Pre-Lease Senior Cost Manager – Data Center Construction

Turner & Townsend • Wide Ruins, AZ

2h

About The Position

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Pre-Lease Senior Cost Manager to provide an independent cost view on data center deals from intake through lease execution. The role validates budgets, challenges developer estimates with an independently prepared view, reviews Cost Reimbursement Agreement (CRA) exhibits and expenses where applicable, and hands a clear cost position to the delivery team at lease. The client makes deal decisions; the Pre-Lease Cost Manager ensures those decisions are informed.

The position covers pre-lease cost management for data center and mission-critical construction, including rough order of magnitude and dollars-per-megawatt budgeting, CRA and Expense Item Request review, developer budget review, benchmarking, lease cost-position confirmation, and weekly CRA reporting. The role works alongside Pre-Lease Senior Program Managers and shares approximately six pre-lease deals (about 5.5 at full weight). It operates within a defined pre-lease scope boundary: coordinate, validate and synthesize cost information, without negotiating deal terms, reviewing legal language, giving legal or commercial advice, or making deal decisions. SOX control responsibilities may apply.

The position is based at a regional hub in Northern Virginia, Dallas, San Francisco or Canada, with visits to developer sites as needed. On-site presence and requirements may change depending on client needs.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, cost management, quantity surveying, engineering or a field related to construction.
• Minimum 5–7 years of relevant experience in a cost management role in the construction industry.
• Experience leading cost management on medium- or large-sized construction projects of medium to high complexity.
• Good knowledge of construction industry technical matters, including procurement routes, value management and value engineering.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Data center and mission-critical construction cost management experience, on the owner side or in consultancy.
• Advanced Excel skills; experience with Power BI or equivalent, cost management and forecasting tools, and developer budget and cost-report formats.

Nice To Haves

• RICS accreditation or working toward it.
• RICS, AACE or equivalent certification.
• Construction consultancy experience.

Responsibilities

• Prepare a high-level dollars-per-megawatt budget and rough order of magnitude before receiving the developer’s numbers, and use it to test each developer estimate.
• Attend deal calls, take notes, and communicate the context behind cost reviews to the Pre-Lease Senior Program Manager.
• Set up and validate CRA exhibits where applicable, pre-approve Expense Item Requests, and review CRA and EIR claims against supporting documentation before expenses are charged, within three business days.
• Review each iteration of the developer’s preliminary budget and owner-furnished versus lease-scope split, and conduct two to three budget challenge rounds or workshops with the developer’s cost team.
• Issue the cost narrative covering caps, cash flow and termination exposure, and contribute cost grades and entries to the Risk Exposure Log within 24 hours.
• Bound build cost and confirm the cost position at lease, including the budget, CRA position and open items; hand the position to Delivery and carry it into the owner’s cost report after lease.
• Review the general contractor procurement and delivery model as design develops, flag ROM-to-GMP drift early, and maintain a cash-flow look-ahead.
• Develop inputs for the portfolio cost forecast model and hand over the cost position and open items with the delivery team at the handover meeting.
• Report CRA status weekly and provide an auditable backup pack to the client’s finance team on request.
• Tag each deal to the WBS Level 3 benchmark and dollars-per-critical-megawatt entry, and own global cost benchmarking across the portfolio.
• Maintain program-wide cost templates and the one-record standard; perform QA/QC and cover a colleague’s deals.
• Manage approximately six pre-lease deals alongside the Pre-Lease Senior Program Managers.
• Review CRA exhibits for cost, scope and exposure, not legal language.
• Coordinate, validate and synthesize cost information within the pre-lease scope boundary; do not negotiate LOI, CRA or lease terms, review legal language, provide legal or commercial advice, or make deal decisions.
• Adhere to applicable SOX control responsibilities.

Benefits

• A flexible working environment that supports work-life balance.
• An inclusive workplace that provides employees the opportunity and voice to affect change.

What This Job Offers

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