Quantity Surveyor - Groundworks

S Guest Consultancy Services Ltd; Northampton; On-site; GBP 68,000 - 83,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonus

Company car or car allowance

Pension

Holiday entitlement

Job summary

S Guest Consultancy Services Ltd is seeking a Quantity Surveyor to manage groundworks packages from tender through final payment. Based in Northamptonshire, the role blends office work with regular site visits and a focus on risk, cost control and cash flow.

You will price earthworks, drainage and foundations, prepare bills of quantities, review quotations, and secure profitable contracts. A UK driving licence and strong Excel skills are essential.

Qualifications

• BSc in Quantity Surveying or Commercial Management, or HNC/HND backed by strong groundworks experience.
• QS experience with groundworks or civil subcontractor (3+ years) preferred.
• Strong earthworks estimating and cost control knowledge.
• Able to read complex structural/drainage drawings and check against site topography.

Responsibilities

• Tendering and pricing: review docs, measure quantities, price from first principles.
• Pre-contract and procurement: take-offs, ground investigation risk flagging, supplier quotes.
• Site commercial management: value variations, muck-away, interim valuations and payments.
• Pricing of heavy plant and materials into tenders; manage supply chain.
• Maintain risk registers and monitor commercial risks throughout the project lifecycle.

Skills

Negotiation

Communication

Numerical accuracy

Reading drawings

Driving licence (UK)

Education

BSc Quantity Surveying or Commercial Management

Tools

Excel

Job description

Quantity Surveyor - Groundworks

Location: Northamptonshire (office-based, with regular site visits)

Type: Permanent, full-time

Salary: £75,000 + bonus, company car or car allowance, and package

The company

Our client is an established, well-respected groundworks subcontractor working for main contractors on residential and commercial schemes. They run their own fleet of heavy plant and have a strong, steady pipeline of work.

The role

Reporting directly to the Director, you'll take full commercial responsibility for groundworks packages, from tender through to final payment. You'll price and secure profitable work, manage the supply chain and make sure every variation and pound is accounted for, protecting the company's cash flow against the main contractor. The role has a strong focus on groundworks risk: ground conditions, plant output, muck-away, materials and tight weekly and monthly variation tracking.

What you'll be doing

Tendering and pricing

• Reviewing tender documents, drawings and specifications
• Measuring quantities to produce bills of quantities and cost plans
• Pricing from first principles: earthworks, drainage, foundations, deep excavations, piling and concrete
• Obtaining and comparing subcontractor and supplier quotes
• Identifying commercial and technical risks, and maintaining risk registers
• Suggesting alternative methods or materials to cut costs without compromising quality

Pre-contract and procurement

• Producing accurate material take-offs from structural drawings: concrete, rebar, drainage runs and earthworks volumes
• Reviewing ground investigation reports to flag risks such as rock, high water tables or contamination
• Negotiating rates and securing supply for ready-mix concrete, aggregates, rebar and drainage systems
• Pricing the company's own heavy plant (and hired-in plant) into tenders

Site commercial management

• Measuring and pricing ground condition variations before they're covered up
• Auditing and reconciling muck-away waste transfer notes
• Submitting fully documented interim valuations to main contractors, and following them through to payment

What we're looking for

• BSc in Quantity Surveying or Commercial Management, or HNC/HND backed by strong groundworks experience
• QS experience working directly for a groundworks or civil engineering subcontractor (ideally 3+ years)
• A proven track record on residential roads and sewers, commercial foundations or deep drainage
• Deep understanding of groundworks and civils methods, sequencing and structural requirements
• Strong earthworks estimating skills
• Able to read complex structural, drainage and levels drawings and check them against on-site topography
• Working knowledge of JCT (or equivalent) subcontracts
• Highly competent in Excel, with strong numerical skills and attention to detail
• Confident negotiator and communicator
• Full UK driving licence

What's on offer

• £75,000 basic salary
• Agreed bonus
• Company car plus mileage, or allowance for your own vehicle
• Stakeholder pension
• 20 days' holiday plus bank holidays
• Direct reporting line to the Director, with real influence on the business