Principal Lead Estimator (Hyperscale Data Centers)

Oracle is seeking a highly experienced Principal Lead Estimator to support hyperscale data center development, build-out, and infrastructure delivery across multiple regions. This is a senior hands-on estimating leadership role responsible for developing complex estimates, shaping estimating strategy, supporting cost negotiations, improving estimating processes, and delivering executive-ready cost recommendations.

This role requires a builder mindset. The successful candidate will help scale a growing estimating function while personally developing estimates, improving cost models, challenging vendor assumptions, and creating repeatable tools and processes. The ideal candidate is adaptable, commercially strong, technically credible, and comfortable working in fast-moving environments with incomplete information and evolving priorities.

Responsibilities

• Develop, validate, reconcile, and defend complex estimates for hyperscale data center projects, programs, and strategic initiatives.

• Lead estimating efforts across multiple disciplines, including electrical, low voltage, mechanical, civil, structural, architectural, controls, security, network, site infrastructure, and related mission-critical scopes.

• Build conceptual, budgetary, and detailed estimates using drawings, design narratives, BOMs, specifications, contractor proposals, colocation provider inputs, historical data, market benchmarks, and parametric models.

• Develop and maintain estimating models, including quantity-based, labor-hour, productivity-based, parametric, benchmark, and should-cost models.

• Review and challenge vendor, contractor, consultant, trade partner, and colocation provider pricing for completeness, transparency, consistency, and commercial reasonableness.

• Support cost negotiations with contractors, vendors, specialty trades, consultants, and colocation providers.

• Develop defensible should-cost positions using internal cost models, historical benchmarks, market data, regional labor assumptions, productivity expectations, and project-specific scope analysis.

• Lead bid leveling, proposal analysis, pricing normalization, scope reconciliation, commercial review, and estimate gap analysis.

• Identify missing scope, undefined interfaces, pricing anomalies, cost risks, constructability concerns, commercial gaps, and estimate assumptions requiring leadership attention.

• Develop assumptions, inclusions, exclusions, allowances, escalation, contingency recommendations, risk items, and basis-of-estimate documentation.

• Build and improve estimating templates, cost databases, benchmarking tools, reporting formats, executive summaries, and estimate governance processes.

• Create repeatable estimating processes that improve speed, accuracy, consistency, transparency, and accountability across projects and regions.

• Compare estimates against historical actuals, awarded bids, contractor proposals, change orders, and market data to improve estimate accuracy over time.

• Partner with design, construction, procurement, legal, finance, commercial, cost management, scheduling, operations, and executive stakeholders.

• Indirectly lead external estimating partners by setting expectations, reviewing deliverables, challenging assumptions, and driving accountability.

• Prepare executive-ready cost summaries, dashboards, decision documents, presentation materials, and recommendation memos.

• Present estimate strategy, cost drivers, risks, budget deltas, vendor gaps, commercial positions, and recommendations to Vice Presidents and senior leaders.

• Operate effectively in an evolving function where tools, processes, templates, and standards are still being developed.

Qualifications

• 15+ years of estimating, cost management, preconstruction, commercial management, or related experience in data centers, mission-critical infrastructure, industrial, semiconductor, technology infrastructure, or complex capital projects.

• Experience estimating large-scale, multi-discipline construction or infrastructure programs.

• Strong working knowledge of electrical and low voltage systems, including power distribution, UPS and generator interfaces, feeders, busway, rack power, grounding, controls, structured cabling, fiber, copper, pathways, containment, monitoring systems, and related infrastructure.

• Ability to understand and integrate mechanical, civil, structural, architectural, controls, site infrastructure, and other related scopes into a complete project estimate.

• Proven experience developing conceptual, budgetary, and detailed estimates with limited or evolving design information.