Cost Manager

Position Overview

Nscale's North American Data Center Infrastructure (DCI) group is delivering large-scale, high-density data center campuses at pace. Within the Project Controls group, cost management makes sure every dollar is planned, tracked, and forecast accurately.

The Cost Manager owns the cost picture for assigned DCI projects, from budget development and procurement through construction, commissioning, and close-out. This role keeps budgets, commitments, actuals, and forecasts accurate and current, manages change, and gives project leadership an early, honest view of cost risk and opportunity.

Key Responsibilities

• Budget development: Build and maintain project budgets and cost breakdown structures, aligned with estimates, the WBS, and the DCI project controls framework.
• Cost tracking: Track commitments, actuals, accruals, and forecasts at completion; reconcile project cost data with Finance and the ERP each month.
• Forecasting: Prepare monthly cost reports and forecasts, including variance analysis, cash flow projections, and trend identification.
• Change management: Maintain trend and change logs; evaluate contractor change order requests for merit, quantum, and contractual entitlement; and negotiate fair outcomes.
• Payment applications: Review and validate contractor and vendor payment applications against progress, contract terms, retainage, and lien waiver requirements.
• Procurement support: Support bid leveling, cost comparisons, and commercial evaluation for major trade packages and long-lead equipment (e.g., generators, switchgear, UPS, cooling).
• Contingency management: Track contingency and allowance drawdown and flag emerging cost risks and opportunities to the Project Controls Manager.
• Estimating input: Provide feedback from actual costs to improve future estimates and benchmarks across the DCI portfolio.
• Close-out: Support commercial close-out, including final accounts, claims resolution, and capitalization documentation.

Qualifications

Required

• 7+ years of cost management, quantity surveying, or project controls experience on commercial, industrial, or mission-critical construction projects.
• Strong understanding of construction contracts (lump sum, GMP, cost-plus, unit rate) and change order evaluation.