Quantity Surveyor

Colas Rail UK; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

26 days Annual Leave

Industry leading Life Assurance

Healthcare Cash Plan

Wellbeing Employee Assistant Programme

Pension Scheme

Eye Care Vouchers

Long Service Award

Season Ticket Loan

Job summary

Colas Rail UK is seeking a Quantity Surveyor to manage pre- and post-contract commercial activities for the Overhead Catenary System on High Speed 2. You will oversee NEC3 processes, compensation events, cost control and support the delivery team to optimise margins.

Ideal candidates have 2–5 years in a similar role, strong negotiation and analytical skills, and the ability to lead commercial activities within a rail infrastructure context.

Qualifications

• Minimum 2–5 years’ experience in a similar role.
• Strong negotiation skills are essential.
• Solid problem solving, decision making and analytical capabilities.
• Management and organisational skills required.
• Excellent presentation and communication skills.
• Ability to influence and collaborate across teams.
• Desirable transport sector knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Administer and manage the contract in accordance with NEC3 requirements, including early warnings, compensation events, and programme provisions.
• Ensure compliance with all contractual obligations, processes, and timescales.
• Undertake measurement and valuation of works, including variations and change control.
• Support procurement activities, including subcontractor selection, tender evaluation, and order placement.
• Manage subcontractor accounts, including payment, variation assessment, and final account agreement.
• Maintain accurate cost capture, accruals, and forecasting, including monthly Cost Value Reconciliation and Anticipated Final Cost.
• Monitor project costs against budget and support the operational team.
• Contribute to the preparation of commercial reports, highlighting risks, opportunities, and forecast outturn positions.
• Ensure appropriate governance and authorisation of expenditure in line with company procedures.
• Produce, submit, and agree Compensation Events, ensuring timely notification, quotation, and Implementation.
• Prepare and submit accurate applications for payment in NEC3 timescales.

Skills

Negotiation

Problem solving

Analytical thinking

Management

Communication

Influencing

Collaboration

Industry knowledge (Transport)

Job description

Make your mark with Colas Rail UK

At Colas Rail, differences matter. Join a team where being your authentic self is respected, encouraged, and vital to our success. At Colas Rail you'll be at home. You'll be welcomed into an inclusive team where there's a role for every talent and a close-knit, familial culture. You will also get the opportunity to help us transform transportation, set new standards, and dare to be different.

Make your mark with Colas Rail UK

At Colas Rail, differences matter. Join a team where being your authentic self is respected, encouraged, and vital to our success. At Colas Rail you'll be at home. You'll be welcomed into an inclusive team where there's a role for every talent and a close-knit, familial culture. You will also get the opportunity to help us transform transportation, set new standards, and dare to be different. This is true because.

• We value everyone as part of the same team.
• We treat everyone as equals - and everyone is approachable, from the CEO down.
• We put you in control of your career to lead and grow in any way you want.
• We have a culture of care, from safe working environments to diversity and inclusion.
• We’re renowned for innovation, adopting new ideas, and daring to be different.
• We are building a more sustainable future and our projects impact infrastructure for generations.

About Us

Step into the world of Colas Rail, where a century of expertise merges with a daring spirit to shape the future of rail infrastructure. At Colas Rail, we deliver transport solutions for sustainable mobility. We are a leading rail infrastructure business with on track plant and freight capabilities. As a subsidiary of the Colas Group, we are part of over a hundred years' experience in delivering major innovations across our sector. Every day, thousands of trains run on tracks built, designed, or maintained by Colas Rail.

Leading by our Values

Our values, Respect, Commitment, Pioneering and Sharing are at the heart of everything we do. These values feed into our main strategies and accompany us daily in realising our ambitions.

We Respect

our employees, celebrate diversity and foster a culture of safety, care and respect for everyone we interact with. We care about our employee's wellbeing and create an environment of inclusivity and support.

We Commit

by showing up wholeheartedly. When we commit together, we invest in everyone's success. We invest in our customers, our teams and our colleagues, and we lead with safety, integrity, passion, purpose, ethics and transparency.

We Share

as we all hold knowledge that could and should be shared, enabling us to grow and making us a strong collective. We have a passion for excellence, celebrating achievements and nurturing talent.

We Pioneer

to push boundaries, imagine what does not yet exist and dare to do what others do not. We innovate with ambition, and we find solutions.

Purpose of the Role

The Quantity Surveyor for the Overhead Catenary System on High Speed 2 is responsible for managing all pre‑ and post‑contract commercial activities associated with the allocated work package. This includes ensuring compliance with contractual requirements, maintaining effective cost control, and supporting the delivery of works in line with agreed margins and cash flow forecasts. The role involves the day‑to‑day commercial management of the project, including administration of NEC3 processes, management of compensation events, and providing commercial support to the operational team to drive cost efficiency and minimise risk exposure.

Person Specification

• Minimum 2-5 years’ experience in similar role
• The capacity to meet project deadlines
• Expert negotiating skills
• Solid problem solving, decision making and analytical capabilities
• Management and organisational skills
• Efficient presentation and communication skills
• Have the capacity to be influential and amenable
• Collaborative Behaviours
• Transport sector experience (Desirable)
• A knowledge of the industry (Desirable)

Key Responsibilities

• Administer and manage the contract in accordance with NEC3 requirements, including early warnings, compensation events, and programme provisions
• Ensure compliance with all contractual obligations, processes, and timescales
• Undertake measurement and valuation of works, including variations and change control
• Support procurement activities, including subcontractor selection, tender evaluation, and order placement
• Manage subcontractor accounts, including payment, variation assessment, and final account agreement
• Maintain accurate cost capture, accruals, and forecasting, including monthly Cost Value Reconciliation and Anticipated Final Cost.
• Monitor project costs against budget and support the operational team
• Contribute to the preparation of commercial reports, highlighting risks, opportunities, and forecast outturn positions
• Ensure appropriate governance and authorisation of expenditure in line with company procedures
• Produce, submit, and agree Compensation Events, ensuring timely notification, quotation, and Implementation.
• Prepare and submit accurate applications for payment in accordance with NEC3 timescales
• Ensure timely certification and receipt of payments in line with NEC3 timescales
• Identify and manage supply chain requirements, ensuring subcontractors are engaged under NEC3-compliant terms where applicable
• Adherence to applicable NEC3 Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
• Adapt to organisational changes and meet evolving operational requirements
• Undertake any other reasonable duties as required from time to time
• As you will expect the organisation may change from time to time and you will be expected to meet the operational requirements.
• Any other reasonable duties as required from time to time.

What We Offer

• Competitive Salary
• 26 days Annual Leave
• Industry leading Life Assurance
• Healthcare Cash Plan
• Wellbeing Employee Assistant Programme
• Pension Scheme
• Eye Care Vouchers
• Long Service Award
• Season Ticket Loan

We are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We believe that diversity drives innovation and creativity, and we actively seek to create an environment where everyone feels welcome, heard, valued and respected. Regardless of background, disability, age, race, religion, or gender, everyone is welcome at Colas Rail. We strive to promote equity and eliminate discrimination, actively seeking to create a workforce reflective of communities we serve. We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, offering flexible and inclusive adjustments to the interview process. As part of a positive action drive to address under‑representation we encourage applications from women, ethnically diverse individuals and people with disabilities, along with all candidates who identify with protected characteristic groups under the Equality Act 2010. We are proudly part of the Disability Confidence Scheme, and as such we operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme if you meet the minimum requirements. On joining Colas Rail you’ll have access to our growing Employee Network Groups including Railbow (representing the LGBTQ+ community), BeyonDisability (representing those with disabilities) and Cross Culture (representing people from ethnic backgrounds). Everyone is welcome to join our network groups whether you are part of the community or an ally. Work life balance is important to us; flexible working options are available where feasible and dependant on the role. Please discuss this during the interview process.