Cost Controls Lead

JLL empowers you to shape a brighter way. Our people at JLL are shaping the future of real estate for a better world by combining world class services, advisory and technology for our clients. We are committed to hiring the best, most talented people and empowering them to thrive, grow meaningful careers and to find a place where they belong. Whether you’ve got deep experience in commercial real estate, skilled trades or technology, or you’re looking to apply your relevant experience to a new industry, join our team as we help shape a brighter way forward. OVERVIEW The Cost Controls Lead is a senior, program-level leadership role within the Center of Excellence (COE), responsible for cost governance, estimating rigor, forecasting accuracy, and financial risk visibility across the portfolio. This role leads the Program Estimators team and owns the standards, methodologies, and outputs that ensure cost certainty and predictable outcomes across all authorized service lines.Reporting directly to the COE Lead, the Cost Controls Lead establishes and enforces estimating standards, maintains program benchmarks and market intelligence, and provides leadership focus on cost performance, recovery, and continuous improvement. The role operates as an enterprise enablement function—supporting early-phase decision-making while maintaining strong discipline through pricing milestones—without assuming day-to-day project cost management or negotiation authority.JOB SUMMARY/GOALSThis role provides program-wide leadership for cost controls and estimating functions within the COE. Key goals include:Own and enforce cost governance, estimating standards, and financial discipline across the programLead and develop the Program Estimators team to deliver consistent, phase-appropriate cost outputsImprove cost predictability through benchmarking, analytics, and risk visibilitySupport early-phase decision-making through high-quality estimates and value opportunity insightsProvide leadership focus to address historical cost challenges and improve portfolio outcomesPartner closely with Project Delivery Team, Scheduling, Design Enablement, PMO, and Innovation to align cost, schedule, and constructability decisionsESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIESCost Governance & Estimating Leadership (Program-Level) Own program-wide cost controls standards, estimating methodologies, and governance frameworks Establish and maintain disciplined estimating practices across scoping, engineered drawing, and final pricing phases Ensure consistent application of cost assumptions, exclusions, and risk documentation Provide leadership oversight to ensure estimates are complete, defensible, and aligned with approved scope Serve as the senior escalation point for cost-related risks, variances, or confidence concerns Team Leadership & Development Lead, mentor, and develop the Program Estimators team Set performance expectations, prioritize workload, and ensure consistent quality of deliverables Create clear development pathways and growth opportunities for estimating team members Promote collaboration between Estimators, Design, Scheduling, and Industrialized Construction teams Budget Development & Validation Oversee development and validation of: Scoping budgets Engineered Drawing budgets Final Pricing budgets Validate alignment between scope, quantities, and pricing at defined milestones Support bid reviews focused on scope completeness and pricing reasonableness Ensure “apples-to-apples” bid comparisons through compliance and completeness checks Benchmarking & Market Intelligence Establish and maintain historical cost benchmarks by project type, prototype, and market Lead annual program-level benchmarking updates Monitor market conditions, cost drivers, and pricing volatility Provide standardized variance narratives and market context to leadership and clients Cost Risk Visibility & Analytics Lead portfolio-level analysis of budget movement across pricing stages Identify recurring scope gaps, cost growth drivers, and estimating accuracy trends Maintain program-level cost assumption and risk registers Provide early warning insights to support recovery planning and decision-making Value Opportunity Identification (Advisory) Identify repeatable scope, specification, or constructability alternatives with cost implications Support value engineering discussions through data-driven analysis and recommendations Provide advisory input only; no negotiation, approval, or implementation authority Cross-Pillar COE Integration Partner with Scheduling to align cost and schedule assumptions Collaborate with Design Enablement to influence early-phase decisions Coordinate with Industrialized Construction to embed standardization and innovation Support PMO and Program Support functions with cost insight, data, and reporting alignment EDUCATION AND EXPERIENCE Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Accounting, or related field 7–10+ years of