Associate Director, Estimating

Job Description

Turner & Townsend is seeking an Associate Director of MEP Estimating to oversee the benchmarking and estimating of life science real estate construction projects.

The role requires a breadth of experience and in-depth knowledge of standard concepts within cost control and cost estimating with a keen focus on data analysis and benchmarking, preferably in the construction field. The ideal candidate is an analytical, data‑driven problem solver with the ability to build consultative and collaborative partnerships necessary to help define and implement project controls procedures related to real estate construction projects throughout the US.

• Develop a thorough understanding of client requirements by partnering with client’s leadership, project teams and other stakeholders to establish key requirements and define strategy and goals for a standardized WBS. This will include fleshing out WBS requirements necessary for appropriate cost control, change management, benchmarking, and cost and schedule alignment.
• Lead the development and implementation of standardized estimating processes across the program. This will include establishing budget guidelines and estimate requirements for each stage of the project lifecycle and participating in cost estimate stage‑gate reviews.
• Drive the WBS and baseline establishment on new projects at the earliest design phases (pre‑conceptual or earlier) to ensure compliance with the program controls and KPI strategy.
• Liaise with project teams to ensure each project’s change management and schedule management is aligned with the standardized WBS and estimating processes.
• Liaise with project teams to conduct ongoing cost analysis for in‑flight projects to refine benchmarking and improve forecasting. This will include data mining, data cleansing and validation, variance analysis, and data visualization.
• Review detailed construction estimates from contractors at various stages of the design maturity and provide recommendations to leadership.
• Assist in the development of high level conceptual ROM estimates (prior to contractor engagement) to support early property development planning efforts.
• Lead resource management for cost estimating requirements across the program.
• Lead training for project teams on cost estimating processes, tools and techniques.
• Develop and maintain a library of templates, best practice standards and procedures for all estimating activities for the project teams. Maintain the program benchmarking database and all project coding structures (including the standardized WBS dictionary).
• Support leadership with ad‑hoc cost performance studies, labor rate assessments, market analysis, and other estimating/project controls related functions as directed by the project controls leadership.

• 10 years of experience working in cost estimating in the commercial real estate construction industry.
• Undergraduate or graduate degree in engineering, construction, or a quantitative field.
• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Microsoft Excel.
• Experience working with a variety of cost estimating tools.
• Working knowledge of Tableau or other BI tools is preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, especially in regards to reports and presentations.
• Team player with demonstrated professional and interpersonal skills interfacing with all levels of the organization, clients and vendors.
• Detail‑oriented and action‑oriented with excellent organization skills and demonstrated ability to multitask.
• Ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines and quickly pivot in response to evolving priorities.

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…