Senior Cost Manager - Healthcare Construction

Turner & Townsend; North Carolina; On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend in the United States is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager to act as the key day-to-day client interface, delivering cost management services across healthcare and life sciences construction projects.

You will lead cost estimates, cost plans, and change-order management, collaborate with design teams and contractors, produce monthly reports, and mentor junior staff while upholding governance and financial controls.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, quantity surveying, or engineering.

Responsibilities

• Act as primary client interface for cost management across healthcare, academic, and biopharma projects.
• Prepare and deliver cost estimates and cost plans through design and construction phases.
• Lead change order management, negotiation, reconciliation, and tracking of cost impacts.
• Produce monthly cost reports with executive summaries, cost forecasts, and variance analysis.
• Collaborate with design teams and contractors to validate pricing and estimates.
• Mentor junior team members and ensure governance around reporting and financial controls.

Skills

Client-facing communication

Cost management

Healthcare/Life sciences experience

Value engineering

RICS accreditation (or in progress)

Education

Bachelor's degree in construction management / quantity surveying / engineering

Job description

Turner & Townsend is a global professional services company with over22,000 peoplein more than 60 countries.

Working with our clients across real estate, infrastructure,energyand 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 andprograms as we turn challenge into opportunity and complexity into success.

Our capabilities includeprogram, 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 estateservicesand investment firm, with our partners holding a significant minority interest. Turner & Townsend and CBRE work together to provide clients with the premierprogram, project and cost management offering in markets around the world.

Turner & Townsend are seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager to act as the key day-to-day client interface, ensuring delivery of value-added cost management services across complex healthcare and life sciences construction projects. This role requires strong client-facing communication, leadership, and the ability to operate independently while supporting team success.

Responsibilities:

• Act as the primary client interface, ensuring cost management objectives are achieved across healthcare, academic, and biopharma construction projects.
• Prepare and deliver cost estimates and detailed cost plans throughout design and construction phases, aligned with project scope and milestones.
• Support cost planning on large-scale projects including clinical facilities, specialty treatment centers, and life sciences manufacturing environments.
• Review and collaborate with design teams and contractors to develop accurate cost estimates and validate pricing assumptions.
• Lead change order management, including estimating, negotiation, reconciliation, and tracking of cost impacts throughout the project lifecycle.
• Produce monthly cost reports, including executive summaries, cost forecasts, and variance analysis for stakeholders.
• Coordinate all sources of cost information including contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and design teams to ensure accurate cost reporting.
• Provide commercial input into design development, value engineering, and optioneering to optimize cost efficiency.
• Perform quantity surveying, cost controls, and cost auditing to ensure financial accuracy and adherence to budgets.
• Maintain cost control systems, including contingency tracking, commitment logs, and benchmarking data for future analysis.
• Participate in post-contract cost management, including change control processes and final account negotiations.
• Support resolution of cost and scheduling issues through proactive risk identification and data-driven recommendations.
• Lead cost validation processes and ensure robust governance around cost reporting and financial controls.
• Prepare funding analysis and support value engineering sessions with project stakeholders.
• Deliver cost management services across projects with high technical complexity, including MEP-intensive and regulated environments.
• Mentor and support junior team members, fostering professional development and high-performance delivery.
• Ensure consistent application of company systems, methodologies, and financial tracking tools across projects.
• Demonstrate leadership aligned with company values, driving strong outcomes for clients, stakeholders, and project teams.

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, quantity surveying, engineering, or related field.
• 5–7+ years of experience in construction cost management, preferably within healthcare or life sciences sectors.
• Experience supporting medium to large-scale, complex construction projects.
• Consultancy experience preferred.
• Knowledge of procurement routes, value management, and value engineering principles.
• Strong communication and client-facing skills.
• RICS accreditation (or working towards) preferred.

*On-site presence and requirements may change depending on our clients' 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/

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 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.