Title: Senior Cost Planner
Sydney, NSW, AU, 2009
About John Holland
At John Holland, our purpose is simple – we transform lives with everything we do.
We’ve always known that infrastructure is about people — our customers, our employees, and the communities in which we work every day.
That’s our difference. Deep experience and capability with genuine care about creating better lives for people along the way.
Be part of the team that’s up for the challenge of transforming lives for good.
About the role
Join John Holland’s Building NSW team and play a key role in delivering complex, high-profile building projects across the state. From major health and commercial developments to large-scale civic infrastructure, our work is shaping communities and leaving a lasting legacy.
As Senior Cost Planner, you’ll be a key leader within the cost planning function, partnering closely with Delivery, Design, Commercial and the broader Cost Planning & Estimating team.
You will provide high-quality cost advice, validate design development against budget and support commercial decision-making, while helping drive a “design to cost” mindset across the project lifecycle.
Key responsibilities
- Lead validation of design development against budget across delivery packages
- Develop, maintain and manage cost plans through each design stage and governance gate
- Oversee quantity take-offs from 3D models and 2D drawings, ensuring accuracy and consistency
- Provide strategic cost advice on design development, value engineering and scope changes
- Identify, analyse and report cost movements, risks and escalation trends
- Establish and maintain robust WBS / cost coding structures aligned to benchmarking frameworks
- Build strong relationships across Design, Digital Engineering, Commercial and Delivery teams
- Lead supplier engagement and support pricing validation and adjudication processes
- Prepare and review escalation schedules, cashflows and reporting outputs
- Provide peer review of cost plans and support governance and assurance requirements
- Support Project Managers on commercial matters including variation assessments and cost changes
- Drive as-built cost capture and contribute to benchmarking and continuous improvement
- Provide feasibility cost plans and lead option analysis to support decision-making
About you
- Demonstrated experience in a senior cost planning or estimating role on major building projects
- Strong technical capability in building cost plans from models and drawings
- Proven ability to lead cost planning activities and influence project outcomes
- Advanced understanding of market conditions, procurement strategies and escalation drivers
- Confidence engaging and influencing senior stakeholders across design and delivery teams
- Strong attention to detail, commercial acumen and a proactive, solutions-focused approach
Systems experience (beneficial): CostX, Candy or similar estimating platforms, with disciplined use of standard methods of measurement and coding practices.
What's in it for you when you join John Holland?
We’re about connecting your sense of purpose to ours. We understand that your career is one of the biggest ways to have an impact on the world. We also believe in supporting you as a whole person, not just an employee.
We reward and support our people in many ways. This starts with being flexible about how different people like to work. From generous leave policies to wellbeing and relationship support, your needs sit at the heart of our employee benefits.
We offer:
- Competitive remuneration with salary continuance, and salary sacrifice options.
- Great leave benefits, including 18 weeks’ paid parental leave with super and up to an extra 18 weeks of super paid on further periods of unpaid parental leave, multicultural leave exchange, and two extra days to prioritise your wellbeing.
- Career progression opportunities across an exciting pipeline of work shaping cities and communities.
- Learning and development programs, including technical development, leadership pathways, and emerging talent programs.
- A strong commitment to inclusion, diversity, and equity supported by business-wide strategies and employee resource groups.
- Flexible working arrangements — flexi-hours, flexi-parenting, flexi-leave, flexi-shifts, and flexi-work options.
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Engineer, Procurement, Engineering, Operations