Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Data Center Construction

About the role

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor to support cost management services on a large-scale mission-critical construction program. This client-facing role will serve as a key commercial advisor throughout the project lifecycle, providing leadership in estimating, procurement, cost control, change management, and commercial management from preconstruction through project completion in a fast-paced data center construction environment.

To be successful in this role, you must possess strong communication and stakeholder management skills and be comfortable operating as a trusted advisor to clients and project teams. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, commercially astute, and capable of leading cost management activities independently while mentoring junior team members and contributing to the continued success of the wider team.

Responsibilities

• Advise clients on procurement and commercial strategies, manage prequalification of vendors, assess proposals, bids, and bid leveling documentation, make recommendations to clients, lead bid interviews, and manage the appointment process.
• Lead estimating services throughout the project lifecycle by developing and presenting cost plans and estimates, reviewing work prepared by junior team members, presenting value engineering opportunities and risk assessments, and validating vendor and contractor pricing against market benchmarks.
• Develop cost plans and estimates through the design phase, delivering updated cost plans at key design milestones.
• Review contractor and subcontractor pricing and lead commercial negotiations on behalf of the client to achieve fair and competitive contract pricing.
• Manage cost reporting by establishing reporting protocols, preparing and presenting cost reports and forecasts, reviewing project budgets and spend forecasts with clients, maintaining commercial risk registers, and facilitating regular cost review meetings.
• Lead cost control and change management processes, including assessment of payment applications, review of change orders, evaluation of contractor entitlements, and management of contractual and commercial issues.
• Participate in and oversee cost auditing, valuation processes, commitment tracking, contingency management, and cost validation activities.
• Coordinate all sources of cost information, including contractor pricing, subcontractor quotations, quantities, and benchmarking data.
• Prepare funding presentations, support value engineering workshops, and provide commercial input into design optioneering activities.
• Produce monthly cost reports and executive-level summaries for client stakeholders.
• Manage and monitor invoicing processes.
• Benchmark project performance against comparable commissions and industry data.
• Lead final account negotiations and ensure account closeout activities are completed in a timely manner.
• Compile and maintain benchmarking and historical cost databases.
• Develop lessons learned documentation, handover procedures, and best practices to support future projects.
• Mentor, coach, and support the development of junior cost management professionals.
• Display excellence in leadership, client service, and delivery performance consistent with Turner & Townsend's values and standards.
• 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 related construction field.
• Minimum 5-7 years of relevant cost management, quantity surveying, or commercial management experience within the construction industry.
• Experience leading cost management services on large, complex commercial, industrial, mission-critical, technology, or data center construction projects.
• Demonstrated experience with estimating, cost planning, procurement, change management, and project controls throughout the project lifecycle.
• Experience reviewing contractor pricing, leading commercial negotiations, and managing client-facing cost reporting processes.
• RICS accredited or working toward accreditation is preferred.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Good knowledge of construction industry technical matters, including procurement strategies, value management, value engineering, and commercial management principles.
• Strong leadership, stakeholder management, and client-facing communication skills.
• Ability to work independently while leading and mentoring junior team members.

Additional Information

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

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