Costing Manager / Assistant Costing Manager (Data Center)

Costing Manager / Assistant Costing Manager (Data Center)

Location: Japan (client's Tokyo office, with site visits) · Employment: Secondment via Regional Energy Pte. Ltd. · Language: Japanese and English, bilingual preferred

Role purpose

Own cost planning and cost control for a data center project in Japan on behalf of the Owner / EPC, from early estimates to final account. You give the project team a reliable view of what the project will cost, where the money is going, and how to bring it back to budget when it drifts.

Key responsibilities

Cost planning and estimating

• Prepare conceptual and design-stage estimates and cost plans, including cost per MW of IT load and per m², using Japanese market rates and the client's benchmarks.
• Set up the cost breakdown structure and control budget, separating building, MEP, owner-furnished equipment, soft costs and contingency.
• Prepare or check quantities and bills of quantities (積算) for tender.

Tender support

• Prepare pre-tender estimates and price schedules with the Procurement & Contract Manager.
• Analyse and normalise tender returns, flag pricing anomalies and support commercial negotiations.

Cost control and reporting

• Track committed, incurred and forecast costs against budget; maintain estimate-at-completion and cash-flow forecasts.
• Value variations and change requests and assess claims before approval.
• Certify interim payment applications against progress on site.
• Issue monthly cost reports in English to the client, with variance explanations, risks and contingency drawdown.

Value engineering and close-out

• Lead value engineering and cost-reduction studies with designers and contractors, without compromising redundancy, uptime or capacity.
• Agree final accounts with contractors and suppliers, and capture actual costs into a benchmarking database for future data center projects.

Requirements

Must have

• Degree in quantity surveying, construction management, architecture or engineering.
• Manager: 8+ years in construction cost management, estimating or quantity surveying, at least 5 on data center or MEP-heavy projects. Assistant Manager: 5+ years.
• Pre- and post-contract cost management experience on large construction projects in Japan, with knowledge of Japanese estimating practice and market rates.
• Strong understanding of data center MEP cost drivers: power train, cooling, fit-out and long-lead equipment.
• Advanced Excel; Japanese and English for daily work, ideally JLPT N2+ and business-level English.

Preferred

• Owner-side, PM/CM consultant or main contractor cost role on hyperscale or colocation projects.
• 建設コスト管理士, 建築積算士, MRICS or AACE certification.
• Japanese estimating software (such as HELIOS, D-Cube or KENPLAN) and international tools (CostX, Power BI).