Principal Lead Estimator & Cost Controls Sme

PRINCIPAL LEAD ESTIMATOR & COST CONTROLS SME

Job Description

• Develop and validate conceptual, budgetary, and detailed estimates across electrical, low voltage, mechanical, civil, structural, architectural, controls, security, network, and site infrastructure scopes.
• Build and maintain cost models, parametric estimating tools, quantity-based estimates, labor productivity models, benchmarks, and should-cost analyses.
• Lead cost forecasting, trend analysis, variance analysis, escalation analysis, contingency analysis, and cost risk identification.
• Perform bid leveling, proposal normalization, commercial evaluations, contractor pricing reviews, vendor pricing validation, and scope gap analysis.
• Prepare Basis of Estimate packages, executive cost reporting, cost dashboards, estimate governance standards, and portfolio cost intelligence reports.
• Support change order evaluations, cost negotiation, cost-related decision support, project controls integration, and cost/schedule analytics.
• Provide portfolio cost visibility by connecting estimating, forecasting, commercial risk, project controls, and field execution data.
• Standardize estimating methodologies, cost reporting practices, and cost management procedures across assigned projects and programs.

• Manage external QS partners and cost consultants as integrated extensions of the delivery organization.
• Define QS scopes of work, service standards, reporting requirements, performance metrics, and accountability measures.
• Review, challenge, validate, and accept QS estimates, forecasts, cost reports, methodologies, assumptions, and recommendations.
• Coordinate multiple QS firms across projects and regions while improving quality, responsiveness, accuracy, and consistency.
• Integrate QS outputs into portfolio reporting, executive decision-making, cost governance, and continuous improvement efforts.

• Senior-level cost estimating, cost controls, commercial analysis, project controls, or capital project delivery experience.
• Expertise in conceptual, budgetary, detailed, parametric, and quantity-based estimating methods.
• Strong understanding of multi-discipline construction scopes, contractor pricing, productivity assumptions, quantities, and field execution realities.
• Experience with cost forecasting, budget management, cost variance analysis, change order evaluation, contingency planning, and cost risk management.
• Ability to perform bid leveling, proposal validation, scope reconciliation, should-cost modeling, benchmark development, and commercial challenge.
• Demonstrated ability to manage third-party QS firms, cost consultants, or external estimating partners.
• Strong executive reporting, dashboarding, cost governance, documentation, and data-driven decision support skills.
• Ability to partner with project teams, procurement, construction, contractors, estimators, commercial stakeholders, and executive leadership.
• Strong communication, cross-functional collaboration, consultant oversight, and stakeholder management skills.

• Serve as the organization's subject matter expert for estimating methodologies, cost governance, commercial validation, and owner-side cost leadership.
• Lead through cost expertise, commercial challenge, consultant oversight, data-driven decision support, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Build trusted relationships with executive leadership, project teams, procurement, construction, contractors, QS partners, and commercial stakeholders.
• Drive continuous improvement in estimate accuracy, forecast reliability, commercial rigor, reporting quality, and cost governance consistency.

• Estimations are accurate, defensible, trusted, and supported by documented assumptions.
• Budget development, cost forecasts, and executive cost reporting improve predictability and decision-making.
• Cost risks, scope gaps, commercial issues, and budget impacts are identified early and mitigated proactively.
• Contractor pricing transparency increases, cost overruns are surfaced earlier, and change order exposure is reduced.
• Benchmarks, cost databases, estimating standards, and reporting practices improve portfolio performance over time.
• QS partners deliver consistent, high-quality work with minimal rework and clear accountability.

• Estimate accuracy; budget variance; forecast accuracy; cost risk identification speed; bid review cycle time.
• Proposal validation accuracy; change order avoidance; benchmark utilization; cost reporting accuracy; cost savings identification.
• Estimate turnaround time; portfolio cost predictability; QS deliverable accuracy; consultant performance score; cost reporting consistency; change order validation accuracy.

• Conceptual, budgetary, and detailed estimates;
  Basis of Estimate packages; cost models; parametric tools; should-cost analyses.
• Cost forecasts, bid leveling analyses, commercial review reports, cost risk…