Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Industrial & Manufacturing Construction

Turnertownsend; Philadelphia (Philadelphia County); On-site; USD 95,000 - 145,000; Full time

Job summary

Turner & Townsend in the United States (Philadelphia area) is seeking a Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor to oversee cost for industrial and manufacturing projects, including phased modernization and retrofits in active facilities.

You will lead cost planning, champion value engineering, negotiate with contractors, manage cost checks and valuations, and mentor team members while ensuring SOX controls where applicable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering, or a related field.
• 5-7+ years of experience in cost management or quantity surveying.
• Experience on medium to large-scale construction projects.
• Experience in industrial, manufacturing, or complex retrofit environments.
• RICS accreditation or working toward certification preferred.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Responsibilities

• Estimate and negotiate change orders throughout the construction lifecycle.
• Provide cost planning and estimating, including final cost plan presentations.
• Review with design services and GC to develop cost estimates.
• Reconcile changes and support GC to ensure data accuracy.
• Coordinate with GC and client project teams to gather status and update estimates.
• Prepare comments on contractor submissions, including executive summaries.
• Lead cost information from subcontractors, suppliers, and design teams.
• Drive engineering and construction priorities based on cost impact.
• Manage cost checks and valuations on large projects in active facilities.
• Participate in post-contract cost variance and change control processes.
• Manage contingency tracking and commitment logs across phases.
• Prepare funding data and coordinate value engineering with stakeholders.
• Develop cost plans through design phase and update milestones.
• Provide commercial input into design optioneering and VE.
• Review pricing and lead negotiations for sound outcomes.
• Perform quantity surveying, cost control, and change management throughout lifecycle.
• Ensure auditing, validation, and reporting processes are robust.
• Produce monthly cost reports for client presentation.
• Ensure final accounts negotiated and agreed timely.
• Compile built cost data and benchmarking records for future use.
• Identify, coach, and mentor team members to support development.

Skills

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Negotiation

Cost control

Education

Bachelor's degree in construction management or related field

Job description

Turner & Townsend are looking for a Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor to join our team and support construction cost services across a portfolio of complex, large-scale industrial and manufacturing projects. The ideal candidate will be driven and promote our Turner & Townsend purpose and values.

These projects involve the phased modernization, retrofitting, and expansion of existing operational facilities, often within active manufacturing environments, requiring careful planning, strong commercial oversight, and coordination to minimize disruption to ongoing operations.

Responsibilities

• Estimating and negotiating change orders throughout the construction lifecycle.
• Provide cost planning and estimating, including 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 and meet with the general contractor and client project team to gather status information and prepare cost estimate updates.
• Prepare written comments on contractor submissions, including executive summaries.
• Coordinate all sources of cost information, including subcontractors, suppliers, and design teams.
• Inform and help drive engineering and construction priorities based on cost impact.
• Work proactively with minimal supervision to resolve cost and scheduling challenges in phased and fast-track environments.
• Manage cost checks and carry out valuations on large, complex projects delivered within active facilities. Complete timely and accurate cost checking and valuation processes.
• Participate effectively in post-contract cost variance and change control processes.
• Manage cost impacts, including contingency tracking and commitment tracking logs across multiple project phases.
• Prepare funding data presentations and coordinate value engineering sessions with stakeholders.
• Develop cost plans and estimates through the design phase, delivering updates at key project milestones.
• Provide commercial input into design optioneering and value engineering exercises.
• Review contractor and subcontractor pricing and lead negotiations to ensure commercially sound outcomes.
• Perform quantity surveying, cost control, and change management activities throughout the project lifecycle.
• Ensure cost auditing, validation, and reporting processes are robust and consistently applied.
• Produce monthly cost reports for client presentation.
• Ensure final accounts are negotiated and agreed upon in a timely manner.
• Compile built cost data and maintain benchmarking records for future project use.
• Identify, coach, and mentor team members to support development and performance.
• Demonstrate excellence in leadership and service delivery aligned with project and client expectations.
• Manage financial performance using internal systems for margin tracking, fee forecasts, and reporting.
• Implement and maintain Business Management Systems and delivery methodologies to ensure consistent best practices.
• Act as a role model fostering a collaborative, high-performing team environment.
• 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 field.
• 5-7+ years of experience in a cost management or quantity surveying role within the construction industry.
• Experience supporting or leading cost management on medium to large-scale construction projects.
• Experience working within industrial, manufacturing, or complex retrofit environments is preferred.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of procurement routes, value engineering, and construction cost management best practices.
• RICS accreditation or working toward certification is preferred.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management 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.

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

Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com/ and https://www.heery.com/

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