Associate Director Cost Management - Construction Real Estate Projects

Job Description

Overview

Turner & Townsend is seeking an experienced and commercially driven Associate Director, Cost Management & Business Development to join our growing Latin America team.

The successful candidate will work across a diverse portfolio of projects, including but not limited to Offices, Retail, Hospitality, Mixed-Use Developments, Residential, Shopping Malls, Data Centers, Industrial, Manufacturing, Infrastructure, and Capital Projects.

This role serves as a senior leader within the Cost Management practice, acting as the primary client contact for the delivery of cost and commercial management services, including cost planning, estimating, cost control, procurement strategy, change management, contract administration, forecasting, reporting, and project closeout activities.

In addition to project delivery responsibilities, this position will play a key role in supporting Turner & Townsend's growth strategy across Latin America. The Associate Director will be responsible for developing and strengthening client relationships, identifying business opportunities, supporting market expansion initiatives, and contributing to revenue growth through both existing and new client accounts.

The ideal candidate will be a strategic thinker with strong commercial acumen, exceptional stakeholder management capabilities, and a proven ability to lead teams, deliver outstanding client outcomes, and drive business growth.

This position reports to the Cost Management Director and will have direct people management responsibilities for approximately 15-25 professionals across the region.

Key responsibilities

Cost & Commercial Management Leadership

• Advise clients at a strategic level from project inception through completion, providing cost and commercial advice to support informed decision-making and successful project outcomes.
• Develop and manage cost plans, estimates, budgets, bills of quantities, benchmarking studies, and value engineering exercises.
• Lead cost management services throughout the full project lifecycle, from feasibility studies and business case development through final account closeout.
• Prepare tender documentation, support procurement activities, evaluate bids, and prepare tender recommendation reports.
• Monitor project costs, forecasts, change management processes, risk registers, and commercial performance.
• Review contractor valuations, payment applications, claims, variations, and commercial submissions.
• Identify opportunities for cost optimization, risk mitigation, and value creation.
• Ensure delivery of projects to the highest quality standards, on schedule, and within budget expectations.
• Produce and review formal project reporting, executive summaries, dashboards, and client presentations.
• Lead client meetings and manage the flow of project information between project teams, consultants, contractors, and stakeholders.
• Support the development and implementation of regional cost management standards, methodologies, and best practices.

Client Relationship Management

• Serve as a trusted advisor and executive-level point of contact for key regional and global clients.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with developers, investors, corporations, operators, contractors, and industry stakeholders.
• Understand client business objectives and proactively identify opportunities where Turner & Townsend can provide additional value.
• Lead strategic client discussions and position Turner & Townsend as a long-term partner.
• Ensure consistently high levels of client satisfaction and service excellence.
• Support client retention initiatives through proactive engagement and relationship management.
• Manage key accounts and contribute to account growth strategies across Latin America.

Business Development & Market Growth

• Support Turner & Townsend's business growth objectives by identifying and pursuing opportunities with both existing and prospective clients.
• Develop and execute account growth plans aligned with regional business priorities.
• Proactively identify market opportunities within Real Estate, Data Centers, Industrial, Manufacturing, Infrastructure, Energy, and Capital Projects sectors.
• Build and maintain a pipeline of potential clients, projects, and strategic opportunities.
• Lead and contribute to proposal development, RFP responses, commercial negotiations, and client presentations.
• Collaborate with regional and global leadership teams on strategic pursuits and market expansion initiatives.
• Drive cross-selling and upselling opportunities across Turner & Townsend service lines.
• Represent Turner & Townsend at industry conferences, networking events, client forums, and business development activities.
• Develop and maintain a strong understanding of market trends, competitor activities, investment pipelines, and emerging opportunities across LATAM.
• Contribute to revenue growth, sales targets, and business planning objectives.
• Support the development of thought leadership initiatives and market positioning strategies within the region.

Leadership & People Management

• Lead, develop, mentor, and inspire a high-performing Cost Management team.
• Foster a collaborative, inclusive, and high-performance culture across the business.
• Support career development, succession planning, and talent growth initiatives.
• Effectively manage team workload, resource allocation, and utilization.
• Drive accountability, quality standards, and operational excellence.
• Conduct performance reviews and provide coaching to team members.
• Promote continuous improvement and knowledge sharing across teams and regions.
• Ensure appropriate staffing and resource management to support project delivery and business growth.

Financial & Operational Management

• Monitor project profitability, fee performance, resource forecasts, and financial KPIs.
• Support business planning, budgeting, and forecasting activities.
• Ensure accurate project governance, reporting, and compliance with company procedures.
• Track commercial performance across commissions and identify opportunities for improved efficiency and profitability.
• Drive operational excellence across project delivery and client management activities.
• Ensure compliance with Turner & Townsend governance requirements and applicable SOX controls where relevant.

Qualifications

• Degree in Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Architecture, Construction Management, or a related construction discipline.
• Master's Degree in Cost Management, Construction Management, Business Administration, Project Management, or equivalent combination of education and experience preferred.
• Fluent English and Spanish, both written and spoken.
• Portuguese language skills are considered a strong advantage.
• Professional membership with RICS, AACE, PMI, or other relevant professional institutions is highly desirable.

Skills

• Advanced knowledge of Cost Management and Commercial Management principles.
• Strong business development and client acquisition capabilities.
• Strategic account management experience.
• Excellent stakeholder and relationship-building skills.
• Strong negotiation and influencing abilities.
• Commercial awareness and financial acumen.
• Professional knowledge of cost estimation tools such as CostX or similar platforms.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills, particularly Excel, PowerPoint, and Power BI.
• Strong presentation and executive communication skills.
• Ability to identify and convert business opportunities into sustainable revenue growth.
• Strategic thinker with strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Results-oriented and client-focused.
• Highly motivated and self-directed.
• Resilient, adaptable, and effective in fast-paced environments.
• Strong leadership, coaching, and people management capabilities.

Experience

The successful candidate will have demonstrated success leading both project delivery and commercial growth initiatives within a consultancy environment.

Required

• 10+ years of professional experience in Cost Management, Commercial Management, Quantity Surveying, or related disciplines.
• Experience working within the Latin American construction and real estate markets.
• Proven experience leading medium to large-scale construction projects with medium to high complexity.
• Strong background delivering consultancy services across sectors served by Turner & Townsend.
• Experience across the full project lifecycle, including feasibility, budgeting, procurement, contract management, construction delivery, and project closeout.
• Experience developing cost management procedures, frameworks, and delivery strategies.
• Strong knowledge of procurement routes, value engineering, value management, risk management, and commercial management.
• Demonstrated people management experience leading multidisciplinary teams.

Preferred

• Proven track record of generating new business opportunities and expanding existing client relationships.
• Experience leading strategic accounts and client growth initiatives.
• Participation in major proposals, competitive pursuits, and contract negotiations.
• Established network within the LATAM construction, real estate, industrial, infrastructure, energy, or data center markets.
• Experience supporting revenue forecasting, business planning, and regional growth strategies.
• Experience working with multinational organizations, institutional investors, developers, hyperscalers, and major corporate clients.

Additional Information

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.

Turner & Townsend does not accept any speculative or unsolicited CV’s that have been sent to our internal recruitment team or hiring managers from agencies outside of our preferred supplier list or that have not followed due process. Any speculative or unsolicited CV’s will be treated as a direct application.

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Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com/

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. 

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

Twitter

Instagram

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.