Senior Cost Manager - Construction Management

Turner & Townsend; Nashville (TN); On-site; USD 95,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend in Nashville seeks a Senior Cost Manager/Quantity Surveyor to lead estimating and cost planning for diverse projects, including real estate developments and data centres. You will act as a primary client interface, manage cost controls, and coordinate procurement activities across design and construction teams.

The role requires 5–7 years in cost management, strong communication, and client-facing skills; RICS is preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering, or a related field.
• 5–7 years of experience in cost management, quantity surveying, or project controls within the construction industry.
• Experience delivering cost management services on medium to large-scale construction projects, ideally within commercial real estate environments.
• Strong understanding of estimating, cost planning, procurement, contract administration, and change management processes.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with industry tools, cost estimating platforms, and financial reporting systems.
• RICS accreditation or working towards certification is preferred.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate in a client-facing role.

Responsibilities

• Lead estimating and cost planning efforts, including developing, reviewing, and presenting project cost plans, supporting design development, and reconciling changes throughout the lifecycle of commercial construction projects.
• Act as a key daily client interface, coordinating with owners, designers, and contractors to gather project updates, review submissions, and deliver clear, accurate cost reporting and executive summaries.
• Manage cost control processes including valuations, change orders, contingency tracking, and cost variance analysis, ensuring alignment between budgets, forecasts, and actuals.
• Coordinate and validate all sources of cost information (A/Es, subcontractors, suppliers), and provide commercial input into procurement strategies, value engineering, and design optioneering.
• Support and lead procurement activities, including preparation and evaluation of bid packages, contractor negotiations, contract input, and tender recommendation reporting.
• Produce and present monthly cost reports, funding updates, and benchmarking data, ensuring timely closeout of final accounts and maintenance of cost records for future use.
• Ensure effective implementation of cost auditing, validation, and change control procedures across all project phases.
• Mentor and support junior team members while contributing to overall team performance and delivering high-quality client service.
• Manage financial aspects of commissions, including margin tracking, fee forecasting, and adherence to internal systems and delivery methodologies.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

Skills

Client-facing experience

Stakeholder management

Communication

Presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering, or related field

Tools

Cost estimating platforms

Financial reporting systems

Job 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 seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager and/or Quantity Surveyor to join our growing Nashville team, supporting construction cost services across a diverse portfolio of projects, including real estate developments, data centres (including major hyperscale facilities), and civil and local government infrastructure programs.

In this role, you will serve as a key day-to-day client contact, building strong relationships and ensuring client objectives are achieved through the delivery of high-quality, value-added cost management services on complex commercial construction projects.

To succeed in this position, you will possess excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, with the confidence and professionalism to operate in a client-facing environment. The ideal candidate is self-motivated, results-driven, and capable of working independently while also contributing effectively within a collaborative team setting. As a senior member of the team, you will provide leadership and direction, championing and embedding Turner & Townsend’s purpose, values, and vision while driving excellence in project delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead estimating and cost planning efforts, including developing, reviewing, and presenting project cost plans, supporting design development, and reconciling changes throughout the lifecycle of commercial construction projects.
• Act as a key daily client interface, coordinating with owners, designers, and contractors to gather project updates, review submissions, and deliver clear, accurate cost reporting and executive summaries.
• Manage cost control processes including valuations, change orders, contingency tracking, and cost variance analysis, ensuring alignment between budgets, forecasts, and actuals.
• Coordinate and validate all sources of cost information (A/Es, subcontractors, suppliers), and provide commercial input into procurement strategies, value engineering, and design optioneering.
• Support and lead procurement activities, including preparation and evaluation of bid packages, contractor negotiations, contract input, and tender recommendation reporting.
• Produce and present monthly cost reports, funding updates, and benchmarking data, ensuring timely closeout of final accounts and maintenance of cost records for future use.
• Ensure effective implementation of cost auditing, validation, and change control procedures across all project phases.
• Mentor and support junior team members while contributing to overall team performance and delivering high-quality client service.
• Manage financial aspects of commissions, including margin tracking, fee forecasting, and adherence to internal systems and delivery methodologies.
• 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 a related field.
• Minimum 5–7 years of experience in cost management, quantity surveying, or project controls within the construction industry.
• Experience delivering cost management services on medium to large-scale construction projects, ideally within commercial real estate environments.
• Strong understanding of estimating, cost planning, procurement, contract administration, and change management processes.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with industry tools, cost estimating platforms, and financial reporting systems.
• RICS accreditation or working towards certification is preferred.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to operate in a client-facing role.

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 atwww.turnerandtownsend.com/

Turner & Townsend does not accept any speculative or unsolicited CV’s that have been sent to our internal recruitment team or hiring managers from agencies outside of our preferred supplier list or that have not followed due process. Any speculative or unsolicited CV’s will be treated as a direct application.

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

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.