Senior Estimator – Exhibitions & Events

Tecna; Farnborough; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Tecna is seeking an ambitious Estimator to own and continuously improve our estimating function at our Farnborough HQ. You will develop tools, pricing matrices, and data to enable the team to generate accurate, competitive quotations.

You’ll collaborate with Sales, Creative, Production, Procurement and Project Delivery to drive profitability and learn from every project. In this role you’ll act as the go-to expert for bespoke opportunities, provide commercial guidance, and ensure estimates are

Qualifications

• Previous experience in estimating, project costing or a similar commercial role.
• Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail.

Responsibilities

• Support Sales and Creative teams with accurate project costings, budget guidance and commercial advice.
• Act as the escalation point for bespoke, complex or non-standard project estimates.
• Review project specifications, drawings and scopes of work to identify costs, risks and opportunities.
• Ensure estimates support client expectations and Tecna's commercial objectives.
• Contribute to margin reviews and help maximise project profitability.

Skills

Estimating

Commercial awareness

Excel

Data analysis

Supplier pricing

Tools

Odoo

Job description

Work Setting: Full-time, office-based at our Farnborough HQ

Reporting to: Sales Director

As Tecna continues to grow, we're looking for an ambitious and commercially minded Estimator to take ownership of our estimating function and help drive accuracy, consistency, and profitability across the business.

This is not a traditional estimator role where you'll be responsible for quoting every project. Instead, you'll own and continually improve the tools, processes, supplier pricing, and commercial data that enable the wider team to produce accurate and competitive quotations. You'll act as the go-to expert for bespoke opportunities, commercial guidance, and cost analysis, ensuring that estimates are based on robust and reliable information. Working closely with Sales, Creative, Production, Procurement and Project Delivery teams, you'll play a key role in improving how we cost, measure and learn from every project we deliver.

Key Responsibilities

• Support Sales and Creative teams with accurate project costings, budget guidance and commercial advice.
• Act as the escalation point for bespoke, complex or non-standard project estimates.
• Review project specifications, drawings and scopes of work to identify costs, risks and opportunities.
• Ensure estimates support both client expectations and Tecna's commercial objectives.
• Contribute to margin reviews and help maximise project profitability.

Ownership of Estimating Tools & Data

• Continually improve quoting tools to increase speed, consistency and accuracy across the business.
• Take ownership of Tecna's estimating tools, pricing matrices, calculators and costing databases.
• Develop systems that allow wider teams, including designers, to confidently generate standard project costings using trusted data.
• Identify repeat items, cost trends and opportunities for standardisation and process improvement.
• Support the development of estimating processes within Odoo and other business systems where appropriate.
• Own and maintain Tecna's approved supplier database.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with preferred suppliers and subcontractors.
• Monitor supplier pricing, lead times and market changes to ensure costing data remains accurate and competitive.
• Work closely with Production and Procurement to identify cost-saving opportunities and alternative solutions.
• Ensure all completed projects are reviewed against original estimates and target margins.
• Compare planned costs against actual costs to identify variances and lessons learned.
• Create feedback loops from completed projects to improve future estimate accuracy.
• Support the development of quote accuracy tracking and performance metrics.
• Provide meaningful commercial insight to support better decision-making across the business.

What Success Looks Like After 6 Months

• Estimating tools are trusted, accurate and used consistently across the business.
• Quote turnaround times have improved.
• Pricing coverage has expanded across a broader range of products and services.
• Every completed project is reconciled against estimated costs and achieved margins.
• A robust, reliable and commercially competitive supplier network is in place.
• A clear process exists for measuring quote accuracy and estimating performance.
• Strong collaboration is established between Estimating, Sales, Creative and Production teams.

What were looking for!

We're looking for someone who brings energy, pace and commercial thinking to everything they do.

• Previous experience in estimating, project costing or a similar commercial role.
• Strong commercial awareness with a good understanding of margins, profitability and cost control.
• Experience developing or improving estimating processes, tools or systems.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, specifications and scopes of work.
• Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Confident communicating with suppliers and internal stakeholders at all levels.
• Highly organised and able to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Proactive, driven and continually looking for opportunities to improve the way things are done.
• Strong Excel and data management skills.

Why Join Tecna?

This is an opportunity to make a real impact in a growing business. You'll have ownership of a critical function, the freedom to improve systems and processes, and the chance to influence how Tecna prices, delivers and improves projects across the business.

If you're commercially minded, thrive in a fast-paced environment, and enjoy turning data and insight into better business decisions, we'd love to hear from you.