Director of Cost Management

About the role

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Director of Cost Management or Quantity Surveying to support the growth and delivery of cost management services across a portfolio of commercial real estate, hospitality, mission critical and capital construction projects.

This individual will lead client relationships, provide commercial oversight, mentor and develop Cost Management and/or Quantity Surveyor professionals, and help drive service excellence across the business. The successful candidate will play a key role in growing our Cost Management practice while ensuring the successful delivery of projects and programs for our clients.

To be successful in this role, you must have excellent communication skills and be comfortable operating in a client-facing environment. The ideal candidate will be a collaborative leader with strong commercial acumen who can effectively balance project delivery, team development, and business growth initiatives.

Responsibilities

• Strong leadership skills, experience leading cost management teams and ensuring delivery across all accountabilities on complex construction programs.
• Lead communications with clients and provide oversight of cost management service delivery across projects and programs.
• Act as a senior client-facing leader, building and maintaining strong relationships with clients, stakeholders, consultants, and project teams.
• Provide strategic oversight of quantity surveying, cost control, change management, estimating, and commercial management activities across the project lifecycle.
• Act as the primary point of contact for reporting on the overall commercial status of projects and programs.
• Lead research related to construction market conditions and produce thought leadership reports providing valuable market insights.
• Lead the strategic and operational management of Cost Management Services, including resource planning, financial management, business generation, staff development, and service delivery.
• Coordinate and support the delivery of Cost Management and Project Controls services across a variety of project types and sectors.
• Drive Turner & Townsend best practices at all stages of a project or program.
• Identify opportunities to improve cost management procedures, processes, templates, and tools.
• Set a clear strategy and ambition for the team aligned with business objectives.
• Recruit, coach, mentor, and develop high-performing teams while supporting performance management, succession planning, and career development.
• Ensure key project knowledge and lessons learned are captured, shared, and incorporated into continuous improvement initiatives.
• Ensure compliance with quality standards, internal BMS requirements, and ISO audit processes.
• Develop priority plans incorporating risk mitigation, performance measurement through KPIs, and alignment with company goals.
• Develop a detailed understanding of the market, acting as a brand ambassador and creating a pipeline of opportunities with existing and prospective clients.
• Identify and pursue cross-selling and business development opportunities.
• Participate in leadership meetings and prepare and deliver presentations to senior stakeholders.
• Provide regular updates on project performance, staffing, initiatives, and business objectives.
• Financial Management: Utilize internal software to track revenue, margin performance, monthly fees, and resource requirements across commissions.
• Prepare proposals and RFP responses for new clients and projects.
• Attend relevant networking events and industry functions to support business growth and market presence.
• Partner with Talent Acquisition to attract top talent and proactively plan for future staffing needs.
• Be a role model that drives a one-business culture that achieves positive outcomes for our people, clients, stakeholders, and society.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role and are to be adhered to where applicable.

Qualifications & Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Cost Management, Quantity Surveying, Engineering, or a construction-related field.
• Graduate degree in Quantity Surveying, Cost Management, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field is preferred.
• 10+ years of relevant cost management, quantity surveying, or commercial management experience within the construction industry.
• Experience leading cost management services on medium to large-scale construction projects and programs.
• Previous experience mentoring, supervising, or managing Cost Management professionals.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong client-facing and stakeholder management experience.
• RICS accreditation or working toward accreditation is preferred.
• Experience supporting projects across commercial real estate, hospitality, workplace, mixed-use, healthcare, industrial, or other capital construction sectors is preferred.
• Demonstrated business development experience, including proposal support, client relationship management, and opportunity identification, is preferred.
• Excellent presentation, verbal, written, organizational, and communication skills.

Additional Information

*On-site presence and requirements may change depending on our client's needs.

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.

We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work-life balance.

All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.

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It is strictly against Turner & Townsend policy for candidates to pay any fee in relation to our recruitment process. No recruitment agency working with Turner & Townsend will ask candidates to pay a fee at any time.

Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Turner & Townsend personal e-mail accounts, are considered property of Turner & Townsend and are not subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Turner & Townsend, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team, to submit candidates for review.