Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Manufacturing / Data Center Construction

About the role

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager / Senior Quantity Surveyor to join our New York City team. This individual will act as the key day-to-day client interface, ensuring client objectives are achieved through the delivery of value-added cost management services across large-scale industrial, manufacturing, and mission-critical construction projects, including advanced manufacturing facilities and data center developments.

Responsibilities

• Lead estimating, cost planning, and change order management throughout the construction lifecycle on complex manufacturing, industrial, and data center projects.
• Prepare and present cost plans, estimates, and budget updates across multiple project phases, ensuring alignment with project scope, technical requirements, and operational objectives.
• Review and collaborate with design teams, contractors, suppliers, subcontractors, and equipment vendors in the development and validation of project costs.
• Reconcile cost changes and contractor submissions, ensuring accuracy and consistency with current project conditions.
• Interface regularly with owners, project managers, and contractors to gather project status information and provide cost estimate updates and executive-level reporting.
• Support engineering, design, and procurement decisions through cost analysis, value engineering, constructability reviews, and design optioneering exercises.
• Manage cost checks, valuations, contingency tracking, commitment logs, and cost impact assessments throughout all stages of project delivery.
• Administer post-contract cost control, change management, cost auditing, and validation processes across multiple contracts and work packages.
• Review contractor and subcontractor pricing, support commercial negotiations, and ensure fair and competitive project outcomes on behalf of the client.
• Produce monthly cost reports highlighting key risks, trends, forecasts, opportunities, and recommendations for client stakeholders.
• Ensure final account negotiations and closeout activities are completed accurately and in a timely manner.
• Compile and analyze historical cost data and benchmarking information across industrial, manufacturing, and mission-critical project portfolios.
• Mentor and develop team members while providing leadership, technical guidance, and high-quality service delivery.
• Utilize internal systems to manage financial performance, including fee forecasts, resource planning, project margins, and reporting requirements.
• Implement and maintain business management systems, delivery methodologies, and governance processes while supporting a collaborative, high-performing team culture.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role and must be adhered to where applicable.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 5–7 years of relevant experience working in a cost management role in the construction industry, with experience supporting manufacturing, industrial, data center, mission-critical, semiconductor, life sciences, or data center environments preferred.
• RICS accredited or working towards it is preferred.
• Experience leading cost management on medium to large-scale construction projects, ideally within manufacturing, industrial, mission-critical, semiconductor, life sciences, or data center environments.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Good knowledge of construction industry technical matters, including procurement routes, value management, value engineering, and industrial construction delivery methodologies.
• Excellent communication skills.