Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Data Center Construction (Anticipated Opening)

Turnertownsend; Louisville (KY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible working environment

Work-life balance

Job summary

Turner & Townsend are seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager and/or Quantity Surveyor to act as the key day‑to‑day client interface for a large data center program near Louisville. You will lead cost management, change control, and commercial governance throughout the project lifecycle.

The role emphasizes strong communication, stakeholder management, and the ability to drive cost efficiency in a high‑volume environment. On‑site presence is required as needs vary.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction-related field is required.
• 5–7 years of cost management experience in construction.
• Experience with change management, change orders, and cost control on complex projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead change management across the program, ensuring changes are identified, evaluated, documented, and approved.
• Review, evaluate, negotiate change orders, and ensure cost transparency.
• Maintain change logs, contingency tracking, and commitment registers for visibility into cost impacts.
• Establish governance frameworks across multiple projects and provide cost planning and estimating.
• Coordinate cost inputs from subcontractors, suppliers and design teams.

Skills

Change management

Cost control

Stakeholder management

Cost planning/estimating

Strong communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Cost Management, Engineering, or related field

Job description

Description

Turner & Townsend are looking for an experienced Senior Cost Manager and/or Quantity Surveyor to act as the key day‑to‑day client interface, delivering cost management services across a large‑scale data center program located in Jefferson, Indiana, just outside the Louisville, Kentucky area.

This role will have a strong emphasis on change management, cost control, and commercial governance, ensuring that all project changes are effectively evaluated, managed, and communicated throughout the construction lifecycle within a fast‑paced, high‑volume program environment.

To be successful in this role you must have strong communication skills and be comfortable operating in a client‑facing role. The ideal candidate will be self‑motivated, detail‑oriented, and experienced in managing complex change processes across multiple stakeholders. In this position, you will provide leadership and direction, embedding and promoting the purpose, values, and vision of Turner & Townsend.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage change management processes across the program, ensuring all changes are properly identified, evaluated, documented, and approved.
• Review, evaluate, and negotiate change orders throughout the construction lifecycle, ensuring commercial alignment and cost transparency.
• Maintain and manage change logs, contingency tracking, and commitment registers, providing clear visibility into cost impacts.
• Establish and enforce change control procedures and governance frameworks across multiple projects within the campus.
• Provide detailed cost analysis and recommendations to support client decision‑making on change events.
• Support dispute avoidance and resolution through strong commercial oversight and documentation of changes.
• Provide cost planning and estimating, including producing and presenting final cost plans.
• Review and participate with the design team and general contractor in developing cost estimates.
• Reconcile changes and validate contractor cost data to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Communicate with the general contractor and project team to gather updates and support cost reporting.
• Prepare written comments on contractor submissions, including executive summaries.
• Coordinate cost inputs from subcontractors, suppliers, and design teams.
• Inform and help drive construction priorities based on cost and change impact.
• Work proactively to resolve cost, scope, and scheduling conflicts.
• Manage cost checks and carry out valuations on complex projects.
• Lead post‑contract cost variance analysis and ensure adherence to change control processes.
• Prepare funding updates and support value engineering sessions, particularly in response to change drivers.
• Develop cost plans through design and provide updates at key milestones.
• Review contractor pricing and support negotiations to ensure fair and commercially sound outcomes.
• Ensure cost auditing, validation, and reporting processes are consistently applied.
• Produce monthly cost reports with clear visibility into change activity, risks, and forecast impacts.
• Support final account closeout, ensuring all changes are fully agreed and reconciled.
• Maintain cost benchmarking data and program records to support future forecasting and decision‑making.
• Mentor team members and promote best practices in change management and cost control.
• Manage financial tracking, forecasting, and reporting for commissions.
• Support internal systems, governance processes, and company 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, Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 5-7 years of experience in cost management within the construction industry.
• Demonstrated experience with change management, change order negotiation, and cost control processes on complex projects.
• Experience leading cost management on medium to large construction projects of moderate to high complexity.
• Experience working on data center, industrial, or large campus‑style developments is preferred.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong knowledge of commercial management, procurement routes, and value engineering practices.
• Proven ability to manage high volumes of change in fast‑paced project environments.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Additional Information

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

Culture & Benefits

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.