Senior Quantity Surveyor - Cost Consultancy

AECOM Middle East Ltd; Dubai; On-site; AED 290,160 - 401,760; Full time

Job summary

AECOM is seeking a Senior Quantity Surveyor in Dubai to lead cost management across luxury residential, commercial and hospitality projects. You will handle pre‑ and post‑contract activities, prepare estimates, cost plans, and bills of quantities, and review tenders and final accounts.

Ideal candidates have MRICS, 8–10 years' experience, and deep knowledge of contracts, payments, variations, and risk management in the Middle East.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Construction Management or related discipline.
• MRICS qualification or membership is required.
• 8–10 years post‑graduate quantity surveying or cost consultancy experience.
• 4–5 years of Middle East experience is preferred.
• Strong experience in pre‑ and post‑contract cost management.

Responsibilities

• Lead pre‑contract and post‑contract cost consultancy across a portfolio of developments.
• Prepare conceptual estimates, detailed cost plans, and pre‑tender budgets.
• Manage the preparation and review of bills of quantities and tender documentation.
• Coordinate tender processes, bid clarifications, addenda, and evaluations.
• Review tender submissions and support commercial evaluation and reports.
• Manage interim payment assessments and payment certifications.
• Evaluate variations and determine entitlement, quantities, rates, and impact.
• Identify risks early to support claim avoidance and reduce disputes.
• Track budgets, commitments, liabilities, expenditures, and final costs.
• Produce cost reports, cash‑flow forecasts, and dashboards.

Skills

Pre-contract cost management

Post-contract cost management

Quantity surveying

Cost estimating

Cost planning

Bills of quantities

Tender documentation

Tender evaluation

Contract formation

Payment certification

Interim valuations

Claims avoidance

Budget tracking

Cost forecasting

Cash-flow management

Cost reporting

Commercial risk management

Contract administration

Final account negotiation

Funder advisory

Cost benchmarking

Market rate analysis

Client management

Resource planning

Team leadership

Staff mentoring

Performance management

RICS standards (MRICS)

Microsoft Excel

Cost management software

Quality control

Education

Bachelor's degree in Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Construction Management or related

MRICS Chartered membership

Tools

None specified

Job description

Senior Quantity Surveyor – Cost Consultancy (MRICS-qualified) – responsible for managing cost consultancy across the full project lifecycle, including luxury residential, commercial, and hospitality developments in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

Job Details

• Location: Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Industry: Construction
• Function: Cost Estimating
• Experience: 8–10 years post‑graduate
• Salary: AED 26,000–36,000 per month (subject to confirmation)
• Gender: Any
• Nationality: Any
• Job Type: Full‑time

Key Responsibilities

• Lead pre‑contract and post‑contract cost consultancy across a portfolio of developments.
• Prepare conceptual estimates, detailed cost plans, elemental estimates, and pre‑tender budgets.
• Manage preparation, organization, coordination, and quality review of bills of quantities.
• Develop pre‑tender estimates using current market rates and benchmarking data.
• Coordinate tender processes – documentation, bidder queries, clarifications, addendum preparation.
• Review tender submissions and support commercial evaluation, comparison, and recommendation reports.
• Participate in contract formation reviews and confirm alignment between tender outcomes, commercial terms, and project requirements.
• Manage interim payment assessments and prepare or review payment certifications.
• Evaluate contractor variations, determine entitlement, quantities, rates, and financial impact.
• Negotiate change orders, variation values, provisional sums, and commercial settlements.
• Identify contractual and commercial risks early to support claim avoidance and reduce potential disputes.
• Review claims and provide evidence‑based recommendations regarding entitlement and valuation.
• Track approved budgets, commitments, liabilities, expenditure, and forecast final costs.
• Produce detailed cost reports, cash‑flow forecasts, financial updates, and commercial dashboards.
• Lead risk management activities and maintain accurate cost and commercial risk registers.
• Manage final account preparation, negotiation, reconciliation, and settlement.
• Serve as the main client contact for assigned small and medium‑sized projects.
• Brief project teams on scope, deliverables, responsibilities, reporting requirements, and programme expectations.
• Allocate resources across one large project or several smaller concurrent assignments.
• Monitor performance against agreed budgets, project schedules, and internal delivery targets.
• Oversee production of funder advisory reports and supporting commercial documentation.
• Maintain quality control across all cost management outputs and ensure compliance with approved procedures.
• Lead benchmarking, market data collection, cost database development, and internal reporting.
• Supervise junior quantity surveyors and provide practical guidance on estimating, measurement, contracts, reporting, and negotiations.
• Support graduate development programmes and structured professional training where appropriate.
• Set objectives for direct reports and monitor quality, productivity, development, and delivery performance.
• Escalate major commercial, contractual, programme, or resource risks to senior management.
• Maintain professional relationships with clients, consultants, contractors, funders, and internal stakeholders.
• Attend in‑person Day 1 onboarding at an AECOM office as a condition of employment.

Ideal Profile

• Bachelor's degree in Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Construction Management or a related discipline.
• Chartered membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS).
• 8–10 years of post‑graduate quantity surveying or cost consultancy experience.
• 4–5 years of professional experience within the Middle East.
• Strong experience across pre‑contract and post‑contract cost management.
• Involvement in luxury residential, commercial, hospitality, or mixed‑use developments.
• Advanced knowledge of cost estimating, cost planning, bills of quantities, tender management, and contract formation.
• Practical expertise in payment certification, variation assessment, claims avoidance, cost reporting, and final accounts.
• Proven ability to manage several assignments or lead a major cost consultancy project.
• Experience acting as the primary commercial contact for clients.
• Strong understanding of construction contracts, procurement, tendering, change control, and commercial risk.
• Effective negotiation skills and ability to resolve complex cost and contractual issues.
• Experience managing, mentoring, and evaluating quantity surveying professionals.
• Ability to plan resources and maintain consistent delivery across multiple project deadlines.
• Strong numerical, analytical, presentation, and report‑writing capability.
• High attention to accuracy, quality control, governance, and professional standards.
• Confident communication with clients, consultants, contractors, and senior decision‑makers.
• Ability to protect confidential financial, contractual, and project information.

Skills Set

• Pre‑contract cost management
• Post‑contract cost management
• Quantity surveying
• Cost estimating
• Cost planning
• Bills of quantities
• Pre‑tender estimates
• Tender documentation
• Tender query management
• Addendum preparation
• Tender evaluation
• Contract formation
• Payment certification
• Interim valuations
• Variation assessment
• Claims avoidance
• Claims evaluation
• Budget tracking
• Cost forecasting
• Cash‑flow management
• Cost reporting
• Commercial risk management
• Contract administration
• Final account negotiation
• Funder advisory
• Cost benchmarking
• Market rate analysis
• Client management
• Resource planning
• Team leadership
• Staff mentoring
• Performance management
• RICS standards (MRICS)
• Microsoft Excel
• Cost management software
• Quality control

Why Join Us

This role offers broad commercial responsibility across the full lifecycle of significant development projects in Dubai’s active construction market. It provides exposure to both pre‑contract strategy and post‑contract delivery, allowing you to influence project budgets, procurement decisions, tender outcomes, risk management, and final commercial settlements. The position also creates a strong platform for progression into associate‑level cost management, commercial leadership, or portfolio management roles.

Eligible employees may receive benefits such as medical coverage, disability insurance, life insurance, paid leave, wellbeing resources, employee assistance services, business travel insurance, recognition programmes, retirement savings support, professional development, and other employment benefits in accordance with company policy.

About the Company

AECOM is a global infrastructure consulting firm that delivers advisory, planning, engineering, design, cost management, programme management, and construction management services. Its teams support public and private sector clients across buildings, transportation, water, energy, and environmental projects, combining technical expertise with disciplined commercial management to deliver sustainable and resilient developments.