Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Data Center Construction

Turnertownsend; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonuses

Benefits package

Job summary

Turner & Townsend seeks a Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor for a large-scale campus development near St. Louis, MO. Based in the Chicago area, you will travel monthly to the site to lead procurement, estimating, and cost control activities across the full lifecycle.

You will review pricing, manage budgets and risk, support value engineering, and ensure SOX controls where applicable. A strong consultancy background and a degree in a related field are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Cost Management, Quantity Surveying, Engineering, or related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in a cost management role within the construction industry.
• Experience supporting medium to large-scale construction projects, including site development and large building programs.
• Construction consultancy experience strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of procurement routes, value management, and value engineering principles.
• Experience supporting pre-contract estimating and post-contract cost control activities.
• Familiarity with cost reporting, budgeting, and change management processes on active construction projects.
• Ability to review contractor pricing, payment applications, and change orders with attention to detail.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• RICS accredited or working toward accreditation is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Advise the client on procurement strategies, manage vendor prequalification, assess bids, and lead bid leveling and recommendation processes.
• Manage estimating activities across the full project lifecycle, including developing and reviewing construction cost estimates, presenting to clients, and supporting value engineering and risk assessments.
• Engage with vendors and contractors to review, validate, and challenge pricing using benchmark data.
• Establish and manage cost reporting processes, including forecasts, budget tracking, and commercial risk registers.
• Lead cost control activities, including payment application reviews, change order evaluation, and contract entitlement recommendations.
• Support dispute avoidance and resolution through structured change and cost management processes.
• Manage and monitor invoicing and financial tracking.
• Oversee final accounts, post-contract audits, and project closeout activities.
• Conduct post-project reviews and support lessons learned documentation and process improvements.
• Develop and support project handover procedures.
• Utilize cost estimating, take-off, and reporting tools to support project delivery.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

Skills

Procurement knowledge

Value management

Value engineering

Pre-contract estimating

Post-contract cost control

Cost reporting

Budgeting

Change management

Contract pricing review

SOX compliance

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management

Bachelor's degree in Cost Management

Job description

Turner & Townsend are seeking a Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor to support construction cost services on a large-scale, multi-phase campus development in the St. Louis, MO area. This is a major greenfield project involving extensive site development and the construction of multiple large industrial buildings.

The ideal candidate will be driven, client-focused, and aligned with Turner & Townsend's purpose and values, with experience supporting medium to large-scale construction projects.

Travel Requirement

Candidates must be based in the Chicago, IL area and able to travel to the project site near St. Louis, MO approximately once per month for 2-3 days per trip.

Responsibilities

• Advise the client on procurement strategies, manage vendor prequalification, assess bids, and lead bid leveling and recommendation processes.
• Manage estimating activities across the full project lifecycle, including developing and reviewing construction cost estimates, presenting to clients, and supporting value engineering and risk assessments.
• Engage with vendors and contractors to review, validate, and challenge pricing using benchmark data.
• Establish and manage cost reporting processes, including forecasts, budget tracking, and commercial risk registers.
• Lead cost control activities, including payment application reviews, change order evaluation, and contract entitlement recommendations.
• Support dispute avoidance and resolution through structured change and cost management processes.
• Manage and monitor invoicing and financial tracking.
• Oversee final accounts, post-contract audits, and project closeout activities.
• Conduct post-project reviews and support lessons learned documentation and process improvements.
• Develop and support project handover procedures.
• Utilize cost estimating, take-off, and reporting tools to support project delivery.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

Ability to travel to the St. Louis, MO area monthly for a 2-3 day trip.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Cost Management, Quantity Surveying, Engineering, or related field.
• 3-5 years of experience in a cost management role within the construction industry.
• Experience supporting medium to large-scale construction projects, including site development and large building programs.
• Construction consultancy experience strongly preferred.
• Knowledge of procurement routes, value management, and value engineering principles.
• Experience supporting pre-contract estimating and post-contract cost control activities.
• Familiarity with cost reporting, budgeting, and change management processes on active construction projects.
• Ability to review contractor pricing, payment applications, and change orders with attention to detail.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple workstreams in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong communication and stakeholder engagement skills.
• RICS accredited or working toward accreditation is preferred.

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

The base salary range for this role is $110K-$130K 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.

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

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It is strictly against Turner & Townsend policy for candidates to pay any fee in relation to our recruitment process. No recruitment agency working with Turner & Townsend will ask candidates to pay a fee at any time.

Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Turner & Townsend personal e-mail accounts, are considered property of Turner & Townsend and are not subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Turner & Townsend, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team, to submit candidates for review.