies.

Skills

People management

Estimating experience

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Multi-geography pricing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management or related field

Master's degree in construction management or MBA (preferred)

Tools

RSMeans

CostX

Sage/Timberline

Bluebeam

On-Screen Takeoff

Job description

Chief Estimator, AMER Estimating and Cost Control

Job ID: 10544546 | Amazon Data Services, Inc.

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud platform. Our Data Center Planning and Delivery (DCPD) organization builds and scales the infrastructure that powers AWS. We are seeking an experienced Manager, Construction Estimating (Chief Estimator equivalent) to lead the estimating function within the AMER Estimating and Cost Control (ECC) organization.

This is a high-impact people management role. You will build and lead a team of Regional Estimating Managers aligned to AMER construction regions and Discipline Specific Technical Estimators (Electrical, Mechanical, and Civil/Structural/Architectural) — providing end-to-end construction estimating capability for a portfolio primarily focused on North and South America deliverables, but with significant Global cross functional work and opportunity. Your team will produce estimates that inform capital authorization, operating plans, and award decisions for billions of dollars in annual data center construction.

This role is foundational to ECC’s mission: Managing the end to end cost lifecycle from initial estimate through final account. Estimates improve every cycle because the team that produced them sees what actually happened.

Key job responsibilities

• Build, lead, and develop a team of estimating professionals and vendors across regional, product, and discipline lines, including hiring, performance management, and career development
• Own delivery and performance of the key ECC estimating scope areas: Basis of Design (BOD) Estimating, Design Intercept and Innovation Estimating, New Regions Planning, Project-Level Estimating (AMER), Operational Plan (OP) Support, Capital Appropriations Requests Assembly, Initial Budget Creation Support, and End-to-End Cost Planning
• Manage third-party estimating vendor contracts and deliverables, ensuring quality, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness at scale — supply capacity and performance will never be the bottleneck
• Drive the estimate-to-actual feedback loop with Cost Control, systematically benchmarking estimates against portfolio actuals to improve accuracy every cycle
• Lead estimating team inputs into the annual Operating Plan (OP) capital planning cycle alongside Preconstruction, Finance, and Cost Control — delivering estimate-anchored market-relevant forecasting
• Own the Estimating Team inputs into pre-award budget packages: CAR assembly, estimate-to-CAR handoff with Preconstruction and Techincal infrastructure Project Manager (TIPM), and initial budget creation inputs for new projects based on AMER and Global benchmarks
• Collaborate globally on Basis of Design estimates, PDCM/First of Kind/Intercept/Innovation costing, and new regions planning with Design Engineering and global estimating teams
• Develop and maintain cost databases, estimating tools, templates, and methodologies that reflect current market conditions across multiple AMER geographic markets
• Produce conceptual and detailed cost estimates for data center construction from schematic design through construction documents
• Communicate cost insights, risks, and opportunities to senior leadership, translating complex estimating data into actionable capital governance decisions
• Partner with Construction Management, Design Engineering, Finance, DCSP, and Preconstruction as the subject matter expert for all estimating matters — customer obsessed, partner first

A day in the life

You start the day reviewing estimate deliverables from your regional managers and third-party vendors — a West Coast campus civil estimate is due for review prior to being used in a CAR request, and a Central/SE region estimate needs reconciliation against recent GC RFP Round pricing. Your discipline estimators flag a PDCM intercept from Design Engineering that requires a rapid cost impact assessment for a mechanical innovation. You coach your team through prioritization, unblock vendor issues, and ensure the estimate quality meets ECC standards.

By midday, you’re in a cross-functional sync with Preconstruction and Finance discussing OP planning assumptions — your team’s estimate-anchored forecasts are the starting point for capital planning across the AMER portfolio. After lunch, you review benchmarking data from the ECC Analytics team, using actual project costs to calibrate your team’s next round of estimates. You close the day aligning with your Cost Control peers on a feedback loop for recently completed projects — the data that makes next quarter’s estimates better.

This role operates in a hyper-growth environment where data center demand is accelerating, construction markets are dynamic, and the ability to produce accurate, timely estimates directly impacts AWS’s capacity delivery and capital efficiency. You will travel periodically to construction sites and regional offices across AMER.

About the team

AMER Estimating and Cost Control (ECC) is a newly formed organization within Data Center Planning and Delivery (DCPD) that unifies Estimating and Cost Control under a single leader. ECC provides end-to-end cost lifecycle ownership — from initial estimate through final account. The team that produces the estimate and the team that proves it right or wrong report to the same leader.

ECC serves as the subject matter expert for estimating, cost and commercial management, data analytics, benchmarking, change management, risk analysis, and controllership. The organization creates a structured feedback loop between estimate and actual costs.

The Estimating pillar you will lead sits alongside Cost Control (regional managers delivering commercial management, change management, progress payments, and final accounts) and Portfolio and Analytics expertise (portfolio cost governance, benchmarking, AI/analytics, and startup support). Together, the team delivers cost optimization and governance through volume, expertise, and innovation across the AMER data center portfolio.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Electrical, Mechanical, Civil Engineering, or a similar technical discipline
• Experience in construction of data center delivery (design, commissioning and construction), mission critical facilities, or equivalent industrial/manufacturing facility builds
• 3+ years of people management experience
• Experience working with and managing third party vendors
• 8+ years of progressive experience in construction cost estimating, cost management, or quantity surveying in commercial, industrial, or infrastructure construction
• Demonstrated experience producing conceptual through detailed construction cost estimates for large-scale, complex projects ($500M+)
• Proficiency with cost estimating tools and databases (e.g., RSMeans, CostX, Sage/Timberline, proprietary cost databases, Bluebeam, On-Screen Takeoff, or equivalent)
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret construction drawings, specifications, and contract documents across multiple disciplines (MEP, civil, structural, architectural)
• Experience with multi-geography pricing — understanding regional labor markets, material escalation, and supply chain dynamics across the U.S.
• Exceptional communication skills with the ability to present cost insights to senior leadership (L8+) and translate estimating data into capital governance recommendations

Preferred Qualifications

• Master's degree in construction management, Engineering, or MBA
• Experience with Basis of Design estimating, design-phase cost input, and value engineering
• Track record of building estimating programs from the ground up — establishing tools, templates, processes, and cost databases
• Experience with capital planning cycles, Budget assembly, or capital governance processes
• Experience with reverse engineering awarded contracts to validate subcontractor pricing and identify cost optimization opportunities
• Familiarity with hard bid, negotiated, and design-build delivery methods

Amazon is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of protected veteran status, disability, or other legally protected status.

Our inclusive culture empowers Amazonians to deliver the best results for our customers. If you have a disability and need a workplace accommodation or adjustment during the application and hiring process, including support for the interview or onboarding process, please visit https://amazon.jobs/content/en/how-we-hire/accommodations for more information. If the country/region you’re applying in isn’t listed, please contact your Recruiting Partner.

The base salary range for this position is listed below. Your Amazon package will include sign-on payments and restricted stock units (RSUs). Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, qualifications, and location. Amazon also offers comprehensive benefits including health insurance (medical, dental, vision, prescription, Basic Life & AD&D insurance and option for Supplemental life plans, EAP, Mental Health Support, Medical Advice Line, Flexible Spending Accounts, Adoption and Surrogacy Reimbursement coverage), 401(k) matching, paid time off, and parental leave. Learn more about our benefits at https://amazon.jobs/en/benefits.

USA, VA, Herndon - 153,200.00 - 254,500.00 USD annually

USA, WA, Seattle - 153,200.00 - 254,500.00 USD annually