Senior Cost Manager - Data Center

Turner & Townsend; Florida; On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend is seeking a Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor to lead client-facing commercial activities for data center developments. The role requires strong cost planning, modeling, and pre-construction work to support informed decisions from feasibility through delivery.

Lead negotiations, manage budgets, and mentor junior staff while ensuring adherence to procurement, risk, and SOX controls as applicable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering or field related to construction.
• 5–7 years of relevant cost management experience in construction.
• RICS accreditation preferred.
• Experience leading cost management on medium to large projects of medium to high complexity.
• Construction consultancy experience preferred.
• Knowledge of procurement routes, value management and value engineering.
• Excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Oversee budgets with detailed cost modelling and present findings to senior leadership.
• Track budgets, variance reporting, and conduct value engineering studies.
• Guide RFP processes for design services, owner-furnished equipment, and contractors.
• Lead negotiation and procurement for construction projects (GMP with partners).
• Manage commercial change, risk analysis, and claims mitigation.
• Monitor cash flow, earn value analyses, and project closeouts.

Skills

Strong communication

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Independent work

Education

Bachelor’s degree in construction management or related field

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.

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor to serve as the day-to-day client lead, delivering proactive cost management services across the full project lifecycle for data center developments.

The successful candidate will have experience in cost planning, cost modeling, and pre-construction activities, supporting informed decision-making from early-stage feasibility through project delivery. While working closely with our dedicated Data Center estimating team, this role will be responsible for leading client-facing commercial discussions, reviewing estimates, and ensuring robust cost management strategies are implemented.

Strong communication and stakeholder management skills are essential, along with the ability to work independently, lead project teams, and drive successful outcomes in complex, fast-paced environments. As a senior member of the team, you will champion Turner & Townsend's purpose, values, and vision while providing leadership and mentorship to colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Oversee the preparation of budgets including detailed cost modelling benchmarking analysis, and presentation across various levels of senior leadership.
• Budget tracking, variance reporting, and value analysis throughout the project lifespan including benchmark evaluations, cost reviews, value engineering/optimization studies, and evaluation of alternates.
• Provide guidance and assistance with the orderly development of requests for proposal leading into procurement for design services agreements, owner furnished equipment, and other owner-direct purchased scope.
• Lead the request for proposal process for general contractor including the bidding, leveling, and award of the construction project (primarily negotiated GMP w/framework partners).
• Support, track, and provide guidance on commercial change management and change evaluation efforts on all projects both pre and post-GC contract. Evaluate, report, and provide risk analysis on changes from a scope, cost, time, and value basis.
• Advise and intervene appropriately to resolve major contractual claims and disputes as they arise at earliest opportunities as well as conduct procurement in a manner to reduce claim/dispute risk when possible.
• Review analytics for project portfolio cash flow and earn value analysis.
• Monitor the financial close-out on all projects including settlement of all vendors while reviewing/maintain compliance to contractual terms and obligations of vendors.
• Proactively lead all commercial risk management efforts including commercial audits, contingency analyses, risk identification and analyses for cost and time, and management training through the lifecycle of the project both pre and post-GC contract.
• Review project cost reports and other project control documentation; carry out regular reviews of these with senior management. Oversee the compliance of project budget, schedules, etc. against company expenditure limits and performance expectations.
• Report status, successes, challenges, and key activities to senior management.
• Develop, manage, and be accountable for achievement of key commercial metrics.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives and develop best practices.
• Be a role model that drives a one business culture that achieves great outcomes by striking the right balance for our people, clients, stakeholders, and society.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering or field related to construction.
• Minimum 5-7 years of relevant experience working in a cost management role in the construction industry.
• RICS accredited or working towards it is preferred.
• Experience of leading cost management on medium or large sized construction projects of medium to high complexity.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Good knowledge of construction industry technical matters, such as different procurement routes, value management, and value engineering.
• Excellent communication skills.

*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 www.heery.com/

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

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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 ofTurner & Townsend and arenot 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.