Associate Director - Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Data Center Construction

Turner & Townsend • Arlington, VA

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Turner & Townsend are seeking a SME Associate Director – Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor to lead cost management services for a key portfolio of large-scale data center construction projects across Northern Virginia. This individual will be responsible for managing client relationships, leading internal teams, and ensuring the successful delivery of cost management services across multiple active programs. The role is client-facing and based out of our Tysons, VA office, supporting projects across the region’s primary data center corridors, including Loudoun County, Prince William County, Stafford County, and Fairfax County. The ideal candidate is a strong leader with excellent communication skills, capable of driving both project outcomes and team performance in a fast-paced, client-facing environment.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Engineering, or related field.
• A minimum 8+ years of experience in cost management within large-scale construction.
• Proven experience leading teams and managing complex, multi-project programs.
• Strong commercial acumen, contract knowledge, and cost control expertise.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and leadership skills.

Nice To Haves

• Graduate degree preferred.
• Experience in data center or mission-critical construction strongly preferred.
• Consultancy experience highly preferred.
• SME in Quantity Surveying with RICS certification or equivalent strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Strong leadership experience managing cost management teams and ensuring delivery across all accountabilities.
• Lead interface with clients, stakeholders, and consultants across all project stages.
• Maintain clear and professional communication with clients and project teams.
• Perform quantity surveying, cost control, and change management throughout the project lifecycle.
• Coordinate with contractors, owners, and stakeholders, ensuring alignment within the overall construction process.
• Support strategic and operational delivery of Cost Management and Project Controls services across large-scale programs.
• Act as the primary contact for reporting overall commercial and cost status of projects.
• Drive consistent application of best practices across all phases of delivery.
• Identify and implement improvements to cost management processes and tools.
• Conduct staff performance reviews and set clear team direction and strategy.
• Mentor and develop team members, fostering growth and high performance.
• Ensure excellence in service delivery aligned with commercial and contractual obligations.
• Track financial performance, including margins, forecasting, and resource planning.
• Develop risk mitigation strategies and monitor performance using KPIs and internal controls.
• Implement and maintain internal business systems and delivery methodologies.
• Lead internal and external audit processes related to quality and compliance.
• Develop market insight and contribute to business development and pipeline growth.
• Advise on procurement strategies, contracting approaches, and capital planning.
• Build strong relationships with clients and cross-functional teams.
• Provide leadership updates including project status, staffing, and risk mitigation plans.
• Identify and support business generation and cross-selling opportunities.
• Contribute to proposals and RFP responses for new work.
• Ensure knowledge capture and benchmarking across projects.
• Represent the business at industry and networking events.
• Promote a culture aligned with company values, delivering positive outcomes for clients and stakeholders.

Benefits

• A great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.
• Support for work-life balance.
• Healthy, productive and flexible working environment.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Manager