Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Advanced Manufacturing Projects

Job Description

Job Description

Company Description

Turner & Townsend is a global professional services company with over 22,000 people in more than 60 countries. 

Working with our clients across real estate, infrastructure, energy and natural resources, we transform together delivering outcomes that improve people’s lives. Working in partnership makes it possible to deliver the world’s most impactful projects and programmes as we turn challenge into opportunity and complexity into success. 

Our capabilities include programme, project, cost, asset and commercial management, controls and performance, procurement and supply chain, net zero and digital solutions. 

We are majority-owned by CBRE Group, Inc., the world’s largest commercial real estate services and investment firm, with our partners holding a significant minority interest. Turner & Townsend and CBRE work together to provide clients with the premier programme, project and cost management offering in markets around the world. 

Job Description

Turner & Townsend are looking for an experienced Senior Cost Manager and/or Quantity Surveyor to act as the key day-to-day client interface, delivering value-added cost management services across complex, high-tech construction projects in the San Diego area.

These projects include advanced manufacturing, cleanroom environments, and technically sophisticated facilities, often delivered through phased programs requiring strong commercial oversight and coordination across multidisciplinary teams.

To be successful in this role you must have strong communication skills and be comfortable operating in a client-facing environment. The ideal candidate will be self-motivated, driven, and able to work both independently and collaboratively.

Responsibilities:

• Lead estimating and negotiating change orders throughout the construction lifecycle, ensuring alignment between scope, budget, and contract terms in technically complex environments.
• Provide comprehensive cost planning and estimating services, including developing, reviewing, and presenting detailed cost plans at key project milestones.
• Collaborate with design teams, engineers, and general contractors to develop and validate cost estimates across mechanical, electrical, process, and cleanroom scopes.
• Reconcile project changes and proactively review contractor data to ensure accuracy, completeness, and commercial alignment.
• Act as a key client interface, gathering project updates, supporting decision-making, and maintaining alignment across multiple stakeholders.
• Prepare detailed written commentary and executive summaries on contractor submissions, identifying risks, gaps, and cost impacts.
• Coordinate and consolidate cost information from subcontractors, suppliers, vendors, and design teams to support accurate forecasting and reporting.
• Manage cost control processes including contingency utilization, cost variance analysis, and change management across multiple project phases or workstreams.
• Perform detailed cost checks and valuations, ensuring timely and accurate financial reporting on large-scale, high-value projects.
• Support procurement activities including bid packaging, review of contractor and subcontractor pricing, bid leveling, and leading commercial negotiations.
• Provide commercial input into value engineering and design optimization initiatives to improve project efficiency while maintaining technical requirements.
• Produce monthly cost reports, forecasts, and funding updates, providing clear insights to senior stakeholders and client teams.
• Ensure robust cost auditing, validation procedures, and final account closeout processes are consistently applied.
• Maintain and contribute to benchmarking data and historical cost records to support future program planning.
• Mentor and support junior team members, ensuring consistent delivery standards and professional development.
• Manage financial performance across commissions, including fee forecasting, margin tracking, and utilization.
• 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 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.  
• Strong commercial, client-facing, and communication skills.

Additional Information

On-site presence and requirements may change depending on our client's needs.*

The base salary range for this role is $165K-$190K 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.

Please find out more about us at 

Turner & Townsend does not accept any speculative or unsolicited CV’s that have been sent to our internal recruitment team or hiring managers from agencies outside of our preferred supplier list or that have not followed due process. Any speculative or unsolicited CV’s will be treated as a direct application.

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

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It is strictly against Turner & Townsend policy for candidates to pay any fee in relation to our recruitment process. No recruitment agency working with Turner & Townsend will ask candidates to pay a fee at any time. 

Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Turner & Townsend personal e-mail accounts, are considered property of Turner & Townsend and are not subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Turner & Townsend, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team, to submit candidates for review.