Director - Cost Planning

Job description

The role's most prominent tasks include: procurement and compliance. The Director, Cost Planning - General Business Unit is responsible for leading cost planning across major General, commercial, and mixed-use General-led developments within the General Business Unit. The role is accountable for setting and maintaining the the employer cost position across a portfolio of larger, more complex projects, guiding strategic design-to-budget decisions, executive supporting and Stage Gate approvals, and ensuring that cost planning is integrated into business and project decision-making. In accordance with the the employer Cost Planning Technical Guidelines, the role directs, reviews, and challenges the work of external cost consultants and internal project teams. The role may also be responsible for managing the employer cost planning resources, including Cost Planning Senior Managers and other cost planning team members, to ensure appropriate leadership, capability development, and delivery oversight. While detailed cost planning may be prepared by cost consultants, the employer cost planners remain accountable for defining requirements, assuring compliance, validating outputs, and recommending the cost position for endorsement and approval. Role Purpose To lead cost planning activities for the General Business Unit across assigned portfolios, programs, and major projects, ensuring consistent application of the the employer Cost Planning Technical Guidelines, effective leadership of cost consultants, robust cost governance, and high-quality strategic cost advice to project support, business, procurement, and Stage Gate decision-making. Key Accountabilities · Lead cost planning activities across major General BU projects and portfolios, ensuring alignment with approved budgets, strategic objectives, benchmarks, cost drivers, risks, and opportunities. · Direct the appointment, mobility, governance, and performance management of executive and project cost consultants in accordance with the the employer Cost Planning Technical Guidelines and agreed scopes of service. · Provide leadership, oversight, and, where applicable, line management for the employer cost planning resources assigned to the General Business Unit, including Cost Planning Senior Managers and other team members. · Support capability development, workload prioritization, performance management, and consistent ways of working across assigned the employer cost planning resources. · Establish requirements for consultant deliverables, methodologies, reporting standards, cost planning assumptions, and level of detail to ensure consistency with the employer governance, procurement, and project stage requirements. · Review, validate, and challenge consultant cost plans, reconciliations, benchmarks, escalation assumptions, risk allowances, phasing strategies, and design-to-budget recommendations before endorsing the the employer cost position. · Provide high cost pla

Requirements

• · Leadership experience in cost planning and managing projects of multiple size and complexity · Ability to direct and review the work of external cost consultants and internal project teams · Cost planning resource management skills, including senior planning managers and team members · Familiarity with technical principles of cost planning and their application in decision making and approvals · Ability to ensure compliance and validation of planning deliverables and recommend cost placement for approval · Experience in supporting procurement and financial governance processes across Stage Gate stages.

Skills