Director, Design & Cost Control

Circle K•Charlotte, NC

About The Position

The Global Real Estate team is working hard to accelerate the company’s strategy through opening new stores, relocations, and optimization of the existing network. As a member of the Construction and Design Team, this role will be instrumental in supporting the overall goals. The Director of Design & Cost Control drives the strategic vision and execution of all store planning and design initiatives to enhance brand experience, optimize operational efficiency, and increase revenue across convenience and fuel retails formats. Equally important is the responsibility for overseeing all aspects of construction cost management across the company’s development and capital projects portfolio. This roles ensures financial discipline, accuracy, and accountability from project conception through closeout. The Directors partners with Development, Construction, and Analytics teams to establish budgets, validate estimates, drive value engineering, review GC bids, control costs, and deliver project within approved financial parameters. This position reports to the Head of Design.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Finance, or related field (Master’s preferred).
Significant retail design experience, preferably in convenience or grocery.
Proficiency in design software Bluebeam, AutoCAD and Revit.
12+ years of experience in construction cost management, estimating, or project control; at least 7 years in a leadership role.
Strong understanding of construction estimating, design-to-budget integration, contracting (GMP, lump sum, CMAR), and cost forecasting principles.
Demonstrated experience with value engineering and GC bid review and analysis.
Experience with cost management software
Proven ability to challenge and negotiate GC estimates and change orders.
Exceptional analytical, financial modeling, and executive communication skills.

Responsibilities

Establish and maintain company-wide cost control processes, standards and reporting systems.
Develop and oversee the implementation of cost tracking tools and dashboards to monitor performance across all projects.
Lead project cost reviews at key milestones (e.g. schematic, design development, GMP, and monthly construction reporting)
Responsible aligning cost and design intent, ensuring scope decisions are financially optimized.
Provide executive-level visibility into project cost trends, variances, and risks
Oversee the team responsible for project budgets from early concept through construction completion.
Validate GC, subcontractor, and consultant estimates; provide independent cost opinions.
Collaborate with design teams during schematic and design development phases to evaluate design alternatives and implement value engineering strategies that reduce cost while maintaining quality and functionality.
Faciltate design-to-budget alignment workshops and recommend cost-effective design solutions.
Review and approve funding requests, change orders, and contingency drawdowns.
Forecast cash flow and total project costs to ensure alignment with financial targets.
Partner with Procurement, Construction, and Legal to ensure cost transparency and proper contract structures.
Lead GC bid reviews, analyze bid leveling, and ensure competitive and complete pricing across scopes of work.
Review bids, proposals, and cost breakdowns for accuracy and competitiveness.
Support negotiations to achieve best-value pricing, cost efficiency, and scope clarity.
Evaluate alternate procurement approaches and recommend strategies that optimize cost and schedule performance.
Create and maintain cost benchmarks for key asset types (e.g., NTI, rebuilds, expansions).
Develop KPI dashboards tracking cost performance, change order trends, and contingency usage.
Deliver regular executive summaries of cost performance and financial risk exposure.
Lead and mentor a team of cost managers or analysts supporting multiple active projects.
Foster collaboration across Development, Design, Construction, and Finance to ensure budget integrity.
Drive a culture of accountability, transparency, and continuous cost improvement.