Senior Cost & Benchmarking Specialist

Senior Cost & Benchmarking Specialist – Utility Infrastructure (REMOTE)
The Select Group is seeking a Senior Cost & Benchmarking Specialist with deep experience supporting utility and offsite infrastructure construction projects. This role will support large-scale infrastructure initiatives by developing cost models, benchmarking project performance, and driving cost controls across complex utility scopes. Limited travel (approximately 1–2 trips per quarter) may be required to support project alignment and stakeholder collaboration.

Required Qualifications

• 12–15 years of experience in cost estimation, benchmarking, and project controls
• Deep knowledge of cost estimation methodologies and benchmarking frameworks within the utility sector
• Prior experience supporting utility infrastructure projects, including Power transmission/distribution, Substations, Water or wastewater infrastructure, Underground or overhead utilities, Heavy civil infrastructure
• Background working with large-scale construction GCs, utility companies, or power providers
• Experience in contract management, procurement, and commercial negotiations
• Strong communication skills with a collaborative and proactive mindset

• Develop and maintain Class 1–5 cost estimates for offsite infrastructure scopes such as substations, transmission systems, water/wastewater infrastructure, and heavy civil works.
• Build and manage cost benchmarking frameworks using internal historical data, industry databases, and regional utility cost curves.
• Identify cost outliers and perform comparative cost analysis across geographies, vendors, and delivery models (EPC vs. design-bid-build).
• Validate quantities, unit rates, and productivity assumptions in collaboration with engineering, procurement, and construction teams.

• Establish and enforce project cost baselines, tracking budget vs. forecast vs. actuals across multiple infrastructure projects.
• Lead cost risk and contingency analysis, including probabilistic modeling such as Monte Carlo simulations.
• Produce executive-level dashboards and reporting highlighting cost performance, benchmark alignment, and risk exposure.

• Support vendor negotiations and contract strategy through should-cost models and bid leveling analysis.
• Participate in procurement processes, contract administration, and commercial reviews.

• Partner with engineering, construction, procurement, permitting, and land acquisition teams to incorporate external cost drivers into project forecasts.
• Maintain and continuously improve cost data libraries and benchmarking intelligence for future infrastructure development