Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Edu & Gov Construction

Turnertownsend; United States; On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager to serve as the key day-to-day client interface, ensuring value-added cost management across complex education and government capital projects. The role requires strong communication, stakeholder management, and independent leadership within multidisciplinary teams to deliver client objectives.

You will lead cost planning from planning through design, procurement, construction, and closeout, with a preference for experience with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management or related field.
• 5–7 years of cost management experience in construction.
• RICS accreditation preferred or in progress.

Responsibilities

• Estimate and negotiate change orders through construction lifecycle.
• Provide cost planning and present final cost plan.
• Review estimates with design services and GC teams.
• Reconcile changes and support contractor data accuracy.
• Prepare cost updates and executive summaries for clients.
• Lead cost checks, valuations, and post-contract variances.
• Develop cost plans through design milestones and VE sessions.
• Mentor junior cost professionals and ensure SOX controls where applicable.

Skills

Cost management

Stakeholder management

Client-facing

Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in construction management

RICS accreditation or working towards it

Tools

Cost estimation software

Job description

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager to serve as the key day-to-day client interface, ensuring that client objectives are achieved through the delivery of value-added cost management services across complex education and government capital projects.

To be successful in this role, you must possess excellent communication and stakeholder management skills and be comfortable operating in a client-facing environment. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, driven, and capable of working independently while collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary teams. In this significant position, you will provide leadership and direction while embedding and promoting the purpose, values, and vision of Turner & Townsend.

The successful candidate will bring demonstrated experience delivering cost management services on education, civic, public sector, institutional, government, or other large-scale community infrastructure projects, with a strong understanding of project costs from planning and programming through design, procurement, construction, and closeout. Experience working with public sector clients, funding requirements, budget governance, and stakeholder-driven decision-making processes is highly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Estimating and negotiating change orders throughout the construction lifecycle.
• Provide estimate and cost planning to include producing and presenting the final cost plan.
• Review and participate with the design services team and general contractor in the development of cost estimates.
• Reconcile changes and assist the general contractor to ensure that their data is accurate.
• Communicate or meet with the general contractor and owner of project manager to gather status information to prepare a cost estimate update.
• Prepare written comments to the general contractor's submissions, including the executive summary.
• Coordinate all sources of cost information for cost discussions and suppliers direct from NPA, subs, quantities from A/Es.
• Inform and drive engineering priorities based on cost impact.
• Work proactively with minimal supervision to resolve scheduling issues.
• Manage cost checks and carry out valuations on larger projects. Complete timely, accurate cost checking and valuation processes.
• Participate effectively with post-contract cost variances and the change of control processes.
• Manage Cost impact / contingency management and commitment tracking logs.
• Prepare funding data presentations and coordinate VE sessions with stakeholders.
• Developing cost plans and estimates through the design phase, delivering updated cost plans at appropriate design milestones.
• Providing commercial input to design optioneering and input into value engineering exercises.
• Reviewing contractor and subcontractor pricing and leading negotiations on behalf of the client to drive fair contract prices.
• Performing quantity surveying, cost controls, and change management activities throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ensuring that post-contract cost variances and change control processes are managed effectively.
• Ensuring that cost auditing and valuation work is managed effectively and that a robust process for cost validation is in place.
• Carrying out the production of monthly cost reports for presentation to the client.
• Ensuring that final accounts are negotiated and agreed upon in a timely manner.
• Compiling built cost estimate records for benchmarking purposes.
• Identify, coach and mentor talent to realize their potential and celebrate the success of others.
• Display excellence in leadership and service delivery on commissions is in line with the conditions of appointment
• Financial Management - Utilize internal software to track ongoing margin levels and monthly fee/resource forecasts for each commission and financial reports
• Implement and maintain the use of internal Business Management Systems and company delivery methodologies and tools in the office to ensure consistent delivery of best practice for Clients and the company
• 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.