Cost Control Manager

Kevin Edward; Town of Texas (WI); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Kevin Edward seeks a Cost Controls / Change Management Manager to oversee budget planning, forecasting, tracking, and the complete change control lifecycle for a data center megaproject.

The role requires a strong background in project controls, construction estimation, and contract negotiation within mission-critical facilities. Hybrid work in Texas. Permanent/Full Time.

Qualifications

• 3–5 years of cost control, estimating or financial analysis in data center or mission-critical facilities construction.
• Experience with budgeting, forecasting, and cost reporting for large projects.
• Strong negotiation and vendor management skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication and analytical abilities.

Responsibilities

• Develop, maintain the project's financial plan and budget.
• Forecast, track, and report expenditures against approved budgets.
• Review, verify, and approve contractor progress billings and payments.
• Assist in cash flow forecasting and processing of payment requests.
• Lead end-to-end Change Control processes and risk mitigation.
• Collaborate with Engineering, Procurement, Finance, and Legal teams.
• Drive cost reporting and performance improvement across the project.
• Support design and construction teams to identify change drivers.

Skills

Budgeting

Forecasting

Cost control

Contract negotiation

Change management

Data visualization

Excel

MS Project

PowerPoint

Education

Bachelor's degree in CM/Engineering/Finance

Job description

Job Title: Cost Controls / Change Management Manager

Location: Texas

Work Type: Hybrid

Employment Type: Permanent/ Full Time

Summary of Position:

The Cost Controls Manager is responsible for the overall project cost management, encompassing budgeting, forecasting, tracking, reporting and managing the entire change control process on a data center megaproject. This role requires a strong background in project controls, construction estimation and contract negotiation within the mission-critical or data center environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Cost Management and Control:
• Develop, implement, and maintain the project's financial plan and budget, tracking expenditures against approved budgets.
• Perform detailed cost analysis, forecasting, and reporting, providing regular updates on budget status to project leadership and stakeholders.
• Review, verify, and approve contractor progress billings and payment applications, ensuring accuracy relative to actual construction status.
• Assist in cash flow forecasting and processing of payment requests.
• Leverage data visualization tools for financial modeling and reporting.
• Change Control and Risk Mitigation:
• Own and lead the end-to-end Change Control process, ensuring all changes in scope or cost are properly documented, reviewed, and approved by the necessary parties.
• Analyze and negotiate contractor change order requests, aiming to mitigate unnecessary cost and scope creep.
• Maintain the project Change Order Log, providing transparent tracking of all potential and executed changes.
• Work proactively with the design and construction teams to identify potential change drivers and implement mitigation strategies.
• Manage and finalize contract processes and documents related to RFIs (Requests for Information) and change orders.
• Stakeholder Collaboration:
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Engineering, Procurement, Finance, Legal) to ensure commercial and financial outcomes align with strategic organizational objectives.
• Serve as the key resource for cost reporting and cost management support for the project.
• Build trusted relationships with external vendors and general contractors to drive performance improvement and control costs.
• Process Improvement:
• Establish and lead cross-functional cost management programs to drive performance improvement.
• Ensure cost controls processes and tooling are optimized and consistently applied across the technical organization.

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Finance or a related field is preferred.
• Experience: 3-5 years of experience in cost control, estimating or financial analysis with a preference in data center or mission-critical facilities construction.

Skills:

• Strong proficiency in budgeting, forecasting and cost control for large construction projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing and negotiating agreements, pay applications and change orders with general contractors and subcontractors.
• Expert-level proficiency in cost management software and Microsoft Excel, MS Project and PowerPoint.
• Deep knowledge of general construction market conditions and cost benchmarks for mechanical, electrical and structural systems.
• Excellent written and verbal communication, negotiation, and analytical skills.
• Primarily construction site–based, supporting field teams and trailers.
• Occasional travel to regional job sites may be required.
• Requires regular use of computers, mobile devices and standard office equipment.