Senior Cost Manager

A global construction services consultancy is seeking to appoint an ambitious and energetic Senior Cost Manager to play a pivotal role in the Tokyo office.

Project Details

Main purpose and scope of role: 

• To perform the role of the Commission Manager, taking responsibility for end to end service delivery, often with respect to large or complex commissions.
• To act as the key, day to day client interface, ensuring that client objectives are met through the delivery of a value added cost management service.
• Senior Cost Managers handle commissions of varying sizes, depending upon the complexity of the project, etc. For example a Senior Cost Manager might be the Commission Manager for a $20m construction project or have responsibilities for a $70m package of a much larger overall contract.

Responsibilities and Duties

Likely to report to an Associate Director or Director.

Commission Management, to include:

• Conducting feasibility studies and writing procurement reports
• Applying Value Management techniques at the outset of a project
• Managing estimating and cost planning activities to include taking ownership of and presenting the final cost plan
• Managing the procurement process, ensuring that all stages including pre-qualification, enquiry, analysis, selection and contract preparation are performed effectively
• Ensuring that post-contract cost variances and change control processes are managed effectively
• Ensuring that cost checking and valuation work is managed effectively
• Ensuring the production of monthly post-contract cost reports and presenting them to the client
• Value engineering and contingency management
• Ensuring that final accounts are negotiated and agreed
• Taking a lead role in interfacing with the client and other consultants, at all project stages
• Where appropriate, leading a cost management team, ensuring that they deliver on all of the above accountabilities

Marketing and business development, to include:

• Taking responsibility for developing new business opportunities with existing and new clients
• Identifying and acting upon cross-selling opportunities
• Working with Associate Directors and Directors to construct bids for new work
• Attending marketing events and Client interviews
• Identifying and acting upon opportunities to improve cost management procedures, templates and products and hence improve the service provided to clients

Internal management accountabilities, to include:

• Staff management (where appropriate) – Inputting into the formal management of Cost Managers or small cost management team, to include 1st round recruitment interviews, input into resource management and attendance at junior staff appraisals
• Knowledge management – Ensuring that key information and learning generated from each commission is input into the internal database
• Financial management – Utilising financial management system in order to keep track of the ongoing margin levels and monthly fee/resource forecasts for each commission
• Process improvement – Identifying and acting upon ways to improve internal systems and processes reporting

Desired Skills and Experience

• Bi-lingual – very good command / proficient in spoken and written Japanese and English
• >2 year’s Post-MRICS experience
• A breadth of knowledge across all aspects of cost management and excellent technical knowledge in a number of specific areas
• Experience of acting as Commission Manager on medium to large scale projects and/or those with a high level of complexity
• Excellent knowledge of all methods of procurement including traditional, design and build, PPP, consortia, etc.
• Experience of advising clients on Value Management/Engineering and contingency management
• Experience of managing the financial management aspects of a commission, for example margin
  management and resource planning
• Management experience, both in the context of managing a team delivering a commission and general line management
• Business development experience, including developing business with existing and new clients and cross-selling
• Good knowledge and experience gained within a specific sector, for example hi-tech, manufacturing, health, retail, leisure and hospitality, education, infrastructure, or commercial sectors
• Creative Thinking
• Passion, Drive and Decisiveness
• Working Together
• Customer Focus
• Delivering High Performance
• Commerciality 
• Communicating and Influencing

Qualifications/Educational Requirements

• A recognized university degree

Employing Company Overview and Profile

The company is a global professional services organisation that provides consultancy, delivery, operations and programme management services to organisations that invest in, own and operate assets. To deliver consistently excellent advice to their clients, they mobilise expert, flexible and entrepreneurial people who are at the very top of their profession and are inspired to deliver to make the difference. They provide world-class learning and development and knowledge management to everyone across the business, at every stage of their career. Great companies are built on a foundation of culture and values.