Driving Independent Project Cost Assurance and Benchmarking Excellence

Strengthening Tender Competitiveness Through Technical and Commercial Validation

Partner with the best

Integrated Services delivers complex, multi-product-line solutions that help customers optimize operations, improve performance, and achieve project objectives across drilling, well construction, intervention, production, and energy markets.

Fuel your passion

The AFE Team Leader is responsible for leading the independent techno-commercial assurance function supporting Integrated Services opportunities and projects. This role leads both Engineering Assurance and Commercial/Costing disciplines, ensuring that operational assumptions, project budgets, and cost estimates are technically justified, commercially sound, appropriately risk-adjusted, and benchmarked against historical performance and market intelligence.

As an AFE Team Leader, you will be responsible for:

• Leading the independent review and assurance of AFEs, tender cost estimates, and project budgets for critical opportunities.
• Ensuring both technical assumptions and commercial costing are independently challenged before key business decisions.
• Leading and coordinating Engineering Assurance and Commercial/Costing teams.
• Reviewing project cost build-ups to ensure alignment between operational scope, execution strategy, schedule, risk profile, and project costs.
• Challenging assumptions related to equipment utilization, operational duration, personnel requirements, logistics, third-party services, contingencies, and escalation factors.
• Ensuring appropriate consideration of operational and commercial risks and their potential impact on project costs.
• Developing standardized methodologies for cost estimation, benchmarking, estimate assurance, and AFE preparation.
• Establishing and maintaining comprehensive operational and cost benchmark databases across Integrated Services activities.
• Comparing project estimates against historical performance, actual costs, offset projects, market rates, and industry benchmarks.
• Providing management and tender approval boards with independent assessments of estimate quality, uncertainties, key assumptions, and potential cost exposure.
• Establishing estimate confidence levels and identifying areas of material estimating uncertainty.
• Leading post-project reviews to evaluate estimated versus actual performance and capture lessons learned.
• Driving continuous improvement in estimating accuracy, cost predictability, and benchmarking capability.
• Maintaining the independence and objectivity of the AFE Cell from originating engineering and commercial teams.
• Building capability within the AFE organization and fostering collaboration across Engineering, Operations, Commercial, Finance, Supply Chain, Product Lines, and Project Management functions.

To be successful in this role you will:

• Have a Bachelor's degree in Engineering or a related discipline.
• Have 15+ years of relevant experience within oilfield services, upstream operations, integrated projects, or similar project-based environments.
• Demonstrate significant experience in project costing, estimating, finance, project economics, project controls, commercial management, or tendering.
• Have a strong understanding of well construction, drilling, P&A, completions, intervention activities, and associated cost drivers.
• Possess proven experience evaluating complex, multi-product-line project cost estimates.
• Demonstrate expertise in activity-based costing, cost benchmarking, contingency development, risk assessment, and project economics.
• Have strong financial and analytical capabilities, including advanced Excel proficiency and preferably Power BI or similar analytical tools.
• Be able to translate complex technical information into clear commercial and financial implications.
• Demonstrate strong leadership, influencing, stakeholder management, and executive communication skills.
• Have previous experience leading multidisciplinary or techno-commercial teams.

Work in a way that works for you

We recognize that everyone is different and that the way people work and perform at their best varies. In this role, flexible working arrangements may be available in accordance with business requirements.

Working with us

Our people are at the heart of what we do at Baker Hughes. We know we are stronger when our employees are empowered to bring their whole selves to work, develop their capabilities, and contribute to meaningful business outcomes. We invest in employee development, leadership growth, well-being, and an inclusive culture that enables our teams to thrive.

Working for you

Our people are at the heart of what we do at Baker Hughes. We foster an environment where innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement drive business success. We invest in employee development, leadership growth, and wellbeing to help our people achieve their full potential.

You will be eligible to participate in Company-sponsored benefit programs, including health & welfare programs and the Thrift Plan (401k). You will have a choice of coverage options that best suit your needs. Coverage options and contribution amounts are related to your benefit elections, base salary level, and specific requirements of each of these plans.

This position is eligible for our comprehensive and competitive benefits package, which can be found here, and is further eligible for additional forms of compensation such as bonuses subject to the terms of the applicable benefit plans or policies.

 

 

The Baker Hughes internal title for this role is: Sales Director - Proposals