Senior Manager / Director, Pre-Construction and Cost Management

MHB Group Canada; Toronto; On-site; CAD 180,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

MHB Group Canada in Toronto is seeking a senior estimating and cost management leader to influence design, development and investment decisions early in projects. You will guide cost planning and value engineering for a diversified real estate portfolio and partner with Investments, Development, architects and engineers to deliver clear, financially-sound guidance. The role can be senior manager or director, with offices in downtown Toronto or the west GTA.

Qualifications

• Lead estimating and cost management from early concept through design development, tender and buyout.
• Partner with Investments Director and Development team to evaluate design options based on cost, value and constructability.
• Lead value engineering and cost optimization considering long-term operating and lifecycle costs.

Responsibilities

• Lead estimating and cost management from early concept through design development, tender and buyout.
• Partner with Investments Director and Development team to evaluate design options, building systems and materials based on cost, value and constructability.
• Lead value engineering and cost optimization while considering long‑term operating, maintenance and lifecycle costs.
• Advise on procurement and project delivery strategies, oversee tendering and contractor selection, and negotiate major construction contracts.
• Translate complex cost considerations into clear senior‑level advice for Investments, Development, architects, engineers and consultants.
• Build, mentor and develop a growing pre‑construction and estimating team and improve cost management processes and best practices.
• Provide senior leadership with clear insight into cost, risk and opportunity throughout the development process.

Skills

Cost estimation

Cost planning

Value engineering

Stakeholder leadership

Pre-construction

Job description

The biggest decisions on a development project happen long before construction begins.

What gets built. How it gets designed. Which systems are selected. What it costs. How it will operate.

We're looking for a senior estimating and cost management leader who wants a bigger seat at the table — someone who can take their technical expertise and use it to influence design, development and investment decisions from the earliest stages of a project.

This is an opportunity to join one of Canada's most entrepreneurial real estate development companies, with a diverse and growing portfolio spanning high-rise residential, purpose-built rental, industrial, mixed-use, commercial and hospitality developments.

Reporting directly to the Investments Director, you'll be a key cost and construction advisor throughout the development process — helping senior leadership understand the financial and practical implications of different design and development decisions before they become commitments.

The company is open to hiring at either the Senior Manager or Director level, depending on experience and leadership scope.

You'll be involved before the project is fully designed and before the major decisions are locked in. Working alongside Investments, Development, architects, engineers and consultants, you'll bring deep estimating and cost-planning expertise to questions such as:

• Is this design delivering the right value for the investment?
• Are there more cost-effective building systems or approaches?
• What does a design change mean for the overall project budget?
• Where are the opportunities for value engineering?
• How will today's decisions affect construction, maintenance and operating costs years from now?

You’ll help turn those questions into clear, commercially grounded advice for senior decision-makers. For the company's growing purpose-built rental portfolio, that perspective is particularly important. The role will consider not only upfront capital costs, but also operating budgets, maintenance requirements and lifecycle costs — helping the team make decisions with the long-term performance of the asset in mind.

What You'll Own

• Cost Planning & Budgets: Lead estimating and cost management from early concept through design development, tender and buyout.
• Design & Investment Advisory: Partner with the Investments Director and Development team to evaluate design options, building systems and materials based on cost, value and constructability.
• Value & Lifecycle: Lead value engineering and cost optimization while considering long‑term operating, maintenance and lifecycle costs.
• Procurement & Delivery: Advise on procurement and project delivery strategies, oversee tendering and contractor selection, and negotiate major construction contracts.
• Stakeholder Leadership: Work closely with Investments, Development, architects, engineers, consultants and project teams, translating complex cost considerations into clear senior‑level advice.
• Team & Process: Build, mentor and develop a growing pre‑construction and estimating team while establishing and improving cost management processes and best practices.
• Strategic Influence: Provide senior leadership with clear insight into cost, risk and opportunity throughout the development process.

Compensation & Location

$180,000–$200,000 + bonus, with the level and overall package reflective of experience.

The company is open to bringing someone in at either the Senior Manager or Director level.

The role can be based from one or both of the company's offices in downtown Toronto or the west GTA.

Why This Role?

This role is a great fit for someone coming from cost consulting, quantity surveying, estimating, pre‑construction or development who has built strong technical cost expertise and is ready to have a bigger influence on what gets built — and why.

You'll work directly with senior investment and development leaders, bringing your cost expertise into design, planning and development decisions rather than simply reporting on the numbers after the fact. You’ll have meaningful influence across major projects and the opportunity to help shape a growing development firm.

If you’re ready to move beyond estimating the project and into influencing the decisions behind it, this is an opportunity to have a much bigger seat at the table.