Cost Controls & Change Manager

Yates Construction Co.; Town of Texas, Northern (WI, KY); Hybrid; USD 100,000 - 135,000; Full time

Job summary

Yates Construction Co. seeks a Cost Controls/Change Manager to oversee budgeting, forecasting, tracking, and reporting on a data center megaproject.

The role leads the end-to-end change control process and requires a strong background in change management, contract negotiation, and data-center construction. A Bachelor's degree in a related field is preferred, with 3–5 years in cost control or financial analysis for large construction projects.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Finance, or related field.
• 3-5 years of cost control, estimating, or financial analysis experience, preferably in data center or mission-critical facilities construction.

Responsibilities

• Develop, implement, and maintain the project’s financial plan and budget, tracking expenditures.
• Perform cost analysis, forecasting, and reporting with regular updates to leadership.
• Review and approve contractor progress billings and payment applications.
• Assist in cash flow forecasting and processing of payment requests.
• Lead end-to-end Change Control processes and negotiate contractor change orders.

Skills

Budgeting

Forecasting

Cost control

Negotiation

Change orders

Communication

Analytical skills

Data center experience

Field operations

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management/Engineering/Finance

Tools

MS Excel

MS Project

PowerPoint

Cost management software

Job description

The Cost Controls/Change Manager is responsible for the overall project cost management, encompassing budgeting, forecasting, tracking, and reporting, and managing the entire change control process on a data center megaproject. This role requires a strong background in change management, 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.