Cost Estimator III, Global Capital Projects - Decatur, IL site

Capital Projects Estimator III, Global - Decatur, IL

This is a permanent, full-time, exempt‑level position.

Ideal work locations for this role are Decatur, IL or another ADM location.

The Capital Projects Estimator III plays a critical role in ensuring accurate financial planning and control throughout the project lifecycle. By providing an unbiased evaluation of each estimate, the estimator aligns work with corporate standards, industry best practices and FEL requirements, strengthening project governance and cost accuracy. The estimator collaborates with regional and global project teams to ensure cost predictability and transparency across all project phases, supports stage‑gate deliverables, validates cost assumptions, tracks post‑execution actuals, and drives continuous improvement of estimating tools, standards and benchmarking practices across the enterprise.

Additionally, the estimator serves as lead cost estimator for the project controls group, generating and managing benchmarking information, identifying and approving benchmarking and validation data sources, and serving as a subject‑matter expert on capital cost estimates and the cost‑management process.

• Generate and maintain cost estimating benchmarks and validation information
• Maintain a list of approved sources for estimate information validation and benchmarking (e.g., AACE, RS Means, ACCE, etc.)
• Evaluate and disposition new cost sources to determine validity and usefulness
• Develop and maintain Capital Cost Module library elements for use in estimate generation and validation, ensuring data integrity
• Provide an independent, objective evaluation of the proposed project scope, schedule, and budget, ensuring alignment with project controls best practices, established methodologies, and corporate standards
• Assist in developing and validating FEL capital project estimates for projects typically exceeding $5 million across multiple global regions
• Ensure compliance with global estimating standards and governance requirements at each stage gate
• Analyze and incorporate allowances, risk reserves, and contingency based on project complexity and risk profile
• Validate alignment between scope, schedule, and cost to ensure complete and accurate estimates
• Partner with project managers, internal and external engineering teams, and procurement to obtain essential inputs and validate cost assumptions throughout the estimating process
• Support the initiation, evaluation, and approval of project control requests
• Participate in the project controls change‑management process to ensure accurate assessment, documentation, and governance of scope, cost, and schedule modifications
• Partner with business analysts and project managers to forecast cost impacts of proposed scope changes
• Maintain and improve estimating databases, historical cost data, and benchmarking tools within enterprise systems
• Contribute to global continuous improvement initiatives, including tool development, training, and standardization of estimating practices
• Support risk‑analysis workshops and integrate risk‑adjusted cost estimates into project planning
• Collaborate with procurement to validate vendor quotes and market pricing trends
• Assist in developing key performance indicators and metrics to monitor estimating accuracy and performance globally
• Participate in project controls reviews and audits to ensure quality and compliance with global standards

• The scope of this position will encompass predominantly office work in an office environment
• Travel to project sites as required (anticipated 10% or less)

• 10+ years of relevant estimating or project controls experience (or equivalent combination of education and experience)
• Strong verbal and written communication skills; ability to work effectively with cross‑functional and multicultural teams
• Demonstrated experience in capital project cost estimating (industrial, construction, or engineering preferred)
• Solid understanding of financial principles, cost control, and risk management concepts
• Proficient in data management, data evaluation and statistical analysis fundamentals,…