Sub Regional Cost Planning Lead
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What you'll do
- Lead project cost planning and estimating activities across all phases of data centre development, ensuring alignment with approved scope, schedule, budget, and business objectives.
- Develop, review, and validate detailed cost estimates at key design milestones (30%, 60%, and 90% design completion), ensuring estimates are accurate, traceable, and supported by robust benchmarking and quantity take-offs.
- Partner with design, engineering, construction, commercial, procurement, finance, and project controls teams to identify cost risks, opportunities, and value engineering solutions throughout project delivery.
- Support site selection and business case development by providing constructability assessments, comparative cost analyses, funding recommendations, and investment decision support.
- Drive cost governance and stage gate approvals, owning all cost estimate deliverables, assumptions, analysis, reporting, and approvals required to progress projects through key decision milestones.
- Manage external consultants and estimating partners, ensuring high-quality outputs, consistent estimating methodologies, effective quality assurance, and timely delivery of contracted services.
- Monitor and optimise project cost performance by tracking cost changes, identifying savings opportunities, managing risks, and implementing corrective actions to maintain alignment with approved project budgets and targets.
What they're looking for
- Bachelor's Degree in Quantity surveying, Construction Project Management, Architecture, Engineering, or related field OR equivalent experience.
- Demonstrable experience in Estimating in Construction Project Management and delivery.
- Experience working on data center projects or other large scale construction projects / programs.
Nice to have
- Bachelor's Degree in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, or related field
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) full membership or equivalent
- Good communication skills, ability to collaborate with all other areas of the data center program, being able to think strategically, ability to build the trust of our construction partners
- Must possess a clear understanding of the full Construction Life Cycle
- Strong analytical, problem-solving skills
- Develop, maintain, and report out on project scope, schedule, and budget with cost as the main driver in those conversations.
- Cross-group collaborator and influencer across teams and organizations with proven success in participating in cross-functional teams to deliver on key projects.
- Should be able to work within a dynamic team of full-time employees and consultants.
Summarised by NextRaise from the employer’s description, which follows in full below.
Full description from employer
Microsoft Cloud Operations and Innovation (CO&I) is the team behind the cloud. Within CO&I, the Engineering Procurement & Construction (EPC) organization is responsible for delivering core datacenter infrastructure for Microsoft’s cloud business. The MS portfolio consists of complex, multi-disciplinary, large scale, multi-year datacenter construction and lease projects. We are looking for a passionate, high-energy individual to help build the cloud datacenters that power the world’s largest online services.
In alignment with our Microsoft values, we are committed to cultivating an inclusive work environment for all employees to positively impact our culture every day.
To help us achieve our objectives, growth, and transformation, we are looking for a Sub Regional Cost Planning Lead to work alongside the EPC team to actively manage all data center construction projects during the design phase in one of the EMEA regions.
Being part of this team would give you an opportunity to be part of a rapidly growing business and enable regional impact
Microsoft’s mission is to empower every person and every organization on the planet to achieve more. As employees we come together with a growth mindset, innovate to empower others and collaborate to realize our shared goals. Each day we build on our values of respect, integrity, and accountability to create a culture of inclusion where everyone can thrive at work and beyond
This role location can be flexible within EMEA.
This role may be eligible for hybrid or remote work.
Responsibilities
- Lead project cost planning and estimating activities across all phases of data centre development, ensuring alignment with approved scope, schedule, budget, and business objectives.
- Develop, review, and validate detailed cost estimates at key design milestones (30%, 60%, and 90% design completion), ensuring estimates are accurate, traceable, and supported by robust benchmarking and quantity take-offs.
- Partner with design, engineering, construction, commercial, procurement, finance, and project controls teams to identify cost risks, opportunities, and value engineering solutions throughout project delivery.
- Support site selection and business case development by providing constructability assessments, comparative cost analyses, funding recommendations, and investment decision support.
- Drive cost governance and stage gate approvals, owning all cost estimate deliverables, assumptions, analysis, reporting, and approvals required to progress projects through key decision milestones.
- Manage external consultants and estimating partners, ensuring high-quality outputs, consistent estimating methodologies, effective quality assurance, and timely delivery of contracted services.
- Monitor and optimise project cost performance by tracking cost changes, identifying savings opportunities, managing risks, and implementing corrective actions to maintain alignment with approved project budgets and targets.
Qualifications
- Bachelor's Degree in Quantity surveying, Construction Project Management, Architecture, Engineering, or related field OR equivalent experience.
- Demonstrable experience in Estimating in Construction Project Management and delivery.
- Experience working on data center projects or other large scale construction projects / programs.
While not required, we also look for the following Preferred Qualifications:
- Bachelor's Degree in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, or related field
- Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) full membership or equivalent
- Good communication skills, ability to collaborate with all other areas of the data center program, being able to think strategically, ability to build the trust of our construction partners
- Must possess a clear understanding of the full Construction Life Cycle
- Strong analytical, problem-solving skills
- Develop, maintain, and report out on project scope, schedule, and budget with cost as the main driver in those conversations.
- Cross-group collaborator and influencer across teams and organizations with proven success in participating in cross-functional teams to deliver on key projects.
- Should be able to work within a dynamic team of full-time employees and consultants.
Background Check Requirements:
Ability to meet Microsoft, customer and/or government security screening requirements are required for this role. These requirements include, but are not limited to the following specialized security screenings:
- Microsoft Cloud Background Check: This position will be required to pass the Microsoft Cloud background check upon hire/transfer and every two years thereafter.
#COICareers | #EPCCareers | #DCDCareers
Construction Project Management IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across Netherlands is € 131,400.00 - € 265,600.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.
Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/netherlands-corporate-pay.html
Construction Project Management IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 100,400.00 - £ 200,500.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.
Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html
Construction Project Management IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across Ireland is € 113,600.00 - € 213,700.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.
Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/ireland-corporate-pay.html
Construction Project Management IC6 - The typical base pay range for this role across United Kingdom is £ 100,400.00 - £ 200,500.00 per year. Certain roles may be eligible for benefits and other compensation.
Find additional benefits and pay information here:
https://careers.microsoft.com/v2/global/en/corporate-pay/united-kingdom-corporate-pay.html
This position will be open for a minimum of 5 days, with applications accepted on an ongoing basis until the position is filled.
Microsoft is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, ancestry, citizenship, color, family or medical care leave, gender identity or expression, genetic information, immigration status, marital status, medical condition, national origin, physical or mental disability, political affiliation, protected veteran or military status, race, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy), sexual orientation, or any other characteristic protected by applicable local laws, regulations and ordinances. If you need assistance with religious accommodations and/or a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the application process, read more about requesting accommodations.
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