Senior Cost Planner/ Cost Planning Manager

Vita Partners Real Assets; Singapore; On-site; SGD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Vita Partners is seeking a Senior Cost Planner / Cost Planning Manager to lead cost planning across Bristol? (Note: this role focuses on life sciences and GMP-regulated facilities.) The position requires deep expertise in cost estimation, governance, and commercial strategy within Vita's project control framework.

You will work with clients, design teams, and contractors to drive value and ensure project success.

Qualifications

• Degree in Quantity Surveying, Civil or Mechanical Engineering; professional accreditation preferred.
• Membership of, or progress towards, a recognised professional body such as RICS or AIQS is strongly preferred.
• 8–12 years of post-graduation experience in construction cost planning and estimation; seniority may adjust accordingly.
• Experience in life sciences, pharmaceutical, GMP-regulated projects is highly regarded.
• Proven ability to lead cost planning across EPCM projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead the cost planning function across the full project lifecycle from feasibility to handover.
• Prepare, develop, and maintain robust cost plans and post-contract cost reports.
• Develop tender pricing and benchmark against market rates.
• Provide procurement support and advise on contractual strategies.
• Value engineering and design change management to optimise cost and GMP compliance.
• Produce cost statements, cash flow forecasts, and cost-to-complete analyses.
• Mentor junior team members and liaise with clients, consultants, and contractors.

Skills

Construction Economics

Cost Planning

EPCM Delivery

Stakeholder Leadership

Regulatory Knowledge

Education

Degree in Quantity Surveying, Civil or Mechanical Engineering

Professional Accreditation (RICS/AIQS) preferred

Postgraduate qualifications in Construction Management or Engineering Economics advantageous

Tools

Estimating software

Cost management software

Job description

Vita Partners is Asia-Pacific’s largest pan-regional pure-play life science, innovation and R&D real estate platform, backed Australian headquartered multinational real estate company Lendlease and leading US private equity growth investor Warburg Pincus. The platform focuses on investing, acquiring, developing, constructing, managing, and operating real estate projects in fast-growing life sciences, innovation and R&D real estate markets in Asia-Pacific. The company operates within two main segments – a high-barrier-to-entry life sciences project construction management business and a specialized investment management business. Since the 2000s, the project construction management business has worked on over 200 projects in Asia-Pacific for more than 100 blue-chip life sciences and pharmaceutical companies, with many repeat clients. The investment management business currently manages ~SGD 2 billion of AUM on behalf of institutional investors, with strong aspirations for growth within the region.

Job Role

Role Overview

The Senior Cost Planner / Cost Planning Manager is a senior commercial subject matter expert within Vita's Project Control Management (PCM) division. This role is central to the commercial success of Vita's project delivery pipeline. It provides rigorous cost planning, estimation, and commercial governance across the full project lifecycle from early feasibility and concept design through tender, procurement, and construction delivery. Operating within Vita's EPCM framework and serving GMP-regulated life sciences, pharmaceutical, and advanced manufacturing clients, the position demands a high degree of technical precision, commercial acuity, and stakeholder leadership. The successful candidate will deliver research and in-depth analysis, acting as a subject matter expert to provide input and support into the policy, administration, collection, measurement, analysis, interpretation, portrayal, and dissemination of cost planning information. This role ensures that cost planning practices align with organisational objectives and project delivery standards.

Responsibilities

Cost Planning & Estimation

• Lead the Function: Drive and manage the overall cost planning function for the business.
• Lifecycle Estimates: Prepare, develop, and maintain robust cost plans across all project stages, including order-of-magnitude estimates, elemental cost plans, pre-tender budgets based on user requirements/design specifications, and post-contract cost reports.
• Tender Pricing: Generate accurate, well-substantiated cost estimates for commercial tenders, budget costing exercises, and tender proceedings across a broad range of life sciences and pharmaceutical project types.
• Commercial Benchmarking: Perform rigorous cost evaluations and benchmarking to validate contractor and subcontractor pricing, ensuring value for money and alignment with market rates.
• Procurement Support: Support the strategic appointment of contractors through thorough analysis of tender submissions, bid comparisons, and negotiation support. Advise on procurement strategies, contractual arrangements, and suggest tenderers alongside potential pre-qualification criteria.

Contract Administration & Cost Control

• Works Administration: Administer works in progress, ensuring strict compliance with engineering specifications, drawings, and contract documents.
• Financial Tracking: Develop construction-stage elemental cost plans, prepare project cash flow forecasts, and provide approximate estimates of future cost increases or variations.
• Progress Valuations: Value monthly work progress, assess construction compliance, and recommend appropriate interim payments for contractors and subcontractors.
• Reporting & Analytics: Provide ongoing commercial advice, monthly financial statements, and cost-to-complete analyses to maintain effective cost control during construction. Submit final cost statements and detailed cost analysis under the contract.
• Accounts & Closeout: Prepare interim and final statements of accounts, warranties, bonds, and collateral documentation. Settle final accounts with contractors/subcontractors and certify final payments.
• Dispute Resolution: Assist the project management team in dispute resolution, claims analysis, and arbitration/litigation support.

Design Change Management & Variation Control

• Change Evaluation: Lead the cost management of design development. Accurately identify, evaluate, and price design changes from initial concept and tender drawings through to final construction issue documents.
• Variation Governance: Maintain a structured variation register and ensure all scope changes or variations are captured, assessed, valued, and reported to the project management and client teams in a timely, transparent manner, accounting for material or labour fluctuations.
• Scope Optimisation: Provide proactive commercial advice during design development to minimise scope creep and optimise cost outcomes without compromising project quality or GMP compliance requirements.

Research, Analysis & Benchmarking

• Database Management: Conduct in-depth market research and analysis to develop, maintain, and continuously improve internal cost databases, unit rate libraries, and elemental cost benchmarks relevant to life sciences and pharmaceutical construction.
• Data Integration: Analyse survey data, engineering drawings, specifications, procurement records, and historical project data to inform and substantiate cost estimates.
• Commercial Intelligence: Provide cost intelligence insights to support business development, feasibility studies, and client advisory engagements.

Commercial Strategy & Value Engineering

• Value Engineering: Recommend, develop, and evaluate alternative cost options and value engineering opportunities across design, procurement, and construction phases. Balance cost reduction against technical and regulatory requirements.
• Tendering Strategy: Contribute to the development and implementation of commercial strategies for tendering, procurement, and contract award. This includes packaging strategies and market engagement plans.
• Risk Mitigation: Support risk identification and quantification, providing commercial input to project risk registers, risk management plans, and contingency strategies.

Reporting, Governance & Compliance

• Regulatory Compliance: Ensure all cost planning and administration activities comply with Vita's internal commercial governance frameworks, client requirements, and applicable regulatory standards for GMP-regulated facilities.
• Continuous Improvement: Provide input into the continuous improvement of Vita's commercial policies, processes, templates, and best-practice guidelines across the PCM division.
• Audit Trails: Maintain thorough and auditable records of all commercial decisions, assumptions, correspondence, and approvals throughout the project lifecycle.

Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Trusted Advisor: Build and maintain productive working relationships with clients, contractors, subcontractors, design consultants, and internal project teams, serving as a trusted commercial advisor throughout the project lifecycle.
• Consultant Management: Coordinate directly with external cost consultants and specialist advisors, managing deliverable quality, consistency, and alignment with Vita's commercial standards.
• Commercial Representation: Represent Vita's commercial interests in client-facing meetings, design reviews, tender interviews, and post-contract negotiations with professionalism and authority.
• Mentorship: Provide coaching, mentoring, and technical guidance to junior commercial team members, fostering a high-performance, knowledge-sharing culture within the PCM commercial function.

Knowledge, Skills & Experience

Educational & Professional Qualifications

• Degree: Degree-qualified in Quantity Surveying, Civil or Mechanical Engineering, or a closely related discipline.
• Professional Accreditation: Membership of, or active progress towards, a recognised professional body such as RICS (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors), AIQS (Australian Institute of Quantity Surveyors), or equivalent is strongly preferred.
• Postgraduate Education: Postgraduate qualifications in Construction Management, Project Management, or Engineering Economics are advantageous.

Work Experience

• 8 to 12 years of substantive, post-graduation experience in construction cost planning and estimation, with demonstrated progression in seniority and scope of responsibility. Candidates with strong relevant experience and advanced commercial leadership capability will be considered at the Cost Planning Manager (CPM) level.
• Proven experience independently managing cost planning across complex, multi-disciplinary, large-scale construction or fit-out projects from feasibility through to practical completion.
• Experience within the life sciences, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or advanced manufacturing sectors is highly regarded. Candidates with GMP-regulated project exposure will be prioritized.
• Demonstrated proficiency in EPCM project delivery methodologies, including involvement across engineering, procurement, and construction management phases.

Technical Knowledge & Skills

• Construction Economics: Advanced knowledge of construction cost planning principles, elemental cost analysis, and construction economics as applied to complex industrial and specialized facilities.
• Multi-Disciplinary Engineering: Sound understanding of engineering disciplines relevant to life sciences projects, including mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), process, civil, structural, and architectural works.
• Regulatory Knowledge: Familiarity with GMP regulatory frameworks and the implications for design, specification, procurement, and construction cost within cleanroom and pharmaceutical manufacturing environments.
• Document Interpretation: Demonstrated ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, schedules, and contract documentation across multiple design disciplines.
• Industry Software: Working proficiency with industry-standard estimating and cost management software and tools.

What You Can Expect From Us

Every person at Vita Partners is critical to the success of the business. We believe high performing employees drive business growth. We support our people through ongoing engagement, by providing learning and development opportunities for future career progression and by recognising and rewarding exceptional achievements. We’re interested in getting to know you and explore how we can take your career forward.