The role

The opportunity has arisen for a Senior Cost Manager to join our growing Cost Management team at BNP Paribas Real Estate UK located in our Birmingham Office. 

The Cost Management Team forms part of the wider national Building Consultancy department which provides a range of professional services to Occupier, Investor and Developer clients, as well as supporting internal service lines. 

This role offers an exciting opportunity for a well-rounded professional with strong cost management foundations and demonstrable experience in Project Management and/or Employer’s Agent roles. The successful candidate will play a key role in delivering integrated commercial and project delivery services, ensuring schemes are successfully delivered from inception through to completion.

You will contribute to the continued growth of the Cost Management service line while gaining exposure across sectors including commercial, industrial, student accommodation and residential, on projects up to £20m in value with increasing responsibility and client-facing delivery.

The ideal candidate will be an experienced Cost Manager or Senior Cost Manager with a consultancy or client-side background looking to further develop their career in a multi-disciplinary environment with a blended Cost Management, Project Management and Employer’s Agent offering.

Reporting to a Director, this role will involve a high level of client contact and the opportunity to build strong networks. The role requires the candidate to be self-motivated and responsible for managing their own workload and confident operating within multi-disciplinary teams delivering integrated services to clients.

Roles and responsibilities

The Cost Management team delivers a broad range of services across diverse projects. We are seeking an individual keen to broaden their skillset across cost, programme and contract management disciplines.

Key responsibilities will include:

•    Taking and being responsible for instructions and client briefings, and delivering projects from inception through to completion, reporting to a Director;

•    Leading and contributing to feasibility studies, development appraisals and option analysis

•    Preparation of feasibility cost estimates and detailed cost plans through the RIBA Workstage’s

•    Applying practical knowledge and providing advice on construction procurement approaches, including tendering and contract strategies.

•    Provide reasoned advice on contractual matters and legislation impacting on building contracts

•    Delivering Project Management duties, including programme management, risk management, and stakeholder coordination

•    Chairing project meetings and managing communication between clients, consultants and contractors

•    Monitoring project progress against programme, cost and quality objective to ensure successful delivery.

•    Managing and administering tender processes

•    Preparation of Tender and Contract Documents

•    Acting as Employer’s Agent and  Contract Administration duties including payment, cost reporting, valuation of variations and settlement of final accounts.

•    Undertaking reinstatement cost assessments

•    Undertaking data collection to support benchmarking and knowledge management

•    Delivery of construction cost peer assessment reviews

•    Providing cost and commercial advice to internal disciplines and departments

In addition to technical delivery, the role will involve supporting business development activities. The candidate will have the opportunity to develop client relationships at a senior level and contribute to bids, pitches and service line growth to build and maintain new business opportunities.

The candidate will be required to: 

•    Demonstrate a strong understanding of related disciplines beyond cost management, particular project delivery

•    Work within clearly defined, well established processes

•    Proactively solve problems and find solutions, consulting with more experienced colleagues on more difficult or unfamiliar situations;

•    Be structured, organised and diligent;

•    Demonstrate a broad knowledge of principles and practices of related disciplines;

•    Work to and comply with BNPPRE’s quality management processes and procedures.

The candidate should be able to demonstrate the following skills and competencies:

•    Strong pre and post contract cost management experience

•    Demonstrable experience acting as Employer’s Agent and/or Project Manager

•    Practical experience of cost estimating and planning

•    Sound understanding of construction procurement strategies

•    Ability to administer construction contracts acting as Cost Manager, Contract Administrator and/or Employer’s Agent.

•    Excellent problem, negotiating, finance and numeracy management skills

•    Clear and effective communication skills 

•    Good report writing skills

•    Good level of proficiency in Microsoft Office suite skills

•    Ability to engage and communicate effectively with clients, consultants and contractors alike

•    Confident in using specialist software such as CostX.

•    Specific sector knowledge not essential but our main areas of work are Commercial, Office Fit Out, Industrial and Residential

•    Experience of providing project monitoring services preferred but not essential

The candidate should possess strong inter-personal skills, be sociable and be prepared to proactively work within a busy, friendly and highly professional team. They will be required to support and work with colleagues at all levels, possess strong IT, time management and communication skills, be accurate in their work and have an eye for detail. 

QUALIFICATIONS

•    Accredited Degree in Quantity Surveying 

•    Ideally MRICS or similar 

The candidate should possess a full, clean driving licence

What You Can Expect From Us:

You will be joining a friendly, entrepreneurial and inclusive culture. We are driven by our core values and aim to embody them in all we do.  We aspire to be refreshingly different and achieve this through using our unique perspectives, capabilities and expertise. We are bravely ambitious by going beyond what is required of us, and we are successful together; trusting one another and working collaboratively to achieve great results. 

We recognise our employees are our most valuable asset, and our benefits scheme, employee engagement opportunities and Learning & Development offerings are our commitment to you and your career with us. We offer personal support, a competitive salary and a fantastic benefits package. If you chose to join BNP Paribas or one of our subsidiaries, we will develop your strengths and fulfil your career ambitions. 

BNP Paribas Real Estate, together with its subsidiaries and affiliates, is a leading European real estate adviser with more than 5,400 experts across 36 countries. We take our responsibility to protect the personal information provided to us seriously. The personal information we collect are for the purposes of processing in connection with the company’s recruitment procedure. We will keep your personal information secure with appropriate level of security and keep for as long as we need it for legitimate business or legal reasons. We will then delete it safely and securely.

For more information about how we processes your personal data, please view our Candidate Privacy Statement. 

BNP Paribas Real Estate is proud to be an inclusive employer, as recognised by our RICS Inclusive Employer status and the Stonewall Equality Index.