Director, Design & Cost Control

JOIN OUR TEAM!

At Couche-Tard/Circle K, our mission is simple: to make our customer’s lives a little easier everyday. You may have already stopped for coffee, refueling your car, or eating something on the go. Then, you know what Couche-Tard/Circle K is. We have grown into a successful global company with over 17,000 stores in 29 countries, serving almost 9 million customers every day. In total, more than 146,000 people work in our stores and offices.  We make journeys easier by offering fast and friendly service. We care about our people and our communities, and we look for ways to uplift people first. Wherever your journey’s going, we can help you get there.   Are you ready to grow your career? Let's grow together!

THE ROLE

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.

WHAT YOU’LL DO

Excited to embark on a journey with us? Here's a breakdown of the key responsibilities and priorities in this role:

Cost Management Leadership

• 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

Budgeting, Design & Value Engineering

• 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.

Procurement, GC Bid Review & Contract Oversight

• 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.

Reporting & Benchmarking

• 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.

Team Leadership & Collaboration

• 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.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED

We want you to join our team! Here's what we're looking for:

• 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.

#LI-CS2

Circle K is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
The Company complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (the ADA) and all state and local disability laws.  Applicants with disabilities may be entitled to a reasonable accommodation under the terms of the ADA and certain state or local laws as long as it does not impose an undue hardship on the Company. Please inform the Company’s Human Resources Representative if you need assistance completing any forms or to otherwise participate in the application process.

Click below to review information about our company's use of the federal E-Verify program to check work eligibility:

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