Senior Cost Manager – Data Center Construction

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 programs as we turn challenge into opportunity and complexity into success. Our capabilities include program, 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 program, project and cost management offering in markets around the world.

Job Description

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager to join our programmatic cost and schedule team supporting our client’s data center sites from lease signature to Ready for Service (RFS). The role prepares the owner’s cost report and gives our client an independent read on cost exposure through construction.

Responsibilities:

Lease signature to mobilization

• Join weekly OAC-style calls; review developer cost reports and the cost impact of each change.
• Carry forward Cost Reimbursable Agreement-funded Long Lead Equipment status; track GMP buyout, LLE POs and GC labor; track contract status against the committed schedule.
• Provide inputs to the owner’s cost report, build the cost record and WBS mapping, and run what-if cost scenarios; hand over the cost baseline to the onsite team.

Mobilization to RFS

• Prepare the monthly owner’s cost report for Senior Project Manager sign-off: cost review of change against benchmarks and baselines, and of potential cost exposure to our client, against the change log.
• On open-book deal sites, report committed and forecast cost against our client’s approved budget and track contingency and allowance drawdown.
• Establish the site cost baseline in the first 30 days; maintain the cost side of the Risk Exposure Log.
• Provide cost trends for the monthly site review and cost input to exception escalation briefs, including developer and GC notices of delay and force majeure (tracking and escalation only).
• Join the weekly site call and OAC with cost input; visit the site from the regional hub; record actuals to the portfolio benchmark at RFS.
• Cover three to four projects; share program-wide tools, templates and the portfolio cost reporting standard.
• Work with the Senior Schedule Manager to quantify the cost impact of schedule exceptions and acceleration options.
• Do not perform quantity surveying, estimating on behalf of the developer or GC [only the owner/client that we are working for], spend validation or audit, or approve change orders and invoices.
• Operate within the owner’s representative scope boundary: monitor, report and escalate through our client; do not direct the developer, general contractor or trades, exercise design authority, or certify progress for payment. Decision rights remain with our client. Stop-work authority applies only to imminent danger.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

Project/Program specifications:

• Project/Program specific responsibilities: Owner’s representative cost reporting (cost baseline, risk exposure, change cost, monthly site review, owner’s cost report and exception briefs) on closed-book and open-book (Yield-on-Cost) sites; pre-lease (ELL) assignments, where applicable, include CRA and EIR review, ROM and WBS 3 benchmarking, and developer budget review.
• Market sector experience: Hyperscale / mission-critical data center construction.
• Software specific requirements: Excel (advanced), Google Suite, Power BI or equivalent, cost management and forecasting tools; developer and GC cost platforms as read-only users.
• Certification requirements: RICS, AACE or equivalent preferred.
• Work location: Regional hub (Northern Virginia, Dallas, San Francisco or Canada) with monthly visits to active sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering or field related to construction.
• Minimum 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; data center experience preferred.
• Good knowledge of cost benchmarking, change valuation, forecasting, contingency management and open-book contract structures.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.
• Excellent communication skills, with the discretion and independence to review developer and GC figures.

Additional Information *On-site presence and requirements may change depending on our client's needs. The base salary range for this role is $145K-$165K 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 www.turnerandtownsend.com/ and https://www.heery.com/ 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.