Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Data Center Construction (Heavy Civil)

About the role

Turner & Townsend are seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager and/or Quantity Surveyor to serve as the primary day-to-day client interface on large-scale data center construction projects. This role ensures delivery of disciplined, value-driven cost management services, with a strong focus on heavy civil and site development scopes.

Responsibilities

• Estimating and negotiating change orders throughout the construction lifecycle with particular focus on sitework, earthworks, utilities, and civil packages.
• Provide detailed estimate and cost planning, including producing and presenting cost plans aligned with early works and heavy civil scopes.
• Review and actively participate with the design team and general contractor in the development and validation of cost estimates.
• Reconcile changes and ensure contractor-provided data is complete, accurate, and well-substantiated.
• Interface regularly with the general contractor and client stakeholders to gather project status and inform cost estimate updates.
• Prepare clear, concise written reviews of contractor submissions, including executive-level summaries.
• Cook up all sources of cost information including self-perform work, subcontractors, suppliers, and design quantities.
• Inform and help prioritize engineering and design decisions based on cost and constructability impacts.
• Work proactively to identify and resolve cost, scope, and scheduling challenges with minimal supervision.
• Manage cost checks and carry out valuations on large-scale civil and infrastructure scopes with accuracy and consistency.
• Support post-contract cost control, including change management and governance processes.
• Manage cost impact assessments, contingency tracking, and commitment logs.
• Prepare funding data, support reporting, and participate in value engineering and cost optimization sessions.
• Develop and maintain cost plans throughout design progression, aligned with project milestones.
• Provide commercial input into design options and lead value-based decision support discussions.
• Review contractor and subcontractor pricing and participate in commercial discussions to ensure fair and reasonable pricing outcomes.
• Perform quantity surveying, cost control, and change management activities across all project phases.
• Ensure cost validation, audit, and valuation processes are implemented and consistently applied.
• Produce accurate monthly cost reports for client presentation and decision-making.
• Support timely negotiation and agreement of final accounts.
• Compile and maintain cost data and benchmarks, particularly for heavy civil and site development scopes.
• Identify, coach, and mentor team members to support capability growth and project success.
• Demonstrate strong leadership and service delivery aligned with client expectations and project objectives.
• Support financial management activities, including forecasting, resource planning, and margin tracking.
• Implement and uphold internal business systems, delivery methodologies, and best practices.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performing project environment across client, contractor, and stakeholder teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, quantity surveying, engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 6–7 years of relevant experience in cost management within the construction industry, including exposure to large-scale infrastructure or heavy civil projects with transferable applicability to data center, mission critical, or similarly complex construction environments.
• Experience supporting complex, fast-paced construction programs with significant site development components.
• RICS accredited or actively working toward accreditation is preferred.
• Demonstrated experience leading cost management efforts on medium to large projects with moderate to high complexity.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of construction methods, procurement strategies, and commercial management principles.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and stakeholder management skills.

Additional Information

• The salary range for this role is $135K-$155K USD. This range reflects the company's good faith estimate of the base salary for this position at the time of the posting. Final compensation will be determined based on factors including experience, skills, qualifications, and internal equity.
• In addition to base salary, employees may be eligible for bonuses and a comprehensive benefits package.
• 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.