Senior Estimator

Verve Partners; Orange City Council; On-site; AUD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Verve Partners is partnering with a well-regarded commercial construction business to recruit an Estimator into its established estimating team. This role is ideal for someone with 4–10+ years of experience seeking exposure to larger, complex commercial projects and mentorship to elevate their career.

You will work with an experienced Estimating Manager across the full tender lifecycle, from document review to handover to construction teams, developing pricing decisions, risk analysis and value

Qualifications

• Four+ years of estimating or similar commercial construction experience.
• Strong fundamentals in commercial estimating with drive to advance.
• Ability to read/build from drawings and tender docs.

Responsibilities

• Prepare budget estimates and lump-sum tenders.
• Review drawings, specs and tender documentation.
• Measure works and prepare Bills of Quantities.
• Prepare scopes of works and trade packages.
• Engage subcontractors for market pricing.
• Review and analyse subcontractor quotations.
• Price preliminaries, supervision and labour.
• Coordinate RFIs, clarifications, addenda and tender information.
• Identify scope gaps and potential commercial risks.
• Assess value engineering and alternative solutions.
• Attend site visits to understand buildability and requirements.
• Prepare qualifications, exclusions and tender submissions.

Skills

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Communication with subcontractors

Willingness to learn

Education

Construction/Engineering/Quantity Surveying qualifications

Tools

CostX

Job description

The Opportunity

Verve Partners is partnering with a highly regarded commercial construction business to recruit an Estimator into its established estimating team. This opportunity is particularly suited to an Estimator with 4 – 10 years + experience who has developed solid estimating foundations but wants exposure to larger, more complex commercial projects and the mentorship to take their career to the next level.

You will work closely with an extremely knowledgeable and experienced Estimating Manager, giving you the opportunity to learn how complex tenders are assessed, structured, priced and ultimately won.

Rather than being limited to one component of the estimating process, you will gain exposure across the full tender lifecycle – from initial document review and trade packages through to subcontractor engagement, CostX estimating, risk assessment, value engineering, tender finalisation and handover to the construction team.

Importantly, you won't be expected to know everything from day one. The business is looking for someone with strong fundamentals, commercial construction experience and the drive to develop into a highly capable Estimator.

About the Role

Working alongside the Estimating Manager and broader team, you will progressively take greater ownership of commercial tenders.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Preparing budget estimates and lump sum tenders
• Reviewing drawings, specifications and tender documentation
• Measuring works and preparing Bills of Quantities
• Preparing scopes of works and trade packages
• Engaging subcontractors and suppliers to obtain competitive market pricing
• Reviewing and analysing subcontractor quotations
• Pricing preliminaries, supervision and labour
• Coordinating RFIs, clarifications, addenda and tender information
• Identifying scope gaps and potential commercial risks
• Assessing value engineering and alternative construction solutions
• Attending site visits to understand access, buildability and project requirements
• Preparing qualifications, exclusions and tender submissions
• Supporting final tender reviews and handover to construction teams

The position is much broader than simply "putting numbers together". You'll develop an understanding of why pricing decisions are made, where commercial risk sits and how an estimator can influence the competitiveness of a tender. The position description specifically places emphasis on identifying risks, seeking market coverage, value engineering and contributing to pricing decisions that strengthen the overall tender position.

About You

You don't need to already be operating at Senior Estimator level. We're looking for someone who has built a good grounding in commercial construction estimating and is now looking for the environment, projects and mentorship that will help them progress.

Ideally, you will bring:

• Minimum 4+ years' experience in estimating or a similar commercial construction role
• Experience working within commercial construction
• Relevant trade or tertiary qualifications in Building, Construction, Engineering or Quantity Surveying
• Exposure to subcontractor procurement and trade pricing
• An ability to read and interpret construction documentation
• Strong analytical skills and attention to detail
• Confidence communicating with subcontractors, suppliers and internal stakeholders
• A genuine desire to learn and develop your commercial estimating capability

The formal position requirements include a minimum of four years' relevant experience, client relationship experience and relevant trade or tertiary qualifications.

Why This Opportunity?

The mentorship is the standout.

For an Estimator who wants to become genuinely strong technically and commercially, the person you learn from matters.

You'll be working closely with an Estimating Manager who brings significant industry knowledge and can provide the guidance, technical depth and commercial insight that can take years to develop on your own.

At the same time, you'll be exposed to complex commercial projects where you'll develop capability across pricing, subcontractor analysis, risk, buildability, value engineering and tender strategy.

It's an opportunity to move beyond smaller or repetitive estimating work and start building the experience required to progress towards Senior Estimator level.

If you've got the foundations and you're hungry to learn, this could be an excellent next move.

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