Cost Manager - Commercial Real Estate Construction

Turner & Townsend; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend in the United States is seeking a Cost Consultant to deliver cost planning and commercial management across workplace, retail, manufacturing and technical projects for enterprise clients. You will draw on estimating, bid evaluation and change management experience, providing an owner’s perspective, building robust cost positions and clear, evidence-based advice for decision-making.

Under guidance from a Senior Cost Consultant or Director, you will progressively own cost plans

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, architectural engineering, quantity surveying, or related field preferred, with 3–6 years of experience.

Responsibilities

• Prepare cost estimates and cost plans from concept through close-out for tenant improvement, remodel, and new build projects.

Skills

Cost estimation

Commercial administration

Bluebeam

Excel

CSI MasterFormat

Viewpoint

Procore

Python

BI tools

AI-enabled analysis

Education

Bachelor's degree in construction management or related field

Professional designation (CCP/MRICS/PMP) encouraged

Tools

Bluebeam

Excel

CSI MasterFormat

Viewpoint

Building Connected

Procore

Job description

• Full-time

Company Description

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 programmes as we turn challenge into opportunity and complexity into success.

Our capabilities include programme, 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 programme, project and cost management offering in markets around the world.

Job Description

As a Cost Consultant at Turner & Townsend, you will be responsible for delivering cost planning and commercial management services across a range of workplace, retail, manufacturing, and technical projects for leading enterprise clients. Drawing on your contractor-side experience in estimating, bid evaluation, and change management, you will provide an informed owner’s perspective, establishing robust cost positions, challenging commercial assumptions, and delivering clear, evidence-based advice that supports effective decision-making. Working under the guidance of a Senior Cost Consultant or Director, you will progressively take ownership of project cost plans and commercial strategies, developing the expertise and confidence to manage the commercial position throughout the full project lifecycle.

Responsibilities

• Prepare cost estimates and cost plans from concept through close-out for tenant improvement, remodel, and new build projects, including quantity takeoffs in Bluebeam and pricing in CSI MasterFormat structures.
• Build and maintain parametric and hybrid cost models under senior direction, contributing clean, consistently coded data to the team's benchmarking library.
• Lead bid leveling and GC and subcontractor bid analysis: qualify scope, normalize exclusions and allowances, and present a clear recommendation with the basis stated.
• Test contractor pricing against takeoff-based estimates, historical data, and market intelligence, and explain variances rather than accept them.
• Support value engineering by identifying scope and specification alternatives with quantified cost and schedule impact.
• Administer the commercial position on assigned projects: review change orders for entitlement, scope, and pricing against the contract documents and field conditions, and recommend approve, reject, or negotiate.
• Maintain the change, purchase order, and pay application registers, and reconcile pay applications to approved values and work in place.
• Prepare cashflow, accrual, and estimate-at-completion forecasts aligned to the project schedule, and flag commercial exposure early.
• Form and state a view on cost and risk with the reasoning visible: what the data supports, what it does not, and what you would need to be more certain.
• Present cost and risk positions to client project teams in an observational, evidence-first voice, and elevate to senior colleagues when a position needs to be held under challenge.
• Contribute project-level data and insight to portfolio capital planning and program reporting.
• Keep register-driven templates, WBS, and cost code structures clean and consistent so program-level reporting and AI tooling can rely on them.
• Identify repeatable analysis in your own work and, with senior colleagues, turn it into reusable templates and checklists.
• Document methods, assumptions, and lessons so your outputs are reproducible by others.
• Support onboarding and review for analysts, and model disciplined, well-organized delivery.
• Apply client contract provisions and financial policies consistently, including SOX controls where applicable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, architectural engineering, quantity surveying, or a related field preferred, with three to six years of relevant experience. In lieu of a degree, a combination of experience and education will be considered.
• Hands-on experience in construction estimating and commercial administration, including quantity takeoffs, subcontractor bid leveling, subcontract and change order review, and submittal and procurement log management. Contractor-side experience on tenant improvement and renovation projects is directly relevant.
• Working knowledge of CSI MasterFormat, change order mechanics, contingency, and basic cashflow forecasting; willingness to develop fluency in GMP reconciliation, escalation, and AACE estimate classification.
• Ability to read and apply contract documents, including subcontract and general contractor contract provisions, and to verify proposed changes against drawings, specifications, and field conditions.
• Proficiency in Bluebeam and Excel, including formula-driven estimates; familiarity with construction management platforms such as Viewpoint, Building Connected, or Procore. Interest in Python, BI tools, or AI-assisted analysis is a plus.
• Organized, detail-oriented, and comfortable leading meetings and driving follow-up actions with project stakeholders.
• Clear written and verbal communication, with the judgment to know when to bring a question or exposure to a senior colleague.
• Progress toward a professional designation such as CCP, MRICS, or PMP is encouraged.

Additional Information

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

The base salary range for this role is $120,000-$150,000 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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