Service Lead – Quantity Surveyor (Commercial)

Swindon Borough Council; Swindon; On-site; GBP 46,000 - 63,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Rewards and Benefits

Job summary

Swindon Borough Council in Swindon is seeking a Service Lead - Quantity Surveyor (Commercial) to drive commercial oversight across housing, improvements and capital projects. You will lead cost planning, tender evaluation, valuations, variations and final accounts, ensuring value for money and strong governance.

Candidate will have extensive experience in quantity surveying or commercial management within a local authority or social housing setting, with a degree in Quantity Surveying and active

Qualifications

• Experience in quantity surveying or commercial management within a local authority or social housing environment.
• Degree in Quantity Surveying or professional qualification desirable; membership of a recognised professional body such as RICS; health and safety qualification beneficial.

Responsibilities

• Lead on commercial and cost management activities across housing, improvements and capital programmes.
• Cost planning, tender preparation and evaluation, valuations, variations and final accounts.
• Oversee contractor performance from a commercial perspective and manage risk.

Skills

Quantity surveying

Commercial management

Contract administration

Public sector procurement

Budget management

Team leadership

Risk management

Education

Degree in Quantity Surveying

RICS member (preferred)

Job description

Service Lead - Quantity Surveyor (Commercial)

Re: 185513

Salary: £54,495 p.a. plus benefits

Please note: 3.3% national pay award increase to be applied in October.

37 hours per week

Swindon Borough Council are on an exciting journey to transform service delivery. We want our town to be the best it can be. Our ambitious vision in the new Swindon Plan is supported by realistic transformation programmes, with the people of Swindon at their heart. Because that’s who we’re doing it for – the communities and businesses that make our town great. As part of the Council, you’ll support a friendly local authority making decisions with real impact. It’s all for better public services. Better processes. And a better quality of life, for everyone. Join us, and Swindon will be better with you.

Your next role

Housing and Corporate Repairs sit at the heart of people’s everyday lives, and we’re on a improvement journey to transform how we deliver for our residents. Our ambition is clear: to provide outstanding customer service, deliver value for money, and build modern, responsive services centred around residents’ needs.

It’s an exciting time to join us. We’re investing heavily, embracing innovation, and empowering our teams to make a real difference.

This role plays a vital part in ensuring strong commercial control and value for money across the Council’s planned maintenance, improvement and capital investment programmes. Reporting to the Service Manager, you will act as the service’s principal Quantity Surveyor, taking responsibility for commercial oversight, cost control and contractual assurance across a range of housing and corporate property projects.

You will lead on commercial and cost management activities throughout the lifecycle of works, including cost planning, tender preparation and evaluation, valuations, variations and final accounts. Working closely with surveyors, internal colleagues, contractors and consultants, you will provide clear advice and challenge to ensure projects are delivered within agreed budgets and contractual frameworks. Your role will involve overseeing contractor performance from a commercial perspective, managing risk and resolving issues to maintain financial control, transparency and compliance.

With responsibility for leading a small professional team and overseeing significant budgets, you will take ownership of governance, performance reporting and continuous improvement in commercial practice. You’ll contribute to procurement strategies, support strategic decision-making and help embed a strong culture of accountability and best practice in contract administration, ensuring the Council achieves sustainable, cost‑effective outcomes while maintaining quality and safety.

We are looking for someone with strong experience in quantity surveying or commercial management within a local authority or social housing environment. You’ll have a solid understanding of contract administration, cost control and public sector procurement, along with experience managing contractors, budgets and professional teams. A degree or professional qualification in Quantity Surveying is desirable, as is membership of a recognised professional body such as RICS and a relevant health and safety qualification. You will bring a confident, methodical approach, strong commercial judgement and the ability to work collaboratively to deliver value‑driven outcomes.

This role is a hybrid working role.- 4 days in the office 1 day working from home.

The ability to travel throughout the Borough is required, access to a car for daily use is a requirement.

You must be fluent in the English language (as a requirement of Part 7 of the Immigration Act “for the effective performance of a customer-facing role”).

Your next package

Please see our Rewards and Benefits offer for more details.

As an employee, you will receive a diverse and exciting environment in which to work, encouraging creativity and innovation whilst recognising the need to support ongoing personal development and a flexible work life balance.

For Swindon to thrive in the future, we need to lay the foundations now. It’s why our regeneration and transformation programmes are already underway. So, you’ll be joining us at an exciting time on our journey. We’ll look to you to share your knowledge, influence decisions and drive real, positive change. With your contributions, we’ll achieve our vision of a prosperous, revitalised Swindon together. And you’ll be proud to say it was made better with you.

Please see our Vision and Values page for more details and our new Swindon Plan.

Your next steps

Please read the role profile, which is available in the documents section to the righthand side of the page.

As an inclusive employer, we welcome applications from a diverse range of communities, and in particular disabled people and people from ethnic minorities. Read our statement of commitment to equality & inclusion.

For further information about the role please contact Andrea Lomax, Service Manager, Planned Maintenance - Technical Services on [e-mail]

If you are experiencing technical issues submitting your application, please email [e-mail]

Closing date: 27 September 2026

Interview date: 30 September 2026