Graduate Cost Advisory Consultant (Available 2027)

Arup; Toronto; On-site; CAD 72,000 - 74,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit share

Flexible working

Health & wellbeing benefits

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Arup is seeking a Graduate Cost Advisory Consultant in Toronto to support cost and risk advisory across infrastructure projects. You will work with developers, government agencies, and design professionals to deliver cost estimates, risk analyses, and life-cycle assessments using tools like Excel, @Risk, and Primavera.

The role emphasizes collaboration, data handling, and developing solutions for complex infrastructure challenges.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Economics, Business or Finance, or similar with coursework in Engineering, Economics, Business and/or applied math/sciences.
• Strong interest in the built environment and infrastructure project development / delivery and/or operations.
• Passion for working on projects that incorporate sustainability, resilience, and equity.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills crucial for team-based working.
• Strong quantitative skills.
• Strong organization skills.
• Ability to prioritize effectively, balance assigned tasks and produce exceptional quality work.
• Analytical mindset and/or strategic thinker.
• Open and willing to learn.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite, especially Microsoft Excel.
• Knowledge of French is required for positions permanently located in Quebec so incumbents can communicate with their colleagues, clients, partners and suppliers in Quebec as necessary.
• Bilingual in French and English preferred.
• Willingness to travel both domestically and internationally preferred.
• Proficiency in a technical or consulting area derived from professional experience (e.g. design, construction, development, owner/public sector, technical consulting, investment banking, management consulting, or infrastructure type (rail, airport, bridge, highway, energy, etc.) preferred.
• Familiarity with project management tools and techniques preferred.
• Effective presentation skills for a variety of audiences preferred.
• Out-of-the-box innovative thinking preferred.

Responsibilities

• Aid in the consultation with a variety of stakeholders on the delivery of different types of infrastructure projects.
• Collaborate with design professionals, project stakeholders, and other relevant parties to understand the scope and impact of proposed infrastructure projects.
• Request, handle and review relevant project data, studies, plans, and contextual issues.
• Prepare analyses such as construction cost estimates, schedules, risk models, constructability assessments, financial models, life cycle cost assessments, and optioneering exercises for various projects (Excel, @Risk, Primavera).
• Develop high-level and detailed construction cost estimates using top-down and bottom-up methodologies.
• Read, analyze, and perform quantity take-offs of design documents, drawings, and blueprints.
• Collaborate with design professionals to find opportunities and inefficiencies and develop solutions.
• Conduct outreach with the construction industry to gather information (pricing, market assessments).
• Monitor market trends to understand impact on project delivery (cost trends, supply chain, macroeconomics).
• Prepare analyses, draw evidence-based conclusions, and make recommendations.
• Participate in client engagements (meetings, presentations, workshops).
• Develop reports and presentations to meet client needs.

Skills

Interpersonal skills

Communication skills

Quantitative skills

Organizational skills

Analytical mindset

Willingness to learn

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Construction Management/Economics/Business or Finance

Tools

Microsoft Excel

@Risk

Primavera

Job description

See it differently

You see the world through a unique lens and that’s exactly what we need. We embrace how you see things differently – it’s essential for creating a sustainable future.

Graduate Cost Advisory Consultant

Arup is a global consultancy with advisory and technical expertise across more than 150 disciplines. We guide, plan and design the future of the built environment. Globally, each year we recruit hundreds of graduates and students who help us see things differently and solve the most complex challenges facing our clients, climate and communities.

At Arup, our Cost and Risk Advisory team partners with clients to deliver strategic guidance across a broad range of sectors, including transportation, energy, water, science and technology, climate resilience, and urban planning. We focus on cost and risk, using decision‑making tools that promote transparency and support clients in making informed decisions throughout the project lifecycle.

The opportunity

• Aid in the consultation with a variety of stakeholders (e.g. developers, government agencies, financiers, design professionals, etc.) on the delivery of different types of infrastructure projects (e.g. rail, airports, highways, bridges, energy, parks, data centers, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, resilience improvements, etc.).
• Collaborate with design professionals, project stakeholders, and other relevant parties to understand the scope and impact of proposed infrastructure projects.
• Request, handle and review relevant project data, studies, plans, and contextual issues.
• Prepare various analyses such as construction cost estimates, schedules, risk models, constructability assessments, financial models, life cycle cost assessments, and optioneering exercises for a variety of infrastructure projects. Key software for conducting these analyses include Microsoft Excel, @Risk, and Primavera.
• Develop high‑level and detailed construction cost estimates based on industry best practice using both top‑down (e.g. benchmarking) and bottom‑up (e.g. detailed unit rate development) methodologies.
• Read, analyze, and perform quantity take‑offs of design documents, drawings, and blueprints.
• Collaborate with design professionals to find opportunities and inefficiencies within an infrastructure project, evaluating different design and construction options and developing a variety of solutions.
• Conduct outreach with the construction industry to gather information relevant for projects and research (e.g. pricing information, market assessments); understanding complex methods for building projects such as bridges, tunnels, highways, and tall buildings.
• Monitor local, regional, and global market trends to understand their impact on the delivery of infrastructure projects (e.g. construction cost trends for labor / material / equipment, supply chain, macroeconomic conditions, etc.).
• Prepare analyses, draw evidence‑based conclusions, and make recommendations.
• Participate in client engagements ranging from meetings, presentations, workshops, etc.
• Develop reports and presentations to meet clients’ needs and goals.

Is this role right for you?

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Economics, Business or Finance, or similar with coursework in Engineering, Economics, Business and/or applied math/sciences.
• Strong interest in the built environment and infrastructure project development / delivery and/or operations.
• Passion for working on projects that incorporate sustainability, resilience, and equity.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills crucial for team‑based working.
• Strong quantitative skills.
• Strong organization skills.
• Ability to prioritize effectively, balance assigned tasks and produce exceptional quality work.
• Analytical mindset and/or strategic thinker.
• Open and willing to learn.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office suite, especially Microsoft Excel.
• Knowledge of French is required for positions permanently located in Quebec so incumbents can communicate with their colleagues, clients, partners and suppliers in Quebec as necessary.
• Bilingual in French and English preferred.
• Willingness to travel both domestically and internationally preferred.
• Proficiency in a technical or consulting area derived from professional experience (e.g. design, construction, development, owner/public sector, technical consulting, investment banking, management consulting, or infrastructure type (rail, airport, bridge, highway, energy, etc.) preferred.
• Familiarity with project management tools and techniques preferred.
• Effective presentation skills for a variety of audiences preferred.
• Out‑of‑the‑box innovative thinking preferred.

Eligibility criteria

• Candidate must be eligible to work in Canada without the need for employer sponsored work authorization now or in the future.
• No more than 12 months of full‑time experience in a comparable role.
• Recently graduated, or on track to graduate, from your most recent degree, related to your role of choice, before employment starts.

Core attributes

• Changemakers: A passion for sustainable development and creating a better world is key.
• Innovative minds: We’re looking for critical thinkers who embrace new ideas and challenge the status quo.
• Growth seekers: You have a growth mindset, always eager to learn and explore new ways of working.
• Adaptable adventurers: You’re ready to take on any challenge that comes your way.

What we offer you

At Arup, we care about each member’s success, so we can grow together.

Guided by our values, we provide an attractive total reward package that recognises the contribution of each of our members to our shared success. As well as competitive, fair and equitable pay, we offer a career in which all of our members can belong, grow and thrive – through benefits that support health and wellbeing, a wide range of learning opportunities and many possibilities to have an impact through the work they do.

We are owned in trust on behalf of our members, giving us the freedom, with personal responsibility, to set our own direction and choose work that aligns with our purpose and adds to Arup’s legacy. Our members collaborate on ambitious projects to deliver remarkable outcomes for our clients and communities. Profit Share is a key part of our reward, enabling permanent members to share in the results of our collective efforts. We take an approach to flexible working that supports the diversity and wellbeing of our members.

Benefits at Work – At Arup, we have a comprehensive and valuable benefits program that works for our employees and their families while keeping costs low. These benefits provide health and welfare security for you as well as paid time off for rest and renewal. As a member of Arup, everyone shares in our success through a global profit share scheme (payments are dependent on the firm’s financial performance). Our Global Profit Share Plan (paid bi‑annually) provides an opportunity for you to share in the success of the Firm. As a valued employee of Arup, you can also choose to participate in our 401(k) plan with up to 10% company match to help you save for your future.

Toronto Hiring Range

The good faith base salary hiring range for this job if performed in Toronto is $72,250 to $74,250 per year. This range is commensurate with experience, educational background, and skill level. Benefits are not included in the base salary. Please note hiring ranges for candidates performing work outside of Toronto will differ.

This job posting represents an active vacancy within our organization and is open for immediate recruitment.

Different people, shared values

Arup is an equal opportunity employer that actively promotes and nurtures a diverse and inclusive workforce. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, regardless of age (within legal limits), gender identity or expression, marital status, disability, neurotype or mental health, race or ethnicity, faith or belief, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and whether you’re pregnant or on family leave. We are an open environment that embraces diverse experiences, perspectives, and ideas – this drives our excellence.

Guided by our values and alignment with the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we create and contribute to equitable spaces and systems, while cultivating a sense of belonging for all. Our internal employee networks support our inclusive culture: from race, ethnicity and cross-cultural working to gender equity and LGBTQ+ and disability inclusion – we aim to create a space for you to express yourself and make a positive difference. Discover more about life at Arup at www.arup.com/careers/your-life-at-arup.

Arup acknowledges that our Toronto office is located on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Haudenosaunee, and Wendat peoples, which is held under the Toronto Purchase Treaty 13 with the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation. We acknowledge this land and its people to build a shared understanding of how our collective past brings us to where we are today. Through our ever‑developing commitments, we strive to strengthen our relationships with this land, its people, and its treaties to shape a better, more inclusive world.

We are committed to making our recruitment process and workplaces accessible to all candidates. Please contact your recruiter to let us know if you need any assistance or reasonable adjustments throughout your interview process, and/or to perform the essential functions of the role. We will do everything we can to support you.