Cost & Value Engineering Manager

Job Overview:



Provide independent cost analysis, benchmarking, and value engineering challenge across the project portfolio. Maintain the corporate price database, prepare independent should-cost views, validate budgets and forecasts, and support tender evaluation. Operate as a fact-based, data-driven challenger of project budgets without owning project execution decisions.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Cost Benchmarking & Price Database

• Maintain and continuously update the corporate price database (unit rates, cost per m², asset-class benchmarks).
• Benchmark project cost positions against internal comparables across the portfolio.
• Capture and feed lessons learned from completed projects into the database.

2. Budget & Forecast Challenge

• Prepare independent should-cost views.
• Validate detailed cost plans against the price database and approved budgets.
• Challenge cost-to-complete forecasts on active projects and identify variances and root causes.
• Provide independent cost view at stage-gates (Brief, Concept, Detailed Design, Construction).

3. Value Engineering & Design Cost Review

• Participate in value engineering sessions, providing options and quantified cost impacts as input, not as decision owner.
• Challenge conceptual and detailed designs in terms of cost, quality, serviceability, and schedule impact.
• Assess change impacts and variations on cost and overall project budget.

4. Tender Support

• Prepare independent pre-tender estimates by package.
• Challenge significant deviations (abnormally high or low bids); reconcile awarded values vs budget.

Technical:

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering.
• 10+ years of experience in cost management, quantity surveying, or cost engineering on real estate projects.
• Strong knowledge of cost planning, BOQ preparation, should-cost analysis, and tender evaluation.
• Hands-on experience with cost benchmarking and unit-rate database management.
• Proficiency in cost management tools (advanced Excel mandatory; ERP systems such as COINS or similar).
• Solid understanding of design documents, construction methods, and value engineering practices.
• Experience in high-end, international, or mixed-use real estate projects preferred.

Leadership & Mindset:

• Data-driven, analytical, fact-based approach.
• Ability to challenge constructively without owning project decisions.
• Clear written and verbal communication, especially for senior stakeholders.
• High attention to detail and consistency.
• Continuous improvement mindset.