Cost Engineer, Data Center IT Fit-Out

Role Summary

The Cost Engineer is responsible for project cost control, budgeting, forecasting, commercial tracking, and financial reporting for data center IT fit-out projects. This role supports the Project Manager in monitoring project financial performance across procurement, deployment, logistics, installation, and integration activities.

The position will work closely with procurement, vendors, finance, logistics, and project teams to ensure accurate cost visibility, budget control, and timely reporting throughout the project lifecycle.

Experience in data center, mission-critical, or IT infrastructure environments is advantageous but not mandatory.

Key Responsibilities

Cost Control & Budget Management

• Develop and maintain project cost reports, forecasts, and budget tracking tools.
• Monitor actual costs against approved budgets and committed spend.
• Track project expenditures across procurement, logistics, installation, deployment, and related project activities.
• Support cost allocation across multiple workstreams and project phases.
• Identify budget variances and recommend corrective actions.

Procurement & Commercial Tracking

• Work closely with procurement and project teams to track purchase orders, vendor quotations, and committed costs.
• Review and validate vendor quotations, invoices, and payment applications.
• Track cost movements, freight costs, taxes, duties, and escalation risks.
• Maintain visibility of long-lead procurement items and project commitments.
• Support commercial evaluations and bid comparisons.

Forecasting & Financial Reporting

• Prepare weekly and monthly cost forecasts and cash flow reports.
• Provide financial status updates to the Project Manager and stakeholders.
• Monitor forecast accuracy and update estimates based on project progress.
• Track accruals, committed costs, and pending variations.
• Support project financial reporting and earned value tracking where applicable.

Change Management

• Track project change requests and variation orders.
• Assess commercial impact of scope changes and technical revisions.
• Maintain change logs and ensure approval workflows are followed.
• Support claims analysis and cost impact assessments.

Project Coordination

• Coordinate with project management, procurement, logistics, deployment, and finance teams.
• Support schedule-driven cost planning aligned with project milestones.
• Participate in project review meetings and risk discussions.
• Assist in identifying commercial and supply chain risks affecting project cost.

Vendor & Contract Support

• Monitor vendor commercial compliance and contractual obligations.
• Track delivery milestones tied to payment schedules.
• Support reconciliation of invoices, delivery records, and received goods.
• Assist with contract administration and vendor performance tracking.

Skills & Experience

• 5–10 years of experience in cost engineering, quantity surveying, project controls, commercial management, or related project cost functions.
• Experience in construction, infrastructure, technology, engineering, or fit-out projects.
• Strong experience in budgeting, forecasting, cost tracking, and financial reporting within project environments.
• Experience managing vendor costs, procurement tracking, and change management processes.
• Proficient in Microsoft Excel for cost tracking, forecasting, and reporting.
• Familiarity with ERP and project management systems such as: Procore, MS Project, NetSuite
• Experience using project cost tracking, procurement, and reporting tools is advantageous.
• Strong analytical and commercial skills.
• High attention to detail and financial accuracy.
• Strong communication and stakeholder coordination skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities under tight deadlines.
• Proactive problem-solving and risk identification capability.
• Strong reporting and presentation skills.

Preferred Experience (Advantageous but Not Mandatory)

• Experience in data center, mission-critical, or IT infrastructure projects.
• Good understanding of compute, server, storage, and network environments.
• Familiarity with hardware procurement and deployment lifecycle.
• Exposure to fast-paced project delivery environments.

Key Deliverables

• Accurate project cost reports and forecasts.
• Budget variance analysis and mitigation plans.
• Timely change order and variation tracking.
• Cost visibility across procurement and project activities.
• Financial support to maintain project delivery within approved budget.

Work Environment

• Combination of office and active project site environment.
• Coordination with vendors, logistics providers, and project teams.
• Fast-paced, schedule-driven project environment.