Senior Cost Manager at Arcadis in Edinburgh, Scotland, GB

Arcadis is the world's leading company delivering sustainable design, engineering, and consultancy solutions for natural and built assets.

We are more than 34,000 people, in over 30 countries, dedicated to improving quality of life. Everyone has an important role to play. With the power of many curious minds, together we can solve the world’s most complex challenges and deliver more impact together.

Role Description

We’re growing our Health, Life Science & Research Cost Management team and are looking for a talented Senior Cost Manager to join us in Edinburgh.

This is an exciting opportunity to play a key role in delivering some of the most innovative and complex projects in the science, research, and healthcare sectors. From cutting-edge laboratories and research facilities to major healthcare developments, you’ll help shape environments that support discovery, innovation, and better outcomes for communities.

As a trusted commercial advisor, you’ll bring expertise in cost management, strategic planning, estimating, and budgeting to deliver exceptional value for our clients. You’ll develop robust cost plans, undertake feasibility assessments, benchmark costs, and provide procurement support, ensuring informed decision-making at every stage of the project lifecycle.

Working across the UK and Europe, with a current focus on London, Oxford, and Cambridge, you’ll collaborate with multidisciplinary teams from early-stage design through to project delivery. You’ll influence project outcomes, build strong client relationships, and support the development of junior colleagues, helping to create successful, sustainable projects that are delivered on time and within budget.

Role Accountabilities

• Lead the delivery of quantity surveying and commercial cost management services for clients across the health, life sciences, research, and related sectors.
• Develop detailed cost estimates, feasibility assessments, benchmark analyses, and comprehensive cost plans to support successful project delivery.
• Drive procurement activities, evaluate tenders, negotiate contractor proposals, and manage contract changes and variations.
• Provide proactive cost control throughout construction and handover, advising clients on value engineering and whole-life costing opportunities.
• Build strong relationships across design, engineering, and project delivery teams, while mentoring and supporting the development of junior colleagues.

Qualifications & Experience

• MRICS-qualified Quantity Surveyor, an equivalent professional qualification, or substantial relevant commercial experience.
• Proven experience delivering medium to large-scale construction projects; experience in research, life sciences, or healthcare environments would be advantageous.
• Strong cost estimating expertise, with a solid understanding of industry rates, benchmarking methodologies, and cost databases.
• Demonstrated success managing projects from concept through to completion while developing trusted client relationships.
• Experience using digital cost management platforms such as CostX and 5D BIM, together with a willingness to embrace new technologies and ways of working.

Ready to Apply?

If you're looking for an opportunity to work on projects that make a lasting impact on science, research, and healthcare, we'd love to hear from you. Join our team and help deliver the facilities and infrastructure that will support the innovations of tomorrow.

Why Arcadis?

We can only achieve our goals when everyone is empowered to be their best. We believe everyone's contribution matters. It’s why we are pioneering a skills-based approach, where you can harness your unique experience and expertise to carve your career path and maximize the impact we can make together.

You’ll do meaningful work, and no matter what role, you’ll be helping to deliver sustainable solutions for a more prosperous planet. Make your mark, on your career, your colleagues, your clients, your life and the world around you.

Together, we can create a lasting legacy. Join Arcadis. Create a Legacy.

Our Commitment to Equality, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging

We want you to be able to bring your best self to work every day which is why we take equality and inclusion seriously and hold ourselves to account for our actions. Our ambition is to be an employer of choice and provide a great place to work for all our people. We believe that by working together diverse people with different experiences develop the most innovative ideas. Equality, diversity and inclusion is at the heart of how we improve quality of life and we work closely with our people across six ED&I Workstreams: Age, Disability, Faith, Gender, LGBT+ and Race. A diverse and skilled workforce is essential to our success.

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