Senior Associate, Cost Management, Global

Ares Management Corporation•Bellevue, WA

1d•$180,000 - $210,000•Onsite

About The Position

Ada Infrastructure is a global data center business committed to being a positive force for technology, people, and the planet. As part of the digital infrastructure platform of Ares Management Corporation (NYSE: ARES), a leading global alternative investment manager, Ada Infrastructure is positioned to be a leader in the industry in reliable, safe, secure, and sustainable digital infrastructure. With nine in-flight campuses across the US, Japan, the UK, and Brazil, we have over 850 MW of power currently available and more than 1,500 MW in our global pipeline. This role is an excellent opportunity to join a deeply experienced and high-performing team with the ability to directly impact and contribute to Ada’s development program. Our team combines industry-wide experience and in-country expertise across all our regions. We are committed to collaborating cross-functionally and partnering to drive efficient and effective solutions that meet the needs of our internal and external stakeholders. The Global Design, Development and Delivery team is responsible for developing and curating Ada’s global datacenter development program through scalable, repeatable and agile tools and processes that enable our global development. We are committed to collaborating cross-functionally and partnering to drive efficient and effective solutions that meet the needs of our internal and external stakeholders. We provide global leadership and direction that enables our regional teams to design and deliver scalable future ready solutions that meet the evolving needs of our customers. We are looking for a Senior Associate, Cost Management (Global) who owns the cost dimension of project controls for NA based projects and global level coordination, including business case inputs, underwriting model CAPEX updates, estimating, budgeting, forecasting, contingency management, and cost-focused change governance. This role has day-to-day responsibility for cost management execution in North America (including oversight of external cost consultants) and partners with regional development and delivery teams to execute projects in line with budget, underwriting, and cost standards. In this role you will support Ada’s global cost management frameworks, standards, and reporting/telemetry; ensuring accurate, consistent, and defensible cost data across regions that integrate into Ada’s stage gate process and portfolio cadence. You will also contribute to the future Cost Management Center of Excellence (CoE), including best-practice sharing, training, and standard work products in collaboration with cost managers and external cost consultants across all regions.

Requirements

7–10+ years of progressive experience in cost management, quantity surveying, or commercial management (mission-critical / complex infrastructure preferred)
Demonstrated experience executing estimating, budgeting, forecasting, and cost controls across multiple concurrent projects
Strong understanding of CAPEX cost planning, contingency management, and cost-focused change control (scope vs estimate evolution)
Expert-level proficiency in Procore cost modules and exposure to ERP systems such as Yardi and Yardi Construction Manager
Experience partnering with investment/underwriting and maintaining cost inputs, assumptions, and sensitivities in business case models
Proven ability to manage and challenge tier-one cost consultants and professional services firms; set expectations and drive quality
Advanced financial and cost modeling capability (Excel-based models; comfort with CAPEX, cash flow, and return sensitivities)
Strong communication skills: ability to translate cost data into clear executive-ready insights and actionable recommendations

Responsibilities

Support the development, publication, and maintenance of top-down cost targets and benchmarking assumptions by market and archetype
Provide estimating support to optimize global design standards and associated kit of parts; challenge assumptions and quantify variance drivers
Drive consistent cost management practices across assigned projects; estimating, budgeting, forecasting, contingency tracking, and cost reporting
Maintain discipline around cost evolution from underwriting through delivery; produce clear budget bridges and variance narratives
Partner with Business Intelligence to ensure definitions, data quality expectations, and reporting cadence are met
Develop cost-focused KPI views and executive-ready summaries that surface early warning signals and recommended actions
Support North America Delivery and Development teams with project-level budget governance including commitments, actuals, forecasts, and cash flow inputs across all WBS items including AOR/EOR, GCs, subs and LLE vendors
Validate escalation/inflation and regional market assumptions impacting CAPEX; document impacts and communicate to stakeholders
Support Investment, PMG, and Delivery teams with underwriting cost inputs, sensitivities, and updates through development phases
Help with review and validation of scope change costs, track contingency drawdown, and ensure auditability
Coordinate with regional teams to visualize variance analysis and budget bridge data presentations
Oversee and manage day-to-day outputs from third-party cost consultants in North America (e.g., Turner & Townsend, Soben, Linesight); ensure deliverables meet internal and external reporting standards
Contribute to continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned and helping develop standard templates, playbooks, and training materials for cost management