Your Mission
As a Senior Estimator, you will play a key role in the development and delivery of high-quality, accurate, and competitive cost estimates for civil engineering and rail projects. You’ll collaborate closely with bid and project teams, providing commercial and technical input to support successful project outcomes and business growth.Your responsibilities will include:
- Coordinating with bid teams, colleagues across the estimating department, and the wider Pre-Construction team to ensure effective collaboration and timely delivery of estimates.
- Providing direction and leadership to estimating administrative staff, fostering a culture of accuracy, efficiency, and innovation.
- Managing and delivering cost estimates at various stages of scheme development — from early feasibility through to detailed target pricing — often under challenging timescales.
- Contributing to optioneering and feasibility assessments, developing value engineering proposals, and collaborating with bid and project teams to refine proposals and costs to final submission.
- Liaising effectively with clients, designers, consultants, and quantity surveyors to ensure full alignment of scope, design, and cost.
- Organising and administering tender documents, including correspondence, enquiries, and quotations.
- Challenging assumptions and contributing to all aspects of bid preparation and submission, ensuring that solutions are safe, efficient, and cost-effective.
- Gathering and sharing benchmarking data and lessons learned to support continuous improvement and innovation in estimating techniques.
- Preparing cost estimates from first principles using proprietary estimating software.
- Organising and actively participating in bid preparation and review meetings, contributing to commercial and technical discussions.
- Preparing tender summaries, risk and opportunity registers, and other supporting documentation for bid submissions.
- Communicating clear and accurate estimate information during bid reviews and ensuring a smooth handover to project delivery teams.
- Ensuring full compliance with company estimating and governance procedures at all stages.
Who Are We Looking For?Essential:
- Degree, HND, or NVQ equivalent qualification in Civil Engineering (or related discipline).
- Substantial civil engineering experience, ideally including rail or infrastructure projects.
- Proven estimating experience within civil or rail engineering bids.
- Broad understanding of construction methods, production rates, and outputs across multiple disciplines.
- Demonstrable understanding of common forms of contract (e.g., NEC, ICE).
- Strong leadership and management skills, with experience of leading and mentoring teams to meet tight deadlines.
- Excellent analytical, numerical, and communication skills.
Desirable:
- Experience using estimating software such as Candy or equivalent.
- Familiarity with digital estimating tools and BIM integration.
- Member of, or working toward, a relevant professional institution (e.g., ICE, RICS, ACostE).
What’s in It for You?
- Competitive salary
- A wide range of family-friendly policies
- Company car / car allowance / travel allowance
- 8% matched pension contributions
- Private healthcare
- Life assurance
- 26 days holiday
- 2 wellbeing days
- 1 volunteering day
- Opportunities for personal and professional development through structured learning, mentorship, and progression pathways
