Cost Control Lead - Stargate

OpenAI is building an advanced AI infrastructure ecosystem with key strategic partners. Our infrastructure organization shapes infrastructure strategy and delivers it across multiple regions. From early planning through delivery, we operate at the intersection of commercial, technical, strategy, and operations—partnering closely with teams and leaders inside and outside OpenAI.

We’re seeking an experienced leader to join Infrastructure Strategy & Delivery as the Infrastructure Cost Lead. You will build and run the cost controls function for large-scale data center programs—driving disciplined financial management, strong governance, and proactive commercial risk mitigation from early planning through project closeout.

You’ll establish and manage cost controls, forecasting, benchmarking, and change management across a multi-site portfolio. You will partner closely with design, procurement, legal, finance, and delivery teams to ensure every project decision aligns with budget, scope, and strategic priorities.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of three days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance for new employees.

• Own and manage cost planning, forecasting, and control processes from feasibility through final closeout.

• Lead pre-construction budgeting, detailed cost modeling, and value engineering to optimize capital efficiency.

• Implement and enforce financial controls, cost assurance protocols, and leadership reporting mechanisms.

• Develop and maintain program-level cost forecasts across multiple projects and regions.

• Provide cost estimates and commercial risk assessments to inform location strategy and investment decisions.

• Benchmark construction costs, escalation trends, and market rates across regions to maintain current cost intelligence.

• Manage internal cost control resources and external cost consultants to ensure consistency and excellence.

• Present cost and commercial risk assessments to leadership, recommending actionable mitigation strategies.

• Partner with Legal, Finance, Real Estate, and Design & Construction to align commercial and technical priorities.

• Have 10+ years of experience leading cost controls for mission-critical, large-scale, or complex commercial developments.

• Bring deep expertise in cost modeling, contract negotiation, change management, and capital program governance.

• Have managed significant capital portfolios across multiple projects and regions.

• Have client-side experience (preferred) or a background with top general contractors or commercial consultancies.

• Are highly detail-oriented, analytical, and proactive in identifying and mitigating risks early.

• Communicate complex technical and financial information clearly to executive leadership.

• Thrive in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment and can bring structure and accountability across diverse stakeholders.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

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Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

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