Associate Director - Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Data Center Construction

SmartRecruiters, Inc.; Fort Collins (CO); On-site; USD 150,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend is seeking an Associate Director – Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor to lead cost management for hyperscale data center programs. This is a client-facing leadership role with on-site requirements at the Cheyenne, WY project site, involving cross-functional collaboration, budgeting, and governance across the project lifecycle.

You will develop cost plans, manage change, and deliver regular cost reporting to leadership while mentoring junior staff and promoting best practices in

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Engineering, or related field.
• 8–10+ years of cost management or project controls experience on large-scale projects.
• Proven client-facing delivery in construction consultancy.
• Strong understanding of MEP systems and campus-scale infrastructure.
• Experience with budgeting, cost control, EVM, and procurement strategies.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end cost management across project phases for data center programs.
• Develop and maintain detailed cost plans, estimates, and forecasts.
• Manage change orders, variances, and governance processes.
• Oversee pricing reviews, procurement strategy, and contracting advice.
• Coordinate with scheduling teams to align costs with timelines.
• Produce monthly cost reports and executive summaries for stakeholders.
• Lead client and consultant interfaces and maintain strong relationships.
• Drive cost risk analysis, scenario planning, and market insights.
• Develop cost optimization and value engineering strategies.
• Set KPIs, present to senior leadership, and manage margins and forecasts.

Skills

Cost management

Client-facing

Budgeting

Earned Value Management

Stakeholder management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying

Tools

CostX

Oracle

Excel

Primavera

Job description

Associate Director - Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Data Center Construction

• Full-time

Turner & Townsend is a global professional services company with over 22,000 people in more than 60 countries.

Working with our clients across real estate, infrastructure, energy and natural resources, we transform together delivering outcomes that improve people’s lives. Working in partnership makes it possible to deliver the world’s most impactful projects and programs as we turn challenge into opportunity and complexity into success.

Our capabilities include program, project, cost, asset and commercial management, controls and performance, procurement and supply chain, net zero and digital solutions.

We are majority-owned by CBRE Group, Inc., the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with our partners holding a significant minority interest. Turner & Townsend and CBRE work together to provide clients with the premier program, project and cost management offering in markets around the world.

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Associate Director – Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor to join our team and provide expert cost management services on a large-scale, mission-critical data center program.

This is a client-facing leadership role requiring exceptional communication skills and the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels.

This position supports a major project site in Cheyenne, WY and requires a regular onsite presence of approximately 3-4 days per week, depending on project requirements and phase. Candidates residing in the Fort Collins, CO area, within a reasonable commuting distance of Cheyenne, or those open to relocating to the region are encouraged to apply.

In this significant position, you will provide strategic leadership and direction, ensuring successful delivery of cost management services while embedding and promoting Turner & Townsend’s purpose, values, and vision. You will manage both internal and external stakeholders, driving collaboration and accountability across the project lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end cost management across all project phases, ensuring alignment with scope, budget, and schedule for hyperscale data center programs and other sectors.
• Develop and maintain detailed cost plans, estimates, and forecasts using industry benchmarks and technical documentation.
• Manage change control: review and negotiate change orders, track post-contract variances, and ensure robust commercial governance.
• Oversee contractor and subcontractor pricing reviews, scope validation, and procurement strategy development; advise on contracting and procurement approaches and support program-level capital planning.
• Coordinate closely with scheduling teams to integrate cost forecasts with project timelines and milestones.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for commercial status reporting; produce and present monthly cost reports, executive summaries, and financial updates to stakeholders.
• Take a lead role interfacing with clients, stakeholders, and consultants at all project stages; maintain excellent communication and build strong relationships with clients, vendors, and project teams.
• Drive cost risk analysis, scenario planning, and sensitivity testing; monitor market trends and provide insights on escalation, labor availability, and material pricing.
• Develop strategies for cost optimization and value engineering to enhance outcomes and reduce lifecycle costs.
• Set and track performance via KPIs and critical success factors; prepare and deliver presentations to senior leadership.
• Manage financial performance using internal systems to track margins, forecasts, and reporting; implement and maintain Business Management Systems (BMS) and company delivery methodologies to ensure best practice.
• Identify opportunities to improve cost management processes, templates, and tools; champion knowledge management by capturing lessons learned and key data.
• Provide strong leadership with a clear strategy and ambition for the team; mentor and develop junior staff, conduct performance reviews, and foster a high-performance, collaborative culture.
• Act as a brand ambassador; develop market understanding, build a pipeline of opportunities, and identify cross-selling and business generation opportunities.
• Participate in proposals/RFP responses and attend networking events to expand market presence and relationships.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.
• Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field; graduate degree preferred.
• 8-10+ years of experience in cost management or project controls within the construction industry, ideally on large-scale, mission-critical projects (e.g., data centers, high-tech, industrial).
• Proven experience in construction consultancy and client-facing delivery.
• Strong understanding of MEP systems, resilience requirements, and campus-scale infrastructure.
• Expertise in budgeting, financial reporting, cost control systems, Earned Value Management (EVM), and procurement strategies.
• Proficiency with industry-standard cost management tools and software (e.g., CostX, Oracle, Excel, Primavera).
• RICS accreditation or equivalent certification (or progress toward certification) highly desirable.
• Excellent communication, presentation, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities, highly organized, and able to manage multiple priorities under pressure.

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

The base salary range for this role is $150,000-$170,000 USD. This range reflects the company's good faith estimate of the base salary for this position at the time of the posting. Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, skills, qualifications, and internal equity. In addition to base salary, employees may be eligible for bonuses and a comprehensive benefits package.

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.

Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

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

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