Senior Estimator

Heathrow Academy - Your gateway to extraordinary careers; Stevenage; On-site; GBP 52,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Heathrow Employment & Skills Academy seeks an experienced Civil Estimator to support bid development across rail, aviation, and logistics sectors. You will build detailed cost estimates, manage take-offs and BOQ production, and contribute to winning strategies for both private and public projects.

The role requires a Civil Engineering background with NEC contract familiarity, strong Excel and Causeway One experience, and the ability to work under tight deadlines with cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Civil engineering degree or HNC required.
• 5+ years of Civil Engineering experience, Rail & Aviation preferred.
• BOQ take-off and measurement experience.
• Familiar with NEC contracts.
• Strong Excel and general IT skills.

Responsibilities

• Review project specs and clarify requirements with clients.
• Build up cost estimates using first principles (people, equipment, materials, subcontract).
• Prepare bid estimates for private and public sector.
• Lead on bid preparation and post-tender clarifications.
• Attend site visits for tender preparation.

Skills

Excel

Estimating software

Cost estimation

Bid preparation

Education

Degree/HNC in Civil Engineering or related

Tools

Causeway One

Job description

Right across infrastructure, there’s a requirement to not only maintain, but also renew and reimagine. Whatever stage you’re at in your career, with us you’ll have an opportunity to grow and develop. Delivering essential infrastructure services for life, while being safety first, and client and customer centric in a friendly, fun and respectful environment where you are encouraged to thrive.

Where will you be working?

Want to come and be a part of it?

What will you be doing?

Supporting the safe transportation and movement of people across rail, aviation and logistics. At M Group Rail and Aviation, we’re your trusted partner across diverse asset types and the entire value chain. We manage both reactive and planned renewals and maintenance for infrastructure across railways and depots, airfields, and defence estates. And with over 40 years’ experience, we prioritise safety in secure and critical environments, while ensuring sustainability across our operations. We are experts in: Reactive and planned maintenance, Civils, building and M&E projects, Specialist aviation electrical services, HV and LV rail electrical services.

You’ll be joining our Rail & Aviation work winning team, where our teams use the latest innovations to create effective solutions.

Key Responsibilities:

• Review project and Client specifications, identify inconsistencies and communicate with Client to clarify requirements.
• Proficient user of Excel with reasonable working of other office applications.
• Skilled user of estimating software, preferably Causeway One.
• Detailed understanding of measurement principles, undertakes full measurement.
• Build up formal cost estimates through a mixture of first principles people, equipment, materials and subcontract costs in accordance with project and client requirements.
• Full understanding of the enquiries process, sends enquiries as necessary, undertakes detailed cost comparison of quotations, assessment of qualifications and resolve quotations.
• Understand current market prices and conditions, and benchmark our solutions to minimise risk and increase success.
• Interpret project requirements and provide accurate cost estimates for temporary works.
• Leads on bid estimates. Take responsibility, under minimum supervision, for bid preparation, completion, and submission for both the private and public sector.
• Competent at pricing indirect buildups across preliminaries, staffing and supervision.
• Detailed understanding of risk assessment and management. Manages the assessment and costing of risks & opportunities.
• Knowledge of NEC standard Conditions of Contract, and of other Conditions of Contract. Understand contractual implications and operation.
• Assist and challenge operational solution and programme.
• Creates and demonstrates bid strategies, including Inflation modelling, Fee proposals and bid assessment model strategy.
• Prepare summary papers for governance review, presents pricing for adjudication at MD and COO level.
• Take ownership of any post tender clarifications, including post tender negotiations (pricing submission only) and collaborate with designated teams.
• Provide formal project handover to commercial and operational teams.
• Attend site visits as and when required for tender preparation.
• Provide estimators with the technical expertise they need to strengthen and support their bids plus guides / manages others through the processes, and collates suggestions for improvements.

What you’ll bring:

• Demonstrable Civil Engineering experience of 5+ years preferably in Rail & Aviation environment.
• Previous relevant estimating experience.
• Demonstrable take off and BOQ production experience.
• Degree/HNC qualified in Civil Engineering, Construction, Quantity Surveying or similar.
• Good understanding of the NEC suite of contracts.
• Ability to work efficiently with other members of the team.
• Particular attention to detail with good project management skills.
• Ability to hit tight deadlines under pressure.
• Ability to communicate at all levels, both verbally and written.
• Experience of using estimating software (preferably Causeway), and strong Excel / general IT skills.
• Ability to travel as and when required.