Manager, Capital Planning and Cost Management

Role Summary

The Capital Planning and Cost Manager oversees capital planning, cost governance, and PMIS development for Gilead’s global capital portfolio, ensuring financial stewardship and operational excellence across all project phases. The position partners closely with Project Controls group leads and the Project Controls and Governance Manager to align cost management practices and PMIS workflows with Gilead’s standards and governance framework. The manager leads multi-year capital planning, manages annual budget cycles, monitors portfolio performance, and drives innovation in the PMIS (Trimble Unity Construct). The role requires strong analytical capabilities, financial acumen, and the ability to communicate complex insights to technical and non-technical audiences, including senior executives. Based in Foster City, California, this position reports to the Director of Project Controls and Governance.

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain multi-year capital plans in collaboration with Corporate Operations, Finance, and site leadership.
• Oversee bi-annual CapEx and OpEx Latest Estimate cycles, ensuring timely and accurate updates to project forecasts and budgets.
• Review forecasted cash flows and overall budgets for each project, validate variances, and escalate significant changes to leadership as needed.
• Partner with FP&A to confirm that all changes to spend, budgets, and In-Service Dates are accurately captured and reflected in financial systems and reporting.
• Manage the intake and evaluation of new capital project requests, ensuring alignment with strategic priorities, governance standards, and available funding before advancing through stage-gate approvals.
• Administer the project prioritization tool, including collection of inputs, recording of data, and reporting of prioritization results to support decision-making and portfolio balancing.
• Drive scenario modeling and capital investment strategies to optimize portfolio performance.
• Oversee cost planning and forecasting across all project phases (Initiation through Closeout).
• Lead monthly cost reviews and reporting, including budget vs. actuals, forecast accuracy, accruals, and contingency tracking.
• Review and validate invoices, report accruals, and reconcile invoices against accruals to ensure accuracy.
• Monitor purchase order balances and manage PO closures.
• Support project financial setup and closeout, including CJF funding strategies and collaboration with the PM team and FP&A to confirm financial closeout.
• Track and report program and project contingency utilization, and oversee the transfer and strategic deployment of contingency funds to ensure proper alignment with project needs.
• Apply benchmarking techniques and leverage industry knowledge to develop high-level ROM estimates and validate detailed cost estimates for lab renovations, office fit-outs, and ground-up capital projects.
• Serve as functional lead for Trimble Unity Construct (formerly e-Builder), overseeing system configuration, workflow optimization, dashboard/report development, and user support.
• Drive PMIS innovation, including integration with financial systems and development of advanced reporting capabilities.
• Collaborate with the Governance Manager to ensure PMIS workflows and reporting structures align with Gilead’s governance framework.
• Research and implement additional tools to enhance portfolio oversight and stage-gate decision-making.
• Support internal audits and compliance reviews to ensure adherence to financial guidelines and procurement policies.
• Develop and standardize cost and schedule performance indicators for monitoring and reporting.
• Mentor junior team members and promote continuous improvement in cost control practices, tools, and systems.

Qualifications

• Required: Bachelor's Degree and seven years of experience; or Master’s Degree and five years of experience.
• Preferred: Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Finance, Accounting, Construction Management, or related field; Master’s preferred.
• 7+ years of experience in project cost management, project controls, or capital project delivery.
• Expertise in cost analysis, financial reporting, and business intelligence tools (e.g., Tableau, Power BI, SQL).
• Proficiency in PMIS platforms (Trimble Unity Construct, Procore, Smartsheet) and ERP systems (SAP, Oracle).
• Strong presentation and communication skills, with ability to convey complex insights to senior executives.
• Highly organized, with ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• PMP (PMI), CCP (AACE), or equivalent certification strongly preferred.

Skills

• Cost analysis and financial reporting
• Business intelligence tools (Tableau, Power BI, SQL)
• PMIS platforms (Trimble Unity Construct, Procore, Smartsheet)
• ERP systems (SAP, Oracle)
• Executive-level communication and presentation
• Strategic planning and portfolio optimization
• Governance and compliance awareness

Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Finance, Accounting, Construction Management, or related field; Master’s preferred.

Additional Requirements

• Work Location: On-site at Foster City, CA (Monday–Friday).
• Physical Requirements: Ability to work in active construction environments with PPE; lift up to 25 lbs; climb ladders or stairs for site inspections.
• Travel: Less than 5%, limited to occasional site visits outside Foster City.