Senior Cost Manager/Quantity Surveyor
Leland Saylor Associates · Los Angeles, CA · Yesterday
HybridManagement$110k–$195k/yrFull-time
Daily Duties
- Provide estimating and cost planning, including producing and presenting the final cost plan.
- Collaborate with the design services team, general contractor, and owner in the development and reconciliation of cost estimates.
- Reconcile changes and assist the general contractor to ensure that their data is accurate.
- Meet with the general contractor and owner's project manager to gather status information and prepare cost estimate updates.
- Prepare written comments on the general contractor's submissions, including the executive summary.
- Estimate and negotiate change orders throughout the construction lifecycle.
- Inform and drive design and engineering priorities based on cost impact.
- Work proactively with minimal supervision to resolve scheduling and budget issues.
- Manage cost checks and carry out progress valuations and pay-application reviews on larger projects.
- Manage change control, post-contract cost variances, contingency management, and commitment tracking logs.
Pre-Contract Duties
- Develop cost plans and estimates through the design phase, delivering updated cost plans at each design milestone (schematic, design development, and construction documents).
- Prepare detailed conceptual cost estimates and cost studies from schematic or feasibility-level documentation.
- Provide commercial input to design option analysis and lead value engineering exercises.
- Develop variance summaries between estimates as the design evolves.
- Prepare detailed instructions to bidders, trade-specific clarifications, and comprehensive bid packages.
- Solicit and evaluate subcontractor bids using bid tally sheets, and lead negotiations on behalf of the client to secure fair, competitive pricing.
- Make subcontractor award recommendations to the client/owner and support the finalization of subcontracts with trade partners.
- Participate in — and often lead — request-for-proposal (RFP) responses and formal cost/budget presentations to the client.
Post-Contract Duties
- Perform quantity surveying, cost control, and change management activities throughout the project lifecycle.
- Ensure that post-contract cost variances and change control processes are managed effectively.
- Produce monthly cost reports for presentation to the client.
Minimum Qualifications
- Experience working in a construction cost management or estimating role.
- College and/or post-graduate degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering, or a field related to construction.
- 5+ years of full-lifecycle cost management and/or estimating experience on private and public construction projects.
- Professional accreditation a plus. AACE International certification — Certified Cost Professional (CCP) or Certified Estimating Professional (CEP); Charter Quantity Surveyor — RICS, CIQS, AIQS; ASPE Certified Professional Estimator (CPE).
- Experience leading cost management on medium to large, high-value building or infrastructure projects of medium to high complexity.
- Familiarity with the U.S. competitive bidding process — soliciting and evaluating subcontractor proposals, using bid tally sheets, and making award recommendations.
- Working knowledge of U.S. unit costs and the factors that affect construction cost, with the ability to estimate across all scopes of work.
- Software proficiency in estimating and takeoff tools such as On-Screen Takeoff (OST), Bluebeam, WinEst, Sage Estimating (Timberline), or CostX; Power BI, HCSS, Revit, and Assemble are value-adds.
Featured Benefits
- Salary: The salary range for this full-time role is $110K–$195K per year.
- 401(k), Medical Insurance, Dental Insurance, 100% employer-paid premiums.