Technical Estimator

Oliver Valves Ltd; Knutsford; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

31 days annual leave

Pension plan

Medical cash plan

Long service award

Employee assistance programme

Job summary

Oliver Valves Ltd in Knutsford is seeking a Technical Estimator to generate competitive quotes for bar, forgings and fasteners, and to drive total cost reduction across materials, labour and machining. The role is office-based on Parkgate Industrial Estate with standard hours.

You will bridge supply chain and internal teams, interpret drawings for pricing, assess supplier capacity, and support production scheduling while upholding quality standards and compliant pricing.

Qualifications

• Solid engineering or machine shop background.
• Ability to interpret machine drawings for pricing.
• Strong understanding of commodity markets and metals standards.
• Experience with supplier costing and negotiation.
• Experience with ERP and MS Office.

Responsibilities

• Generate competitive quotes for client enquiries including bar, forgings, and fasteners.
• Drive cost optimization across materials, labour, machining, and components.
• Monitor supplier capacity to optimize lead times and keep production schedule agile.
• Coordinate between supply chain and internal departments to ensure production flow.
• Ensure quoted components meet defined technical specifications and quality standards.

Skills

Engineering background

Machine shop experience

Interpret drawings

Negotiation

Commodity management

ERP systems (Syteline)

MS Office

Analytical mindset

Vendor management

Tools

Syteline ERP

Job description

Role: Technical Estimator

Location: Knutsford, Parkgate Industrial Estate (office based)

Working Hours: Monday to Friday, 08:30 - 17:00

About Us

With over 45 years of valve technology innovations, Oliver Valves is a global leader in the design, manufacture, and supply of high-quality valves and valve systems, serving industries such as oil and gas, petrochemical, and other critical sectors. We have won recognised awards for Export, Manufacturing and Growth – as well as the coveted Queens Award and more recently Kings Award for Industry. We’re a profitable, privately owned, and fast-moving company looking for talented individuals to join our team and deliver our strategic objectives.

What You’ll Be Doing

• Precision Quoting: Generate competitive costs against client enquiries, specifically pricing key commodities including bar, forgings, and fasteners.
• Cost Optimization: Drive the reduction of total acquisition costs across raw materials, labour, machining, and finished components.
• Supply Chain Intelligence: Monitor supplier capacity to optimize lead times and ensure our production schedule remains agile.
• Stakeholder Engagement: Act as the bridge between the supply chain and internal operational departments to ensure seamless production flow.
• Quality Assurance: Ensure all quoted components strictly adhere to defined technical specifications and quality standards.

What You’ll Bring

• The Technical "Know-How": A solid engineering or machine shop background is essential. You must be able to interpret machine drawings to determine accurate pricing.
• Market Acumen: An excellent understanding of commodity markets and the technical standards of metals.
• Negotiation Power: Proven ability to influence vendors and stakeholders to achieve better costs and reduced lead times.
• Systems Fluency: Experience working within an integrated ERP system (Syteline would be advantageous) and proficiency in Microsoft Office.
• Analytical Mindset: Strong organizational skills with a track record of implementing successful costing techniques.
• Demonstrable experience in commodity management and reducing overall acquisition costs.
• Direct experience working with or within machine shops.
• Proven ability to manage high-value spend in a fast-paced engineering environment.

What’s On Offer

• A competitive salary that is negotiable based on skill and experience level.
• Discretionary bonus after 1 years' service
• 31 days annual leave (inclusive of bank holidays) which increases with tenure.
• Pension with 5% employee contribution and 4% employer contribution.
• Medical cash plan benefits, covering essential healthcare costs such as dental treatment, check-ups, optical care, physiotherapy, and more.
• Long service awards, recognising your continued commitment.
• Access to an Employee Assistance Programme, offering free and confidential support.