Managing Quantity Surveyor

Balfour Beatty plc; Fort Augustus; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Balfour Beatty is seeking a Managing Quantity Surveyor to lead the commercial function on the Isle of Skye reinforcement project, delivering cost control and governance across major civil engineering works.

You will set the commercial strategy, manage NEC contracts, and mentor a developing commercial team while ensuring value for money and client satisfaction across remote Highlands and Islands works.

Qualifications

• Proven experience as a Managing QS or a Senior QS ready to step up.
• Chartered membership with RICS, ICES, or CIOB preferred.
• Experience on large infrastructure, energy, or power projects.

Responsibilities

• Lead cost and commercial management across major civils packages.
• Oversee NEC contract administration and governance.
• Identify and mitigate commercial risk.
• Prepare monthly CVRs and commercial reports.
• Coach and develop the commercial team.

Skills

Commercial leadership

NEC contract management

Cost control

Leadership of commercial team

Education

Chartered Member or Fellow of RICS/ICES/CIOB

Job description

About the role

We’re seeking a Managing Quantity Surveyor to lead the commercial function on the Isle of Skye works within the Skye 132kV Reinforcement Project, a major programme delivering critical energy infrastructure for remote communities across the Highlands and Islands.

You’ll take responsibility for the commercial strategy and performance of complex civil engineering and infrastructure activities, ensuring strong cost control, commercial governance and effective NEC contract management. You will play a key leadership role across the project, helping to navigate challenging and environmentally sensitive landscapes while ensuring value for money and compliance with client and stakeholder expectations.

Key responsibilities:

• Leading cost and commercial management across major civils packages
• Overseeing upstream and downstream NEC contract administration
• Identifying, managing and mitigating commercial risk
• Procurement leadership and strategic supply chain engagement
• Accurate financial reporting, forecasting and budget control
• Driving value‑for‑money opportunities and managing change control processes
• Leading and developing commercial team members

You’ll bring proven commercial leadership experience on large infrastructure or civil engineering projects and will ideally be Chartered (RICS, ICES or CIOB). You will set the standard for commercial excellence and act as a mentor to developing commercial professionals, maintaining your own CPD.

Location:

Fort Augustus, Isle of Skye, or Motherwell.

Here at Balfour Beatty, we welcome both full‑time and part‑time applications, because we know that not all of the best people are available full‑time.

What you'll be doing

• Lead the commercial delivery of major power sector projects, ensuring profitability, sustainability, and client satisfaction.
• Drive commercial strategy, manage risk, and uphold governance across complex contracts.
• Coach and develop your team, setting high standards and fostering growth.
• Build trusted relationships with clients, stakeholders, and partners through transparency and delivery.
• Provide commercial input to value engineering reviews across various construction forms.
• Support tender reviews, including cost data and contract analysis.
• Prepare monthly CVRs and associated commercial reports.
• Report and explain commercial progress to senior project staff.
• Advise on client supply chain requirements and alternative procurement strategies.
• Coordinate buying, accounts, planning, supply chain, procurement, estimating, and surveying functions

Who we're looking for

• Proven experience as a Managing QS or a Senior QS ready to step up, ideally within large-scale infrastructure, energy, or power projects.
• Strong professional QS skills and qualifications, with the ability to apply them in high-pressure environments.
• FIDIC contract experience is desirable but not essential.
• Results-driven mindset with a commitment to excellence.
• Chartered Member or Fellow of RICS, ICES, or CIOB, and a mentor to junior commercial staff.
• Strong alignment with Balfour Beatty's values: Lean, Expert, Trusted, Safe

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver amazing projects in challenging conditions; developing, managing and maintaining the vital infrastructure and public spaces that modern economies, societies and communities rely on.

About us

Balfour Beattys Power Transmission & Distribution teams work with regional, national and international electricity network owners and operators to provide technical engineering solutions. With experience and expertise across the full spectrum of the electricity grid our teams have capability across overhead lines, cable tunnels, distribution networks and substations. From scoping and feasibility, to design, construction and on-going maintenance, our in-house experts, flexible resources and industry-leading innovations support clients in the development of some of the worlds most ambitious power transmission and distribution projects.

At Balfour Beatty we are committed to creating a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential, not only because this is the right thing to do, but because it makes us a better business. To ensure we deliver on this commitment, we have a UK Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan which sets out the wide range of targeted, proactive, measurable steps we are taking to make this a reality. You can read our UK Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan in full at www.balfourbeatty.com/value_everyone

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and Women into Construction. In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role. Further information on Disability Confident can be found at https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/