Cost Manager - Life Sciences Construction

Turner & Townsend; Radnor (Delaware County); On-site; USD 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend is seeking a Cost Manager/Quantity Surveyor to support cost management on complex Life Sciences projects, including pharma facilities and GMP environments. The role demands collaborative delivery, strong cost control, and stakeholder management across multiple project phases.

You will develop cost plans, oversee procurement and change management, and guide project teams toward cost certainty and successful outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering or field related to construction.
• Minimum 3-5 years of relevant experience in cost management within construction.
• RICS accreditation or working toward it is valuable.
• Experience supporting cost management on medium to large projects.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of procurement routes, value management and value engineering.

Responsibilities

• Advising client on strategies, vendor prequalification, proposals and bids; chairing bid interviews and managing appointments.
• Developing project cost plans, reviewing estimates, presenting costs and value engineering recommendations to client.
• Maintaining cost reports, budgets, forecasts, and commercial risk registers; leading meetings with teams and vendors.
• Overseeing cost control processes including payments, change orders and disputes.
• Managing invoicing, benchmarking performance, and final accounting and post-contract reviews.
• Developing handover procedures and using bid analysis and cost estimating software.

Skills

Cost management

Quantity surveying

Project budgeting

Stakeholder management

Value engineering

Education

Bachelor’s degree in construction management or related field

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

Turner & Townsend is looking for a Cost Manager/Quantity Surveyor to join our team and support the delivery of cost management services on complex Life Sciences construction projects. This role offers the opportunity to work across a portfolio of technically sophisticated developments, including pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, biotechnology laboratories, research and development centers, cleanrooms, GMP-regulated environments, and other advanced facilities.

The ideal candidate will be driven, collaborative, and committed to delivering exceptional client service while promoting Turner & Townsend's purpose and values. You will be responsible for providing commercial and cost management expertise throughout the project lifecycle, helping project teams achieve cost certainty, manage risk, and deliver successful project outcomes.

You will work closely with project stakeholders, design teams, contractors, and vendors to develop and maintain robust cost plans, oversee procurement and change management processes, and ensure effective financial control across multiple project phases. The successful candidate will have strong analytical, communication, and stakeholder management skills, along with experience supporting construction projects in highly regulated or technically complex environments.
Responsibilities:

• Advising client on strategies, managing prequalification of vendors, assessing proposals, bids, and bidlevellingdocuments, making final recommendations tothe client, attending & chairing bid interviews, and managing appointment process.
• Manage estimating services for full project by developing project estimates (relating to construction, fees, direct work and other costs), reviewing estimations prepared by junior team members, presenting estimates to client, presenting value engineering recommendations and risk assessments to client, meeting with vendors to review, validate, and challenge costs, and reviewing estimates by utilizing benchmark data collected from other projects.
• Manage cost reporting by establishing reporting schedule, reviewing & presenting cost reports and forecasts, reviewing project budget & spend forecast withthe client, developing & maintaining commercial risk register, and hosting periodic meetings with project team & vendors.
• Manage cost control process by reviewing payment application assessments prepared by junior team members, liaising with project managers to recommend contractor entitlements, reviewing requests for change orders from vendors & making recommendations toclient, and using dispute prevention/management/resolution procedures to manage payment requisitions, change orders, and contractual disputes.
• Manage & monitor invoicing process.
• Benchmark performance against other successful commissions.
• Manage all facets of the final accounting process and post contract audits and account close outs.
• Hold post-contract reviews with the client to establish a lesson learned document and apply lessons to create training manual.
• Develop procedures governing handover ofproject.
• Perform all the duties above through the use/preparation of Bid Analysis Sheets, Change Control Forms, Cost Estimating Software, and Take-off Software.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering or field related to construction.
• Minimum 3-5 years of relevant experience working in a cost management role in the construction industry.
• RICS accredited or working towards it is valuable
• Experience supporting cost management on medium or large sized construction projects.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Good knowledge of construction industry technical matters, such as different procurement routes, value management, and value engineering.

Additional Information

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

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.

Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com/ and https://www.heery.com/

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

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