Job Title
Cost Estimator
Job Description Summary
The Cost Manager leads the development of all early-stage cost estimates to support high-level decision-making for Microsoft's Puget Sound portfolio. Responsibilities include creating and managing ROMs and estimates to inform capital and operational expenditure planning, as well as project initiation decisions. The role involves designing and maintaining cost estimating systems, and providing rapid, high-quality budgeting solutions for development teams. Additionally, the Cost Manager supports ongoing project cost activities throughout the lifecycle and conducts program-level cost benchmarking using internal and external data to provide trends and actionable insights.
Job Description
Position Summary
The Cost Manager leads the development of all early-stage cost estimates to support high-level decision-making for Microsoft's Puget Sound portfolio. Responsibilities include creating and managing ROMs and estimates to inform capital and operational expenditure planning, as well as project initiation decisions. The role involves designing and maintaining cost estimating systems, and providing rapid, high-quality budgeting solutions for development teams. Additionally, the Cost Manager supports ongoing project cost activities throughout the lifecycle and conducts program-level cost benchmarking using internal and external data to provide trends and actionable insights.
Key Responsibilities
1. Strategic Cost Estimating & Capital Planning
- Work with Project Managers to develop all early-stage feasibility studies, ROMs and cost estimates for Puget Sound portfolio projects, providing detailed cost data and analysis to support decisions
- Provide cost and commercial review of project budgets, estimates, contractor proposals, and change orders to identify cost risks, inconsistencies, and value opportunities.
- Assist in preparing and reviewing Requests for Proposals (RFPs) by providing accurate cost inputs. Ensure cost estimates and schedules are comprehensive and align with project requirements
- Create and Manage ROM and estimating tools to ensure consistency, accuracy, and scalability in cost modeling.
2. Project Controls & Compliance Oversight
- Administer project controls including project acceptance, change order approvals, and operational closeout.
- Manage and enforce the use of standardized project templates (ROMs. Estimates, Charter, Project Acceptance, Closeout.
- Monitor documentation compliance across platforms such as SharePoint and Tango.
- Oversee workflows for ROMs, estimates, bidding/award, change orders, payment application reviews, retention release,
- Ensure complete and accurate document retention across all project phases.
3. System Administration (Tango & SharePoint)
- Perform regular audits to ensure alignment between Tango, SharePoint, and financial trackers.
- Coordinate bi-weekly cost reviews and monthly reconciliations, tracking estimates, approved budgets, commitments, forecasts, and actual costs to identify variances and improve future estimating accuracy.
- Utilize project cost data from Tango to develop benchmarks, identify cost trends, and continually improve ROM and estimate accuracy.
4. Reporting & Dashboards
- Generate and distribute account level reports and performance dashboards as required weekly, monthly, quarterly.
- Coordinate cost-related newsletter content and provide cost commentary to support business summaries.
- Create and manage a cost benchmarking program for internal projects and external comparison projects in the Puget sound region.
5. Qualifications
- 5-7 years of experience in cost management, quantity surveying, project controls, or construction finance.
- Proven experience developing conceptual and schematic-level budgets for large-scale capital projects.
- Proficiency in SharePoint, SAP, Excel, Power BI and financial tracking platforms such as Tango.
- Demonstrated ability to lead teams, manage cross-functional stakeholders, and uphold cost governance.
- Strong communication and documentation skills, with an eye for detail and risk management.
- B.S. Degree in Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, Quantity surveying.
Cushman & Wakefield also provides eligible employees with an opportunity to enroll in a variety of benefit programs, generally including health, vision, and dental insurance, flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts, retirement savings plans, life, and disability insurance programs, and paid and unpaid time away from work. In addition to a comprehensive benefits package, Cushman and Wakefield provide eligible employees with competitive pay, which may vary depending on eligibility factors such as geographic location, date of hire, total hours worked, job type, business line, and applicability of collective bargaining agreements.
The compensation that will be offered to the successful candidate will depend on factors such as whether the position is covered by a collective bargaining agreement, the geographic area in which the work will be performed, market pay rates in that area, and the candidate’s experience and qualifications.
The company will not pay less than minimum wage for this role.
The compensation for the position is: $ 131,750.00 - $155,000.00
Cushman & Wakefield is an Equal Opportunity employer to all protected groups, including protected veterans and individuals with disabilities. Discrimination of any type will not be tolerated.
In compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments Act (ADAAA), if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation in order to apply for a position at Cushman & Wakefield, please call the ADA line at 1-888-365-5406 or email Accommodations@cushwake.com. Please refer to the job title and job location when you contact us.
INCO: “Cushman & Wakefield”
