Senior Cost Manager / Quantity Surveyor - Data Center Construction

Turner & Townsend • Indianapolis, IN

1d • Onsite

About The Position

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Manager to serve as the primary client contact for cost management services on a large-scale data center program near Indianapolis. The role focuses heavily on change management, cost control, and commercial governance within a dynamic, high-volume project environment. Success requires strong communication, client-facing skills, self-motivation, attention to detail, and experience managing complex change processes with multiple stakeholders. The position involves leading and directing the team, promoting the company's values and vision.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Cost Management, Engineering, or related field.
• Minimum 5–7 years of experience in cost management within the construction industry.
• Demonstrated experience with change management, change order negotiation, and cost control processes on complex projects.
• Experience leading cost management on medium to large construction projects of moderate to high complexity.
• Strong knowledge of commercial management, procurement routes, and value engineering practices.
• Proven ability to manage high volumes of change in fast-paced project environments.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.

Nice To Haves

• Experience working on data center, industrial, or large campus-style developments is preferred.
• Construction consultancy experience is strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage change management processes across the program, ensuring all changes are properly identified, evaluated, documented, and approved.
• Review, evaluate, and negotiate change orders throughout the construction lifecycle, ensuring commercial alignment and cost transparency.
• Maintain and manage change logs, contingency tracking, and commitment registers, providing clear visibility into cost impacts.
• Establish and enforce change control procedures and governance frameworks across multiple projects within the campus.
• Provide detailed cost analysis and recommendations to support client decision-making on change events.
• Support dispute avoidance and resolution through strong commercial oversight and documentation of changes.
• Provide cost planning and estimating, including producing and presenting final cost plans.
• Review and participate with the design team and general contractor in developing cost estimates.
• Reconcile changes and validate contractor cost data to ensure accuracy and completeness.
• Communicate with the general contractor and project team to gather updates and support cost reporting.
• Prepare written comments on contractor submissions, including executive summaries.
• Coordinate cost inputs from subcontractors, suppliers, and design teams.
• Inform and help drive construction priorities based on cost and change impact.
• Work proactively to resolve cost, scope, and scheduling conflicts.
• Manage cost checks and carry out valuations on complex projects.
• Lead post-contract cost variance analysis and ensure adherence to change control processes.
• Prepare funding updates and support value engineering sessions, particularly in response to change drivers.
• Develop cost plans through design and provide updates at key milestones.
• Review contractor pricing and support negotiations to ensure fair and commercially sound outcomes.
• Ensure cost auditing, validation, and reporting processes are consistently applied.
• Produce monthly cost reports with clear visibility into change activity, risks, and forecast impacts.
• Support final account closeout, ensuring all changes are fully agreed and reconciled.
• Maintain cost benchmarking data and program records to support future forecasting and decision-making.
• Mentor team members and promote best practices in change management and cost control.
• Manage financial tracking, forecasting, and reporting for commissions.
• Support internal systems, governance processes, and company delivery methodologies.
• SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

Benefits

• A great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.
• Support for success in work and life.
• Promotion of a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work-life balance.

What This Job Offers

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