Assistant Estimator

Carey Group; Greater London; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 42,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Excellent salary and benefits

Job summary

Carey Group is seeking an Assistant Estimator to join the Work Winning team in Kings Cross, London. The role involves measuring from tender drawings, producing Bills of Quantities and assisting with estimate preparation across a range of civil and construction projects.

You will work with a collaborative team, develop commercial understanding, and engage with suppliers, subcontractors and internal stakeholders to ensure competitive, accurate tenders.

Qualifications

• Qualified Civil Engineer or Quantity Surveyor with estimating exposure.
• Experience or knowledge of bulk earthworks, groundworks, substructures, roadworks, drainage, RC frames.
• Familiarity with measurement methods and MSMM7/other standards.

Responsibilities

• Support estimating by measuring from tender drawings and preparing Bills of Quantities.
• Assist with first‑principles rate build‑ups for materials, labour, plant and equipment.
• Help compile estimates and rate build-ups for tender submissions.

Skills

Measurement from drawings

Bills of Quantities

Tender submissions support

Commercial awareness

Numerical skills

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Civil Engineer or Quantity Surveyor qualification

Tools

Bluebeam

ACC Takeoff

Candy

Job description

Are you a qualified Civil Engineer or Quantity Surveyor looking to develop your career in estimating?

At Careys, our Work Winning team plays a key role in securing the pipeline of projects that supports the continued growth of our regions. We’re looking for an Assistant Estimator to join the team and support the preparation of accurate, competitive and high-quality tender submissions across a range of construction and civil engineering projects.

This is a great opportunity for someone with a technical or commercial background who enjoys working with drawings, quantities, specifications and project teams — and who wants to build their estimating experience in a collaborative, values-led environment.

What you will be doing:

Reporting to the Managing Estimator, you’ll support the estimating team by undertaking measurements from tender drawings, preparing Bills of Quantities and assisting with the compilation of estimates and rate build-ups.

You’ll work closely with colleagues across Work Winning, Operations, Supply Chain, regional teams, consultants, suppliers and subcontractors to help ensure tenders are well understood, accurately measured and commercially robust.
You’ll be involved in:

• Reviewing and understanding scopes of work, drawings and specifications
• Carrying out measurement and quantity take-offs from tender drawings using Bluebeam, ACC Takeoff or similar tools
• Producing Bills of Quantities in line with the applicable method of measurement
• Supporting supplier and subcontractor enquiry preparation for tender buying
• Assisting with first-principles rate build-ups, including materials, labour, plant and equipment
• Taking part in mid-bid, tender review and adjudication/settlement meetings where requiredAttending client meetings, including mid-bid and pre/post-contract interviews
• Contributing to knowledge sharing, upskilling and continuous improvement across the team

About You:

We’re looking for someone who is technically minded, commercially aware and keen to grow their career in estimating.

You will be a qualified Civil Engineer or Quantity Surveyor, with experience or knowledge of all or some of the following areas:

• Bulk earthworks
• Groundworks
• Substructures
• Paving and roadworks
• Drainage
• Reinforced concrete frames

You’ll also bring:

• A strong understanding of construction drawings, specifications and measurement
• Knowledge of methods of measurement, ideally including SMM7
• Experience using electronic measurement tools such as Bluebeam, ACC Takeoff or similar
• Confidence using Microsoft Office
• Strong numerical skills and commercial awareness
• Excellent organisation and time-management skills
• Clear communication skills and the ability to engage with different stakeholders
• A collaborative, proactive and problem-solving approach

Experience using estimating software such as Candy or similar would be beneficial, but is not essential.

Why Join Us?

• Excellent salary and benefits
• Flexi-care benefits: Tastecard, Gym Membership, Cycle2Work, Holiday Trading (buy or sell up to 4 days), Health cash plan.
• Opportunities for long-term development and growth.
• A supportive and collaborative work environment.
• Exciting projects and challenges to enhance your skills and expertise.

Our story starts in 1969 with three brothers and a van.
John, Tom and Pat Carey moved to London from Ireland and started a groundworks contracting company in London called PJ Carey Plant Hire (Oval) Ltd.
Their aspirations at the time were reflective of the values of the Carey Group today – to care about everything they did, to act with humility in all interactions, to be passionate about their work and be authentic at all times.
The Carey Group remains a family-owned construction business, operating across the UK and Ireland. Their goal at the time was to grow to around 50 operatives and provide quality, safe work so that they and their employees could provide for their families and get safe home every day. Through hard work and sticking to their values and their word, this was certainly achieved….and some.
Throughout the years, we have remained committed to delivering on our promises, respecting our clients, offering innovative solutions and producing the highest-quality work in safe environments. These are the core principles set by our Founders, the ones we have never wavered from and they help us to fulfil our ultimate vision to be the most trusted and socially responsible construction company, that people are proud to work with.
Our strong approach is underpinned by robust financial management, continuous investment in our people, specialist equipment and strategic assets and our long-standing culture of teamwork – we want to create the very best environments for our people.
We care about our people and our partners and how we work with them, ensuring we do our best by them. Ultimately, we care about our impact on the world around us and the communities that we proudly help to shape.

Assistant Estimator • Kings Cross, London, GB