Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor – 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 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 is seeking a Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor to support cost management on a large‑scale, mission‑critical hyperscale data center development now moving through early planning and pre‑construction stages. This program involves a multi‑hundred‑acre campus with multiple phases expected to progress over several years, representing substantial long‑term investment in new-build data center capacity.

In this role, you will support cost planning, budgeting, and financial controls across the full lifecycle of a major greenfield development. The campus is entering an active development phase, and this position will play a key role in establishing cost governance, building baseline budgets, and helping drive value and cost certainty as design and procurement strategies advance.

To be successful in this role, you must have strong communication skills and be comfortable operating in a client‑facing environment.

The project site is located approximately 25 miles south of Naperville, in Grundy County. This role offers a hybrid schedule with an expected presence on‑site 2–3 days per week, depending on project phase and client requirements.


Responsibilities

• Support cost management across all project phases, ensuring alignment with scope, budget, and schedule.
• Prepare and maintain detailed cost plans and estimates, using industry benchmarks and technical documentation.
• Assist in producing monthly cost reports, executive summaries, and financial updates for stakeholders.
• Help manage the change control process, including review of change orders and cost variances.
• Participate in contractor and subcontractor pricing reviews, scope validation, and procurement strategy development.
• Collaborate with design teams, general contractors, and vendors to validate cost estimates and perform quantity takeoffs.
• Contribute to cost risk analysis and scenario planning for multi‑phase programs.
• Monitor market trends and provide input on escalation, labor availability, and material pricing.
• Assist in developing strategies for cost optimization and value engineering.
• Coordinate with scheduling teams to align cost forecasts with project timelines.
• Support continuous improvement in cost management practices and standardization.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with clients, vendors, and project teams.
• SOX control responsibilities may apply and must be adhered to where applicable.

Qualifications

• Able to work onsite in Grundy County 2–3 times per week, depending on project phase and client requirements (site ~25 miles south of Naperville).
• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Engineering, or a related field.
• 3–5+ years of experience in cost management or project controls, ideally within large‑scale, mission‑critical environments (e.g., data centers, high‑tech, industrial) is required.
• Experience in a construction consultancy environment is preferred.
• Strong understanding of estimating, budgeting, financial reporting, and cost control systems.
• Experience with MEP systems and large‑scale budget management is highly valued.
• Familiarity with procurement strategies and commercial management of contractor/vendor contracts.
• Progress toward RICS accreditation is advantageous.
• Strong communication, collaboration, and stakeholder management skills.
• Analytical and problem‑solving abilities with close attention to detail.
• Proficiency with industry‑standard cost management tools and software.

Additional Information

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

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/

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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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.