Quantity Surveyor

Novax Recruitment Ltd; Cardiff; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension

Sick pay

Health plan

Cycle-to-work scheme

Holiday purchase option

Long-term opportunity

Job summary

Novax Recruitment Ltd is seeking a Quantity Surveyor specialized in structural steel to manage commercial controls from bid through delivery. You’ll price from drawings, build budgets, and guide procurement as work is secured.

You will monitor costs, variations and forecasts, ensuring margin protection while managing valuations and subcontract accounts across projects in the UK. This is a full‑time on-site role with long‑term growth potential.

Qualifications

• Experience in quantity surveying within structural steel or heavy fabrication.
• Experience measuring from drawings and pricing labour, materials and plant.
• Understanding of construction contracts, variations and final accounts.
• Commercial judgement to assess design, fabrication and site cost impacts.
• Strong communication with clients, subcontractors, suppliers and internal teams.

Responsibilities

• Price structural steelwork from drawings and specifications ensuring all costs are captured.
• Build project budgets and procurement packages once work is secured.
• Control costs, variations and forecasts to spot margin movement early.
• Measure completed work, manage applications and valuations, keep subcontract accounts moving.
• Challenge unnecessary costs across materials, fabrication and bought-in services.
• Close projects properly from live commercial management to final account.

Skills

Quantity Surveying

Cost control

Pricing from drawings

Commercial judgement

Communication skills

Education

QS qualification or equivalent

Job description

Quantity Surveyor - Structural Steel

Location: Cardiff
Salary: Dependent on experience
Job Type: Permanent, Full Time

The Company

The steel leaving this business doesn't stay in the yard.

It becomes the frame of commercial buildings, industrial facilities and complex structures across the UK and Europe. Behind every project is a commercial team making sure the numbers stack up just as well as the steel.

With a strong order book and the capability to take projects from fabrication through to site, they are looking for a Quantity Surveyor who understands that good commercial control starts long before the first beam is delivered.

The Role

You’ll sit between the numbers and the steel, working closely with estimating, project management, design, buying and production.

You’ll:

• Price structural steelwork from drawings and specifications, making sure labour, materials, fabrication, transport and erection are properly accounted for.

• Build project budgets and procurement packages once work is secured, giving the delivery team a clear commercial starting point.

• Control costs, variations and forecasts throughout the project, spotting margin movement before it becomes a problem.

• Measure completed work, manage applications and valuations, and keep subcontract accounts moving.

• Challenge unnecessary cost across materials, fabrication and bought-in services rather than simply accepting the numbers in front of you.

• Close projects properly, from live commercial management through to final account.

You’ll have plenty of contact with the people actually delivering the work, so your commercial decisions won’t exist in isolation from the factory floor or the construction site.

The Candidate

You’ll already understand how structural steel projects are priced and delivered.

You’ll need:

• Quantity Surveying experience within structural steel, steel fabrication or a closely related heavy fabrication environment.

• Experience measuring from drawings and specifications and pricing labour, materials, plant, subcontract and preliminaries.

• A good understanding of construction contracts, variations, payment mechanisms and final accounts.

• The commercial judgement to understand how design, fabrication and site programme affect project cost.

• Strong communication skills when dealing with clients, subcontractors, suppliers and internal teams.

• A relevant Quantity Surveying/construction commercial qualification, or equivalent industry experience.

Why This Role?

This isn’t a QS role where the steel is just a line on a spreadsheet.

You’ll see the commercial impact of decisions made during design, procurement, fabrication and erection, working alongside the teams responsible for turning the drawings into something that actually stands.

You’ll also have the backing of an established specialist with the scale and facilities to deliver significant structural steel projects across the UK and Europe.

The package includes:

• Pension

• Sick pay

• Health plan

• Cycle-to-work scheme

• Option to purchase additional holiday

• Long-term opportunity within an established structural steel business