Estimating Manager

Carrington West; Glasgow, City of Edinburgh; Hybrid; GBP 80,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Carrington West is recruiting an Associate Director / Estimating Manager for major infrastructure projects across the UK, based in Glasgow or Edinburgh with a hybrid 3 days in the office.

You will lead estimating services from feasibility to detailed estimates, manage a team of 5–6 estimators, review outputs, and engage with clients and senior stakeholders to drive high-quality costings and bid support.

Qualifications

• Significant estimating experience in major infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of cost breakdown structures, risk and contingency.
• Ability to lead and develop a team of estimators.

Responsibilities

• Leading estimating services across major infrastructure and complex projects.
• Developing and reviewing estimates from early feasibility to detailed bottom-up.
• Mentoring and developing a team of estimators across Glasgow and Edinburgh.
• Managing client interactions and ensuring high-quality Basis of Estimate documentation.

Job description

Associate Director / Estimating Manager - Major Infrastructure

Location: Glasgow / Edinburgh - Hybrid, 3 days per week in the office
Salary: £80,000-£105,000 + benefits
Employment: Permanent
Sectors: Rail, Nuclear, Defence, Ports, Infrastructure & Energy

An opportunity has arisen for an experienced Estimating Manager / Associate Director to join a leading consultancy working across major infrastructure and complex capital projects throughout the UK.

This is a senior position combining technical estimating, team leadership and client engagement, with responsibility for supporting and developing estimating capability across Glasgow and Edinburgh.

You’ll work across a diverse portfolio of major projects within sectors including rail, nuclear, defence, ports, transport, energy and wider infrastructure.

The role

You’ll lead the delivery of estimating services throughout the project lifecycle, from early feasibility and order-of-magnitude estimates through to detailed, bottom-up and first-principles estimating.

Alongside project delivery, you’ll support and develop a team of approximately 5-6 estimating professionals across Glasgow and Edinburgh, providing technical guidance, reviewing outputs and maintaining consistently high standards.

This is a highly client-facing position, requiring someone comfortable working directly with clients, designers, engineers, project managers and senior stakeholders.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading estimating services across major infrastructure and complex projects.
• Developing and reviewing estimates from Class 5 through to Class 1.
• Producing and assuring first-principles estimates, take-offs and direct and indirect costs.
• Leading estimate reviews, assurance and quality processes.
• Developing cost breakdown structures and assessing project deliverability.
• Applying appropriate risk, contingency and estimating assumptions.
• Using benchmarking, historic project information and market data to develop and validate estimates.
• Preparing and reviewing Basis of Estimate documentation and client submissions.
• Managing, mentoring and developing estimators across Glasgow and Edinburgh.
• Acting as a senior technical point of contact for clients and internal project teams.
• Supporting bids, proposals and wider business development activity.
• Working with senior leadership to develop estimating capability and best practice.

About you

You’ll have significant estimating experience gained within major projects, infrastructure or another complex capital-project environment.
Relevant sector experience could include rail, nuclear, defence, ports, highways, aviation, water, power, renewables or wider infrastructure. Experience across every sector isn’t required; strong estimating expertise and the ability to transfer that knowledge between complex project environments are more important.

Ideally, you’ll bring:

• Strong experience leading complex estimates.
• First-principles and bottom-up estimating capability.
• Knowledge of indirect costs, cost breakdown structures, risk and contingency.
• Experience reviewing, challenging and assuring estimates produced by others.
• Team leadership, management or mentoring experience.
• Strong client-facing and stakeholder-management skills.
• Experience working within multidisciplinary project environments.
• Good commercial and contractual awareness.
• A degree or equivalent experience within Estimating, Quantity Surveying, Engineering, Construction or a related discipline.
• Chartership, or progress towards professional recognition through RICS, ICE, AACE, ACostE or a similar professional body, would be advantageous.
• The ability to obtain security clearance where required.

Location & hybrid working

The role can be based from Glasgow or Edinburgh and operates on a hybrid working model, with an expectation of 3 days per week in the office.
Given the leadership and client-facing nature of the position, candidates should ideally live within a realistic commuting distance of Glasgow or Edinburgh and be comfortable maintaining a consistent office presence.

Salary & benefits

£80,000-£105,000, dependent on experience and level, plus a comprehensive benefits package.
This is an opportunity to take a senior position within a well-established major projects environment, working on some of the UK's most significant infrastructure programmes while leading and developing an established estimating team.