Sr. Value Engineering Manager, Value Engineering

Amazon; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 115,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Amazon.com Services LLC is seeking a Senior Value Engineering Manager to own cost engineering and value engineering on large-scale construction projects and to shape AI-powered cost intelligence across our global network.

You will lead bottom-up estimating, should-cost benchmarking, and cost optimization while partnering with design, sourcing, and project teams to ensure quality, constructability, and schedule alignment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field.
• Experience as an Architect, Engineer, Construction Manager, Development Manager, Owner's project management representative or in other Commercial Development and Construction related disciplines.
• Experience developing bottom-up cost models, should-cost models, cost benchmarks, cost driver analysis, and analytical frameworks to support complex construction or capital investment decisions.

Responsibilities

• Deliver independent, bottom-up construction cost estimates for North America Design & Construction stakeholders across retrofit, expansion, and new-build projects spanning multiple building types and fulfillment network segments.
• Develop cost estimates from early-stage concepts through RFP-ready construction documents, selecting appropriate methodologies and analytical depth based on project maturity and available information.
• Own estimating strategies for repeatable multi-site programs by developing scalable templates while producing detailed bottom-up estimates for complex, site-specific projects requiring advanced analytical judgment.
• Generate conceptual ROM estimates to support early project planning, business case development, investment decisions, and funding approvals.
• Lead should-cost modeling, benchmarking, and Value Engineering analyses to identify cost optimization opportunities while preserving design intent, quality, constructability, schedule, and operational requirements.
• Leverage AI-powered tools to improve estimating efficiency through automated data gathering, benchmarking, and cost analysis while applying engineering judgment to validate outputs and resolve complex or ambiguous scopes.
• Drive development of scalable AI-enabled estimating solutions by curating project and market cost data, validating model performance, and identifying opportunities to automate routine estimating activities.
• Partner with preconstruction managers, design engineers, sourcing teams, category managers, and business stakeholders to validate assumptions, communicate cost risks, evaluate alternatives, and influence cost-informed decisions throughout project development.
• Establish estimating best practices through peer reviews, continuous improvement initiatives, and maintenance of current labor, material, equipment, subcontractor, and market pricing databases to ensure consistent, accurate, and defensible cost models.

Skills

Cost estimation

AI & automation

Data management

Cost benchmarking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Construction Management, Engineering, or related field

Tools

CostX

Estimating systems

Job description

Description

Ever wondered what it takes to build Amazon's massive global network — and how we make sure every dollar spent on construction delivers maximum value?

Description

Ever wondered what it takes to build Amazon's massive global network — and how we make sure every dollar spent on construction delivers maximum value?
We're looking for a Senior Value Engineering Manager who will own cost engineering and value engineering on large-scale construction projects and help shape the future of AI-powered cost intelligence. This isn't a back-office analytics role — you'll be influencing multi-million-dollar supplier negotiations, presenting to senior leadership, and support building the tools that will transform how Amazon Global Procurement Organization models, negotiates and manages construction cost worldwide.
Construction is one of our largest and most complex procurement categories. Every project is different — unique site conditions, local labor markets, permit requirements, and material constraints mean that each costing cycle demands a fresh bottom-up deep dive: decomposing cost structures, stress-testing assumptions against local market realities, and building analytics that reflect the true cost drivers of that specific build. You'll bring deep construction industry expertise and pair it with a forward-looking mindset, co-creating AI-driven tools that scale your impact far beyond individual projects.

Key job responsibilities

• Deliver independent, bottom-up construction cost estimates for North America Design & Construction stakeholders across retrofit, expansion, and new-build projects spanning multiple building types and fulfillment network segments.
• Develop cost estimates from early-stage concepts through RFP-ready construction documents, selecting appropriate methodologies and analytical depth based on project maturity and available information.
• Own estimating strategies for repeatable multi-site programs by developing scalable templates while producing detailed bottom-up estimates for complex, site-specific projects requiring advanced analytical judgment.
• Generate conceptual ROM estimates to support early project planning, business case development, investment decisions, and funding approvals.
• Lead should-cost modeling, benchmarking, and Value Engineering analyses to identify cost optimization opportunities while preserving design intent, quality, constructability, schedule, and operational requirements.
• Leverage AI-powered tools to improve estimating efficiency through automated data gathering, benchmarking, and cost analysis while applying engineering judgment to validate outputs and resolve complex or ambiguous scopes.
• Drive development of scalable AI-enabled estimating solutions by curating project and market cost data, validating model performance, and identifying opportunities to automate routine estimating activities.
• Partner with preconstruction managers, design engineers, sourcing teams, category managers, and business stakeholders to validate assumptions, communicate cost risks, evaluate alternatives, and influence cost-informed decisions throughout project development.
• Establish estimating best practices through peer reviews, continuous improvement initiatives, and maintenance of current labor, material, equipment, subcontractor, and market pricing databases to ensure consistent, accurate, and defensible cost models.

About The Team

The Sourcing Excellence team helps Amazon answer two fundamental questions: Are we buying the right product? (Value Engineering) and Are we paying the right price? (Cost Engineering). Value Engineering ensures Amazon is investing in the right solutions by optimizing specifications, design, materials, and performance to maximize business value while meeting operational requirements. Cost Engineering establishes cost transparency and price confidence through bottom-up cost estimation, should-cost modeling, benchmarking, market intelligence, and cost driver analysis to determine what products and services should cost.
Together, these disciplines provide transparent, fact-based insights that enable informed sourcing, design, and investment decisions throughout the project lifecycle. Our vision is to make cost and value transparency a strategic capability across the organization, ensuring every investment delivers the optimal balance of cost, quality, performance, and operational requirements. Today, the team supports billions of dollars in managed spend across multiple global categories and continues to scale its impact through AI-enabled solutions, standardized mechanisms, and cross-functional partnerships.

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field
• Experience as an Architect, Engineer, Construction Manager, Development Manager, Owner's project management representative or in other Commercial Development and Construction related disciplines
• Experience developing bottom-up cost models, should-cost models, cost benchmarks, cost driver analysis, and analytical frameworks to support complex construction or capital investment decisions.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience operating within at least two disciplines within the construction industry, such as Contracting, Owners Representation, Architecture, Design and Engineering, Commercial Development, analysis and control of construction costs or similar
• Experience in project management in construction and contracts management
• AI&Automation: Comfortable working with AI and automation as a default part of your workflow — not as an experiment, but as how things get done. You should be willing to use AI-powered tools for cost benchmarking, estimating, modelling and pattern recognition, curate project data to feed scalable models, validate automated outputs with expert judgment, and identify where automation can absorb routine work so you can focus on the complex and ambiguous. Experience contributing to AI tool development in an estimating or procurement context is a strong differentiator.
• Data Management & Cost Estimation Software
• Experience managing structured cost data and supporting back-end estimation workflows — organizing inputs, maintaining cost libraries, and ensuring data integrity across project portfolios. Proficiency with CostX or equivalent takeoff and cost modeling software is strongly preferred. Familiarity with Amazon's internal estimating systems and tools is a plus but not required; what matters most is a demonstrated ability to pick up new platforms quickly and maintain discipline in data management practices.

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.

USA, TN, Nashville - 103,900.00 - 148,400.00 USD annually

USA, TX, Houston - 115,400.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually

USA, VA, Arlington - 115,400.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually

USA, WA, Bellevue - 115,400.00 - 160,000.00 USD annually

Company

Amazon.com Services LLC

Job ID: A10480510