Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor – Data Center Construction

Turner & Townsend; Arlington (VA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend in Northern Virginia is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager/Quantity Surveyor to act as the key client interface on a major campus construction program. You will drive cost planning, governance, and stakeholder engagement across multiple projects.

The role requires excellent communication, strong commercial judgment, and the ability to lead cost management efforts independently within a collaborative team. On-site presence is expected at times.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction discipline.
• 5–7 years of cost management or quantity surveying experience.
• Experience leading cost management on medium to large projects.
• Construction consultancy experience preferred.
• Strong knowledge of cost controls, change management, value management.
• RICS accreditation or progress toward certification preferred.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage cost plans and estimates through design and delivery phases.
• Prepare, present, and maintain the final cost plan aligned with program phasing.
• Review estimates with design teams and general contractors for validation.
• Compile built cost records for benchmarking and forecasting.
• Estimate, negotiate, and reconcile change orders throughout construction.
• Manage post‑contract cost variances, change control, and contingencies.
• Review pricing, validate scope and quantities, and lead negotiations for fair contract values.
• Ensure final accounts are negotiated and agreed in a timely manner.
• Produce monthly cost reports, executive summaries, and funding data presentations.
• Maintain commitment tracking logs and cost impact reporting across workstreams.
• Ensure cost validation with inputs from designers, contractors, and suppliers.
• Coordinate cost information across drawings, specs, schedules, and site data.
• Inform engineering and construction priorities based on cost/value considerations.
• Assist with design optioneering and VE workshops with stakeholders.
• Lead with minimal supervision to resolve cost- and schedule-related challenges.

Skills

Cost management

Quantity surveying

Stakeholder management

Client liaison

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management / related field

Job description

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 programs as we turn challenge into opportunity and complexity into success.

Our capabilities include program, 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 program, project and cost management offering in markets around the world.

Job Description

Turner & Townsend are seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager and/or Quantity Surveyor to act as the key, day‑to‑day client interface on a major, multi‑phase campus construction program in Northern Virginia.

The successful candidate will play a critical role in ensuring client objectives are achieved through robust cost planning, disciplined commercial management, and consistent stakeholder engagement across multiple projects progressing simultaneously.

This is a highly visible, client‑facing position requiring excellent communication skills, sound commercial judgment, and the ability to operate independently while providing leadership within a collaborative, high‑performance environment. You will embed and promote the purpose, values, and vision of Turner & Townsend while delivering best‑in‑class cost management outcomes.

Responsibilities:

• Develop and manage cost plans and estimates through design and delivery phases, producing updated cost plans at defined design milestones.

• Prepare, present, and maintain the final cost plan, aligned with program phasing, site constraints, and infrastructure scope.

• Review and participate with design teams and general contractors in the development, validation, and reconciliation of estimates.

• Compile built cost records to support benchmarking, forecasting, and continuous program improvement.

• Estimate, negotiate, and reconcile change orders throughout the construction lifecycle, ensuring robust governance and documentation.

• Manage post‑contract cost variances, change control processes, and contingency allocations.

• Review contractor and subcontractor pricing, validate scope and quantities, and lead negotiations on behalf of the client to drive fair and defensible contract values.

• Ensure final accounts are negotiated and agreed in a timely and accurate manner.

• Carry out cost checks, valuations, and audits on larger and more complex projects, ensuring data accuracy and consistency.

• Produce monthly cost reports, executive summaries, and funding data presentations for client review.

• Maintain commitment tracking logs and manage cost impact reporting across multiple workstreams.

• Ensure robust cost validation processes are in place using inputs from designers, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and professional advisors.

• Coordinate cost information across all sources, including drawings, specifications, schedules, and site data.

• Inform and influence engineering and construction priorities based on cost and value considerations.

• Provide commercial input into design optioneering and value engineering exercises, coordinating and supporting VE workshops with stakeholders.

• Work proactively, with minimal supervision, to resolve cost‑and schedule‑related challenges in a fast‑paced construction environment.

• Act as the primary interface for cost matters, communicating regularly with the client, project managers, and construction teams to gather status and align expectations.

• Prepare formal written commentary on contractor submissions, including executive‑level summaries.

• Identify, coach, and mentor team members, supporting professional development and celebrating success.

• Display excellence in leadership and service delivery on all commissions, aligned with conditions of appointment.

• Ensure compliance with internal Business Management Systems, delivery methodologies, and best‑practice controls.

• Track ongoing margin levels and manage monthly fee and resource forecasts using internal systems.

• Act as a role model for a one‑business culture, balancing outcomes for people, clients, stakeholders, and the wider community.

• 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 construction discipline.

• Minimum 5–7 years’ experience in a cost management or quantity surveying role within the construction industry.

• Proven experience leading cost management on medium to large construction projects of moderate to high complexity, ideally within campus, multi‑building, or multi‑site programs.

• Construction consultancy experience strongly preferred.

• Strong knowledge of construction delivery, including procurement routes, cost controls, change management, value management, and value engineering.

• RICS accreditation or progress toward certification preferred.

• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.

• Detail‑oriented, commercially astute, and capable of working independently within complex project teams.

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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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.