Director Estimating & Benchmarking

GSK; Tees Valley; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading biopharma firm is seeking a Director of Estimating & Benchmarking to oversee cost estimates and benchmarking strategies across its global capital portfolio. This senior leadership position requires a Bachelor's or Master's degree in Engineering or related fields and extensive experience in cost estimating within capital project environments. The role ensures high-quality, strategic insights for project decision-making, and offers a hybrid work model based in the UK, allowing for both on-site and remote work.

Benefits

Hybrid working model

Career development opportunities

Focus on innovation and continuous improvement

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in cost estimating and benchmarking within capital project environments.
• Strong understanding of project controls disciplines including cost, schedule and risk.
• Experience with pharmaceutical or regulated industries preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development of detailed cost estimates for capital projects.
• Establish and maintain standardized estimating methodologies aligned with industry best practices.
• Collaborate with teams to validate scope and pricing assumptions.

Skills

Cost estimating

Benchmarking

Project controls

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management

Tools

Estimating software (e.g., Cleopatra, AspenTech)

Job description

Director Estimating & Benchmarking

Business Introduction

We manufacture and supply reliable, high-quality medicines and vaccines to meet patients’ needs and drive our performance. Our network of 37 medicines and vaccines manufacturing sites delivered 1.7 billion packs of medicines and 409 million vaccine doses in 2024 to help make a positive impact on the health of millions of people. Our supply chain is not just core to our operations; it’s vital to bringing our innovations to patients as quickly, efficiently and effectively as possible. Technology is transforming how we manufacture medicines and vaccines, enabling us to increase the speed, quality and scale of product supply. We need the very best minds and capability to help us on our journey to make more complex products, harnessing the power of smart manufacturing technologies including robotics, digital solutions and artificial intelligence to deliver for patients.

Position Summary

The Director of Estimating and Benchmarking is a senior leadership role within the Project Controls function, responsible for overseeing the development of robust cost estimates and benchmarking strategies across GSK’s global capital portfolio. This role ensures consistency, accuracy, and strategic insight in estimating practices, enabling informed decision-making and effective cost control throughout the project lifecycle.

This role will directly report to the Head of Project Controls (PC) and will be part of Global project controls leadership, which manages both project-based PC deliveries and functional responsibilities for key processes within GCP.

Responsibilities

Estimating Leadership

• Lead the development of detailed cost estimates for all phases of capital projects, from concept through execution.
• Establish and maintain standardized estimating methodologies, tools, and templates aligned with industry best practices.
• Collaborate with engineering, procurement, and construction teams to validate scope and pricing assumptions.
• Review and approve high-value estimates and provide strategic input to investment decisions.
• Support risk-adjusted estimating and contingency planning.

Benchmarking & Analytics

• Develop and maintain a global benchmarking database using historical project data and external market intelligence.
• Analyze cost trends, productivity metrics and performance indicators to inform future estimates and project strategies.
• Provide comparative analysis across projects, regions and delivery models to identify cost optimization opportunities.
• Present benchmarking insights to senior leadership and contribute to portfolio-level planning.

Governance & Compliance

• Ensure all estimating activities comply with GSK’s Project Management Framework (PMF) and financial governance standards.
• Lead internal audits and reviews of estimating practices and outcomes.
• Support external assurance and regulatory reporting requirements as needed.

Team Leadership & Development

• Build and lead a high-performing team of estimators and analysts across global locations.
• Provide coaching, training and career development opportunities to enhance internal capabilities.
• Foster a culture of continuous improvement and innovation in estimating and benchmarking.

Qualifications/Skills

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Engineering, Quantity Surveying, Construction Management or related field.
• Extensive years of experience in cost estimating and benchmarking within capital project environments.
• Strong understanding of project controls disciplines including cost, schedule and risk.
• Proficiency in estimating software (e.g., Cleopatra, AspenTech, CostX or similar).
• Experience with pharmaceutical or regulated industries preferred.

Preferred Qualifications

• MSc or PhD or other Chartered or Professional Qualification in a relevant discipline.
• Excellent management, communication and interpersonal skills, with comfort cooperating with individuals internally and externally at all organisational levels.
• Understanding of how different functions interface on GSK projects.
• Solid knowledge of GSK project process, User requirement management, quality and compliance requirement, site project completion and pre-start processes, and how these impact engineering and design, construction, commissioning and qualification contracts.
• Familiar with the GCP Project Management Framework (PMF), relevant engineering standards and compliance requirement as well as Quality Management Systems.
• PMP (Project Management Professional) or CCP (Certified Cost Professional) or PMI-SP (Scheduling Professional) or Lean Six Sigma or similar process improvement credentials.

Work Location

This role is based in the United Kingdom (GSK HQ, London) or USA – Pennsylvania – Marietta, Wavre – Belgium, Parma/Rosia – Italy, Evreux – France and offers a hybrid working model, combining on-site and remote work.

Closing Date for Applications: 16th January 2026

Why GSK?

Uniting science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together.

GSK is a global biopharma company with a purpose to unite science, technology and talent to get ahead of disease together. We aim to positively impact the health of 2.5 billion people by the end of the decade, as a successful, growing company where people can thrive. We get ahead of disease by preventing and treating it with innovation in specialty medicines and vaccines. We focus on four therapeutic areas: respiratory, immunology and inflammation; oncology; HIV; and infectious diseases – to impact health at scale.

People and patients around the world count on the medicines and vaccines we make, so we’re committed to creating an environment where our people can thrive and focus on what matters most. Our culture of being ambitious for patients, accountable for impact and doing the right thing is the foundation for how, together, we deliver for patients, shareholders and our people.

GSK is an Equal Opportunity Employer. This ensures that all qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), military service or any basis prohibited under federal, state or local law.

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