Capital Projects Cost Manager

Hadrian is building autonomous factories to reindustrialize America. By combining AI, advanced software, robotics, and full-stack manufacturing, we help aerospace and defense companies build rockets, satellites, aircraft, ships, and other mission-critical systems up to 10x faster and at significantly lower cost.

Following our $1.37B Series D at a $7.87B valuation, Hadrian is rapidly expanding our manufacturing footprint, launching new capabilities across welding, casting, forging, electronics, additive manufacturing, and more, while scaling our Factory-as-a-Service platform to transform how critical products are built.

Backed by leading investors including JPMorgan Chase, Valor Equity Partners, Andreessen Horowitz, Founders Fund, 137 Ventures, Lux Capital, T. Rowe Price, and Morgan Stanley, we’re building the future of American manufacturing—and looking for exceptional people to help make it happen.

If you’re ready to take on the most challenging and rewarding work of your career while helping create American manufacturing jobs for generations to come, you’re exactly who we’re looking for.

The Capital Projects Cost Manager will support the finance evolution, planning, and procurement of manufacturing facilities, factory expansions, and infrastructure improvements. Reporting through Finance, this position will partner with Engineering, Construction, Manufacturing, and Facilities to translate technical requirements into reliable cost estimates and actionable investment recommendations.

This role will work with internal engineers to develop preliminary project scopes and designs, establish feasibility budgets, and help evaluate project viability. As projects advance, the estimator will develop budgets for completing design and delivering construction, refine estimates through the 60–100% design stages, and support competitive bidding.

The successful candidate will combine strong construction estimating experience with the financial and analytical skills needed to assess capital requirements, forecast spending, evaluate alternatives, and communicate cost, schedule, and scope trade-offs to leadership.

Feasibility and Early Estimates

• Work with engineers to define early project scope, layouts and infrastructure needs

• Build conceptual estimates and full project budgets from incomplete designs, covering design, construction, permitting, commissioning and contingency

• Document assumptions, exclusions, risks and confidence levels

• Compare facility options and delivery approaches to inform capital decisions

Detailed Estimating

• Prepare estimates across civil, structural, architectural, MEP and industrial utility work, using takeoffs, historical costs and contractor and supplier pricing

• Refine budgets from feasibility through 60–100% design, explaining what changed and why

• Flag scope gaps, constructability issues and value engineering opportunities

• Track estimates against bid results and final project costs to build benchmarks.

Capital Planning and Financial Analysis

• Build cost models that tie scope, schedule and procurement to capital needs, cash flow and spending forecasts

• Partner with FP&A and Accounting on returns, payback, scenario analysis and capex vs. opex treatment

• Support capital approval requests and explain variances between approved budgets, current estimates and forecastss.

Bidding and Leadership Reporting

• Prepare bid packages, level contractor and supplier proposals against independent estimates, and support award recommendations

• Make sure awarded scopes and costs flow into project budgets and forecasts

• Turn technical cost information into clear recommendations and exec-ready materials that flag risks early

• Build estimating templates, standards and tools as the function scales

• 10+ years of construction estimating or preconstruction experience, including industrial or technically complex facilities

• Experience estimating projects from early concept through final construction documents, including quantity takeoffs and pricing across trades

• Comfortable reading drawings, specs, equipment requirements and construction schedules

• Advanced Excel skills for building cost models, cash-flow forecasts and scenario analyses

• Solid grasp of capital budgeting, investment evaluation and basic accounting, enough to align budgets with Finance

• Experience leveling bids and evaluating contractor proposals

• Clear communicator who can turn complex cost data into a recommendation, and works independently across technical and finance teams while juggling multiple projects

• Background in advanced manufacturing, aerospace and defense, or other capital-intensive industries

• Experience estimating large factory builds, expansions or renovations inside operating facilities, including industrial utilities, equipment foundations and installation

• Experience supporting feasibility studies and capital investment decision

• Familiarity with design-build and GMP (guaranteed maximum price) contracts

• Experience with NetSuite, SAP or similar ERP systems, and SQL, Power BI or Tableau for cost reporting, plus building estimating processes and cost databases at a fast-growing company

For this role, the target salary range is $190,000 - $225,000 (actual range may vary based on experience).

This is the lowest to highest salary we reasonably and in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee's pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors, including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, geographic location, performance, and business or organizational needs.

• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance plans for employees
  401k

• Relocation support may be provided for certain situations, based on business need.

• Flexible vacation policy

• Equity

To conform to U.S. Government export regulations, including the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR) you must be a U.S. citizen or national, lawful permanent resident, protected individual as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3), or eligible to obtain the required authorizations from the U.S. Department of State. Learn more about the ITAR here.

Hadrian uses AI-assisted tools in our recruiting and hiring processes to help our team work more efficiently. This may include tools that help organize and analyze recruiting data, as well as an AI-powered notetaker that can record and transcribe interviews and help coordinate feedback. These tools support our team and are not used to make hiring decisions. All candidate evaluations and hiring decisions are performed by humans. If an interview will be recorded, you will be notified in advance and may opt out at any time with no impact on your candidacy. Candidate data processed through these tools is subject to the same protections described in our Privacy Policy.

Hadrian will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories in a manner consistent with the requirements of all applicable laws. We do not ask about criminal history on our application, and we do not consider criminal history before making a conditional offer of employment.

Hadrian does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, gender, national origin/ethnicity, veteran status, disability status, age, sexual orientation, marital status, mental status, physical disability or any other legally protected status. When necessary, the Company also makes reasonable accommodations for disabled candidates and employees, including for candidates or employees who are disabled by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions.