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 Deep expertise in cost management, forecasting, and earned value management (EVM) Strong experience with ERP and project controls systems (e.g., Costpoint, SAP, Oracle, Procore) Advanced proficiency in Excel and data visualization tools (Power BI or similar) Strong understanding of contract structures, procurement strategies, and commercial terms Leadership & Competencies Exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, with a proactive, solution-oriented mindset Strong executive communication and stakeholder management capabilities Ability to operate effectively in a fast-paced, high-growth, and highly complex environment High attention to detail with a commitment to accuracy and accountability Preferred Qualifications Experience in hyperscale data center programs or mission-crit…