Cost Lead

Location: Houston, TX

Department: DEPADM

The Opportunity

The Program Cost Lead is a senior leadership role responsible for driving end-to-end cost management across a multi-billion-dollar, mission-critical data center construction program. This individual will establish and lead best-in-class cost control practices, ensuring accurate forecasting, disciplined change management, and proactive identification of cost risks.

This role acts as a strategic partner to program leadership, delivering actionable insights through advanced analytics, earned value management (EVM), and performance reporting to enable data-driven decision-making across a complex, fast-paced delivery environment.

What you will do?

Program Cost Leadership & Governance

• Lead all aspects of program-level cost management, including budget development, control, forecasting, and reporting across multiple projects/sites
• Establish and maintain the program cost baseline, ensuring alignment with contract requirements, funding approvals, and execution strategy
• Serve as the single point of accountability for cost performance across the program

Forecasting, Reporting & Analytics

• Develop and maintain integrated cost forecasts, incorporating input from construction, procurement, engineering, and commercial teams
• Implement and drive Earned Value Management (EVM) processes to measure performance and identify trends early
• Deliver executive-level reporting, including KPIs, dashboards, and variance analysis for internal leadership and external stakeholders
• Provide forward-looking insights on cost exposure, trends, and risks

Change Management & Controls

• Lead change management processes, ensuring all changes are properly captured, evaluated, approved, and reflected in forecasts
• Manage cost impacts of scope changes, claims, and commercial events
• Drive consistency and rigor in cost control procedures across all projects

Risk & Contingency Management

• Partner with program leadership to identify and quantify cost risks and opportunities
• Manage and monitor program contingency, including drawdown strategy and reporting
• Support scenario planning and sensitivity analysis for major program decisions

Systems, Tools & Process Optimization

• Oversee cost systems and ERP integration (e.g., Costpoint, Procore, SAP, or similar)
• Enhance and standardize cost control processes, tools, and data governance
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives to improve forecast accuracy and reporting efficiency

Stakeholder Leadership & Collaboration

• Interface directly with executive stakeholders, clients, JV partners, and functional leads
• Drive alignment across engineering, procurement, construction, and finance teams
• Mentor and develop project controls team members, promoting consistency and best practices

Required Qualifications

Education & Experience

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Engineering, Construction Management, or related field
• 12+ years of progressive experience in project controls or cost management
• Proven experience leading cost for large-scale capital programs ($1B+), preferably data centers, mission-critical, or complex EPC projects
• Demonstrated success managing multi-project or program-level cost functions

Technical Skills