Title: Assistant Cost Manager (Graduate)
Discipline: Cost Management
Location: Amsterdam (With Hybrid Working)
Why RLB?
At RLB, we live by four simple ideas: Truth, Trust, Together, Tomorrow. Four values that live at the heart of RLB. A place where People Make Progress.
RLB is a great place to start your career in the built environment. We’re proud of how we guide, mentor and support people from the earliest stages of their careers, laying the foundations for their future success.
RLB’s Future Professionals programme, our development scheme for graduates, is designed to cultivate the next generation of industry leaders. This comprehensive scheme spans two years for graduates, providing structured training support every step of the way, and the opportunity to work on a diverse range of projects.
Participants receive mentoring from chartered professionals and additional training focused on both soft and technical skills, ensuring they are well-equipped to achieve their career and chartership goals.
What makes RLB unique is our inclusive culture. As an independent, employee-owned business, teamwork and collaboration lies at the heart of everything we do. Hybrid and flexible working arrangements and family-friendly policies are just some of the ways we invest in employee wellbeing.
Join us and you will thrive personally as well as professionally.
Role Overview
What is a Cost Manager?
A Cost Manager plays a critical role in the successful delivery of construction and infrastructure projects. Acting as a trusted commercial adviser to clients, Cost Managers manage and control project costs across the full lifecycle, from early feasibility and cost planning through procurement, construction and final account. Working closely with clients, designers, contractors and wider project teams, they help ensure projects are delivered on time, within budget and to the highest quality standards.
This is a training position, ideal for a recent graduate or early-career professional who wants to build a career in the construction industry. Cost Management is a core discipline at the heart of RLB’s services. You’ll collaborate with our wider RLB Graduate Community across Europe and the UK, benefitting from our structured Graduate Development Programme, mentorship, and real-world project exposure.
You will work closely with experienced Cost Managers and project teams, gaining hands‑on exposure to best‑practice cost control, commercial management and reporting within mission‑critical projects.
Through a combination of on‑the‑job learning, formal training and mentoring, you will develop the technical, commercial and professional skills required to build a long‑term career in cost management at RLB.
Key Responsibilities
Cost Estimation & Budgeting
- Assist with preparing cost estimates and project budgets
- Support cost planning exercises to help projects remain within financial constraints
Procurement & Contract Management
- Learn about procurement strategies and contract administration
- Assist in the preparation of tender documents and evaluation of contractor bids
Financial Reporting & Risk Management
- Support the preparation of cost reports, identifying financial risks and opportunities
- Assist with tracking project expenditure to help ensure value for money
Client & Stakeholder Engagement
- Work closely with clients, contractors and internal teams to support cost-effective project delivery
- Develop communication and commercial skills to support informed decision-making
Qualifications
-
Degree qualified in Construction, Engineering or a related technical discipline
Behaviours
- Curious and enthusiastic, with a genuine interest in learning and developing within cost management
- Detail‑oriented and numerate, with a focus on accuracy and quality in all work
- Ability to manage workload, priorities, and deadlines effectively
- Comfortable asking questions and seeking feedback to build knowledge and confidence
- Collaborative team player who values shared learning and accountability
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills
- Team player with the confidence to contribute ideas
- No prior technical experience required – full training, mentoring, and support provided
Our culture is built around enabling you to fulfil your potential, so you can look forward to benefits that include:
- Hybrid Working - Working patterns to support your work-life balance.
- Well-Rewarded - A competitive salary and generous holiday entitlement. As well as the opportunity to purchase up to five extra days.
- Personal Development - A continuous learning and development programme, including established APC and in-house mentoring schemes.
- Social Responsibility - We hold team and social events as well as charity fundraising and volunteering activities.
We believe in building a diverse and inclusive environment where each person can be themselves, feel valued for their contribution and be challenged and supported to reach their full potential. We have a responsibility to support the communities in which we live and work, and that our workforce should reflect these communities and our clients. Our talent strategy should enable us to overcome bias in the construction industry by recruiting, retaining, developing, and promoting a diverse and inclusive workforce. Find out more here: Diversity & Inclusion - RLB | Europe
If you require any reasonable adjustments to support you during any stage of the application or interview process, please contact our recruitment team at:
[email protected]
With a network that covers the globe and a heritage spanning over two centuries, Rider Levett Bucknall is a leading independent organisation in cost management and quantity surveying, project management and advisory services.
Our achievements are renowned: from the early days of pioneering quantity surveying, to landmark projects such as the Sydney Opera House, HSBC Headquarters Building in Hong Kong, the 2012 London Olympic Games and CityCenter in Las Vegas.
We continue this successful legacy with our dedication to the value, quality and sustainability of the built environment. Our innovative thinking, global reach, and flawless execution push the boundaries. Taking ambitious projects from an idea to reality.
