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Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Workplace Projects

Turner & Townsend

Company websiteturnerandtownsend.com (Turner & Townsend, opens in new tab)

Base salary $140K  to $160K

Employer-published annual base salary, USD. Advertised base range in Palo Alto, CA

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  • LocationPalo Alto, CA
  • WorkplaceHybrid
  • Status at last checkSource accepting applications when checked
  • Last checked (1 h ago) · observed since

About this job

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 an experienced Senior Cost Manager and/or Quantity Surveyor to support a portfolio of workplace, commercial, and capital improvement projects across North America. This role is responsible for budgeting, forecasting, cost controls, change management, and financial reporting throughout the project lifecycle. The successful candidate will work closely with project teams, stakeholders, and external cost consultants to ensure accurate cost management and effective project delivery. Experience supporting tenant improvement, renovation, decommissioning, laboratory, infrastructure, or similar capital projects is preferred.

Responsibilities:

  • Estimating and negotiating change orders throughout the construction lifecycle.
  • Provide estimate and cost planning to include producing and presenting the final cost plan.
  • Review and participate with the design services team and general contractor in the development of cost estimates.
  • Reconcile changes and assist the general contractor to ensure that their data is accurate.
  • Communicate with project teams, consultants, contractors, and stakeholders to gather status information and prepare cost estimate updates.
  • Prepare written comments to contractor and consultant submissions, including executive summaries.
  • Coordinate all sources of cost information for cost discussions and decision-making.
  • Inform and drive project priorities based on cost impact.
  • Work proactively with minimal supervision to resolve project and cost management issues.
  • Manage cost checks and carry out valuations on larger projects. Complete timely, accurate cost checking and valuation processes.
  • Participate effectively with post-contract cost variances and change control processes.
  • Manage cost impact, contingency management, and commitment tracking logs.
  • Prepare funding data presentations and coordinate value engineering sessions with stakeholders.
  • Develop cost plans and estimates through the design phase, delivering updated cost plans at appropriate design milestones.
  • Provide commercial input to design optioneering and value engineering exercises.
  • Review contractor and subcontractor pricing and lead negotiations on behalf of the client to drive fair contract pricing.
  • Perform quantity surveying, cost controls, forecasting, budgeting, and change management activities throughout the project lifecycle.
  • Manage and oversee cost management activities across multiple concurrent construction projects.
  • Review, validate, and monitor project budgets, forecasts, commitments, and expenditures.
  • Coordinate with external cost consultants to ensure accurate and timely cost reporting, forecasting, and budget updates.
  • Support portfolio-level financial reporting and provide cost performance analysis to stakeholders and leadership.
  • Ensure that cost auditing and valuation work is managed effectively and that a robust process for cost validation is in place.
  • Carry out the production of monthly cost reports for presentation to the client.
  • Ensure that final accounts are negotiated and agreed upon in a timely manner.
  • Compile built cost estimate records for benchmarking purposes.
  • Identify, coach, and mentor talent to realize their potential and celebrate the success of others.
  • Display excellence in leadership and service delivery on commissions in line with the conditions of appointment.
  • Financial Management: Utilize internal software to track ongoing margin levels and monthly fee/resource forecasts for each commission and financial reports.
  • Implement and maintain the use of internal Business Management Systems and company delivery methodologies and tools to ensure consistent delivery of best practices.
  • Be a role model that drives a one-business culture that achieves great outcomes for people, clients, stakeholders, and society.
  • SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role and are to be adhered to where applicable.

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Cost Management, or a related field.
  • 7+ years of experience in construction cost management, quantity surveying, cost controls, or project controls.
  • Experience managing budgets, forecasts, change management, cost reporting, and financial controls across multiple projects or programs.
  • Experience leading cost management services on medium to large-scale construction projects.
  • Experience supporting workplace, tenant improvement, renovation, decommissioning, laboratory, infrastructure, or similar capital projects preferred.
  • Construction consultancy experience strongly preferred; RICS accreditation is a plus.
  • Strong knowledge of procurement, cost management, value engineering, and construction industry best practices.
  • Excellent communication, stakeholder management, analytical, and problem-solving skills.

Additional Information


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

The base salary range for this role is $140K-$160 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 www.heery.com/

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

Join our social media conversations for more information about Turner & Townsend and our exciting future projects: 

Twitter

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LinkedIn

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. 

Source: Turner & Townsend on SmartRecruiters · View original posting (opens in new tab)

Pay in context

This role's base floor ($140,000) is above 40% of the 3,562 Engineering (non-software) roles in California listed on this site; 121 others list the same floor. Their median floor is $147,000; the middle half runs from $125,000 to $173,000.

Only jobs on this site count, and each one publishes a base salary of $100,000 or more, so this compares six-figure jobs with each other, not with the whole market. Computed Nov 7, 2026.

This range next to 6 other live Turner & Townsend roles with the nearest advertised base floor
Chart as a table
This range next to 6 other live Turner & Townsend roles with the nearest advertised base floor
RolePublished base
Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Workplace Projects (this listing)$140K - $160K
Construction Program Manager - K-12 Projects$140K - $165K
Infrastructure Senior Project Manager$140K - $155K
Associate Director Scheduler Lead - Data Center Construction$140K - $1.2M
Senior Estimator - Life Sciences$140K - $170K
Senior Construction Project Manager – TI / Fit Out$140K - $170K
Senior Scheduler - Data Center Construction$140K - $200K

Same $100K to $400K scale as every card. All Turner & Townsend roles · How to read the bar

Observed changes

  1. First observed on the employer's board
  2. Began meeting the published-salary criteria
Observed since
Employer-stated posting date
2026-11-04
Where this pay comes from

Location as the employer wrote it: Palo Alto, California, United States

The base salary range for this role is $140K-$160 USD. This range reflects the company's good faith estimate

Method
Employer text, read with fixed rules and re-verified
Checked
Rule set
us-base-v2

The pay passage appears in the employer's own job text. Fixed, deterministic rules located it, and the passage below was checked against the stored copy of the posting.

What we verified

  • The pay figures come from the employer's own listing, quoted exactly above.
  • The pay is an annual base salary in US dollars with a minimum of at least $100,000.
  • The role was publicly listed on the employer's job board when last checked.

We do not verify what the employer will actually offer, whether the employer is still recruiting for the role, or anything beyond what the employer published. Full methodology.

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