Senior Quantity Surveyor

Balfour Beatty plc; Dartford; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Salary

37.5 hours per week

25 days holiday

Pension scheme

Smart working

Family friendly policies

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc seeks a Senior Quantity Surveyor to lead commercial management on major projects, including NEC4 contracts and risk/forecasting activities. Based around London Power Tunnels and supported from the Dartford office, you will mentor QS teams and drive value through effective commercial controls.

You will manage budgets, variations, and final accounts while ensuring governance and timely reporting to senior stakeholders.

Qualifications

• Experience managing commercial activities on major construction or infrastructure projects.
• Strong knowledge of NEC contracts (NEC4 preferred).
• Ability to manage risk, change, and cost forecasting.
• Excellent negotiation and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Lead the commercial management of assigned projects, ensuring adherence to contract conditions (NEC4 or equivalent).
• Manage project budgets, forecasting, cost reporting (CVRs), and change control processes.
• Prepare, assess, and agree compensation events, valuations, and final accounts.
• Ensure payment mechanisms, applications, and certifications are managed accurately and on time.
• Manage subcontract procurement strategies, including tendering, negotiation, and contract award.
• Identify, manage, and mitigate commercial and contractual risks.
• Support governance approvals and ensure compliance with internal controls.
• Provide clear commercial advice to project teams and senior stakeholders.
• Contribute to dispute avoidance and support resolution procedures.
• Provide line management, mentoring, and technical guidance to Quantity Surveyors and Assistant Quantity Surveyors.
• Collaborate with project managers, procurement, legal, and finance teams to support delivery.
• Build relationships with clients, supply chain partners and internal stakeholders.
• Produce accurate, timely commercial reports for internal review and senior leadership.

Skills

Commercial management

NEC contracts

Risk management

Stakeholder management

Mentoring

Leadership

Education

Chartered qualification (RICS/CIOB/ICES)

Job description

About the role

The Senior Quantity Surveyor is responsible for the commercial management of projects from pre‑contract through to final account, ensuring effective cost control, value for money, commercial compliance, and proactive risk management. The role provides leadership to the commercial team and supports the successful delivery of projects in line with contractual, financial, and governance requirements.

The Senior Quantity Surveyor will seek to minimise project costs while maximising value, ensuring that the highest standards of safety, quality, and performance are achieved. The role typically requires a Chartered Member of RICS, ICES, or CIOB (or working towards chartership), with proven experience in managing and mentoring less‑experienced members of the commercial team, supporting their development towards professional qualification.

The role also requires a commitment to maintaining Continuing Professional Development (CPD) and contributing to the ongoing development of commercial capability within the wider project team.

This position will be based on the London Power Tunnels Project, with roles located across London, supported from the Dartford office.

What you'll be doing

• Lead the commercial management of assigned projects, ensuring adherence to contract conditions (typically NEC4 or equivalent).
• Manage project budgets, forecasting, cost reporting (CVRs), and change control processes.
• Prepare, assess, and agree compensation events, valuations, and final accounts.
• Ensure payment mechanisms, applications, and certifications are managed accurately and on time.
• Manage subcontract procurement strategies, including tendering, negotiation, and contract award.
• Identify, manage, and mitigate commercial and contractual risks.
• Support governance approvals and ensure compliance with internal commercial and financial controls.
• Provide clear commercial advice to project teams and senior stakeholders.
• Contribute to dispute avoidance and, where necessary, support resolution procedures.
• Provide line management, mentoring, and technical guidance to Quantity Surveyors and Assistant Quantity Surveyors.
• Collaborate with project managers, procurement, legal, and finance teams to support successful project delivery.
• Build effective relationships with clients, supply chain partners, and internal stakeholders.
• Produce accurate, timely commercial reports for internal review and senior leadership.
• Ensure robust record-keeping and audit trail in line with contractual and business requirements.
• Support continuous improvement initiatives within commercial processes and systems.

Who we're looking for

An organised, innovative, and creative Senior Quantity Surveyor with enthusiasm for gaining knowledge and experience of working on diverse Projects and Portfolio’s.

• Strong experience managing commercial activities on major construction or infrastructure projects.
• Excellent working knowledge of NEC contracts (NEC3/NEC4 preferred).
• Proven ability to manage risk, change, and cost forecasting.
• Strong negotiation, communication, and stakeholder management skills.
• Experience leading or mentoring commercial team members.
• High level of commercial awareness and attention to detail.
• Demonstration of working to deadlines, working efficiently and to a high standard.
• Excellent communication skills with all internal and external stakeholders
• Demonstration of resilience and determination to succeed (achievement focus).
• Proactively manage opportunities, risks, and threats

Why work for us

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions was not rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You will have the freedom to shape the package that is right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

• Competitive Salary
• 37.5 hours Monday to Friday (part time applicants welcomed).
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Pension scheme, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more.
• Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish
  times, as well as opportunities for remote working where the role allows.
• Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave.

About us

Our skilled and dedicated teams deliver a range of proactive and reactive services which support a reliable and safe supply of power flowing to millions of homes and businesses around the world. Our contracts range from 50,000 schemes to 100 million plus major projects.

Balfour Beatty's Power Transmission & Distribution teams work with regional, national and international electricity network owners and operators to provide technical engineering solutions. With experience and expertise across the full spectrum of the electricity grid our teams have capability across overhead lines, cable tunnels, distribution networks and substations. From scoping and feasibility, to design, construction and on-going maintenance, our in-house experts, flexible resources and industry-leading innovations support clients in the development of some of the world's most ambitious power transmission and distribution projects.

At Balfour Beatty we are committed to creating a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture where everyone can be themselves and reach their full potential, not only because this is the right thing to do, but because it makes us a better business. To ensure we deliver on this commitment, we have a UK Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan which sets out the wide range of targeted, proactive, measurable steps we are taking to make this a reality. You can read our UK Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan in full at www.balfourbeatty.com/value_everyone

To help and support us with our desired commitment to create an inclusive culture we are members of WISE, enei, Business Disability Forum and Women into Construction. In 2020, we signed the Audeliss and Involve Open Letter to demonstrate our commitment to taking key long term and sustainable actions on Black Inclusion. Balfour Beatty is also a Gold Award holder in the Ministry of Defence 'Employer Recognition Scheme' and actively encourage applications from Armed Forces personnel, veterans and reservists.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we are committed to working with people who have disabilities and long-term health conditions to remove barriers for them in obtaining employment. We are also committed to offering applicants with a disability an interview if they meet the minimum requirements for the role.

Further information on Disability Confident can be found at https://disabilityconfident.campaign.gov.uk/