Senior Commercial Manager

About the role

This position sits within the Equinix Global Design and Construction team (approximately 300 people) who deliver over 70 projects globally per year (in excess of $4 billion annual capital expenditure). The primary focus of the role is commercial management oversight across Equinix’s portfolio of major expansion construction projects throughout the Americas.

The position works closely with other internal project teams, including Design, Construction, Procurement (including Major Capital Equipment purchasing), Finance, PMO, Legal, and Corporate Development. The role is expected to provide proactive strategic and day-to-day leadership specifically focused on driving down construction costs, providing assurance against internal financial controls and reporting processes, and helping manage all major contract risks.

Responsibilities

Pre-Contract

• Procurement of third-party consultants including Design, Commercial, and Pre-Construction Services.
• Development of detailed Request for Proposals (RFP) and service deliverables for commercial management services.
• Day-to-day management of third-party commercial consultants to ensure deliverables are met in a timely manner and to a high standard.
• Development of General Contractor and supplier procurement strategies in conjunction with the Construction Management (CM) team.
• Working with Legal and Procurement Centre of Excellence (COE) to prepare General Contractor Contracts, including negotiation of contract terms.
• Collation and presentation of market insights for the construction industry in the relevant country, including market activity, comparative builds, construction cost indices, key suppliers, and benchmarking information.
• Preparation of budgets for all design stages, including feasibility estimation, detailed cost modeling, benchmarking analysis, and presentation to senior management throughout funding approval stages.
• Advice on the most economical design and construction delivery strategy, including budget comparisons.
• Identification of market and region-specific commercial risks and development of practical mitigation strategies.
• Ensuring that all cost data is prepared and presented in the Equinix Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) throughout the project lifecycle.
• Input and action of Value Engineering (VE) exercises at all stages of design, with clear cost evaluation to support decision-making.
• Prepare annual and quarterly cashflow forecasts for active and pipeline projects.
• Prepare and oversee monthly reports for budget, cashflow, risk, and change management.

Post-Contract

• Day-to-day management of third-party commercial consultants to ensure deliverables are met in a timely manner and to a high standard.
• Monitor adherence against budget throughout the project lifespan, including cost checks and reviews, value engineering, cost-saving initiatives, and evaluation of alternatives.
• Oversee and provide guidance on commercial change management and change evaluation efforts on all projects.
• Monitor and report monthly and quarterly on project portfolio cash flow for the region.
• Provide Construction in Place (CIP) data to Finance.
• Proactively lead all commercial risk management efforts, including commercial audits, contingency analysis, and management.
• Prepare and oversee monthly cost reports for budget, cashflow, risk, and change management.
• Monitor the financial close-out on all projects, including settlement of all vendors.
• Prepare lessons learned cost analysis and detailed Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) analysis of outturn costs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction, business, financial, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Proven experience in a Commercial Management role at a senior level.
• Demonstrated mission-critical facility experience, with a strong preference for data center experience.
• Working knowledge of mission-critical MEP expertise.
• Preference for campus project experience.
• Preferably RICS accreditation.
• Detail-oriented, with accurate input and proof-reading skills.
• Ability to handle multiple tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong business acumen.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong sense of accountability, ownership, and urgency.
• Strong Excel, Power BI, and Cost Management Tool skills and experience.

Pay

The targeted pay range for this position in the United States (Chicago Office CHO1) is $150,000 - $224,000 USD per year. The pay range reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire pay for the full-time position, determined by role, level, and location. Individual pay is based on additional factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education and/or training. The range shown reflects base pay only and does not include bonus, equity, or benefits.

Benefits

• Employee Assistance Program: Available to all employees.
• Insurance: Health, life, disability, and voluntary plans designed for you and your eligible family members.
• Retirement: Retirement plan contributions from both you and Equinix to help plan for your financial future.
• Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays: Accrued PTO each pay period along with various paid holidays for rest and recharge. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits.

Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific plan or program terms.