Senior Cost Engineer Infra Land

Van Oord; Rotterdam; Hybrid; EUR 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Travel allowance (€0.31 per km)

Home office allowance (€2,45 per day)

32 leave days per year

Pension scheme

Collective health insurance (optional)

Flexible hybrid work policy

Job summary

Van Oord, a leading Dutch contractor, seeks a Senior Cost Engineer to drive cost estimates and risk-informed tenders within the Infra Land line. You will join the Tendering & Engineering (T&E) team, combining technical and financial insight to shape competitive proposals for the Netherlands and nearby countries.

You will guide colleagues, contribute to complex bids, and travel to project sites to define assumptions and ensure execution-ready costbases.

Qualifications

• Experience in preparing project calculations for civil engineering/infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of geotechnics, equipment, and complex execution methods.
• Strong advisory and strategic insight for tenders.
• Coaching and mentoring cost engineers.

Responsibilities

• Prepare multidisciplinary and complex cost estimates for infrastructure projects.
• Lead and coordinate estimating teams during tenders.
• Conduct and review extensive risk analyses.
• Advise on execution strategies and contractual options.
• Coach fellow cost engineers and share knowledge.
• Visit project locations to define assumptions and frameworks.
• Capture lessons learned for future tenders.

Skills

Cost estimating

Civil engineering

Geotechnics

Advisory skills

Coaching

Education

Civil Engineering degree

Job description

At Van Oord, we work every day on projects that protect and connect the Netherlands. Think of dyke reinforcements, coastal protection, and new infrastructure connections that contribute to a safe and accessible country. Examples include projects such as the Afsluitdijk, ViA15, several KRW and PAGW projects, and dyke reinforcement projects such as Tiel–Waardenburg, IJsselmeerdijk, and Groene Rivier Well. Behind every successful project is a strong tender team where engineering, strategy, and financial expertise come together.

As a Senior Cost Engineer, you play a key role in this process. You ensure that complex infrastructure projects are supported by solid technical foundations and realistic financial estimates. With your experience, you help us make smart decisions in design, execution, and risk management. In doing so, you directly contribute to projects that make a real difference for the Netherlands.

For this role, we are looking for an experienced professional with a strong technical background and sharp analytical skills. You are able to quickly understand complex projects and translate technical details into realistic cost estimates and strategic advice.

You bring:

• A bachelor’s or master’s degree in Civil Engineering.
• Extensive experience in preparing project calculations for civil engineering and/or infrastructure projects.
• Knowledge of geotechnics, equipment, and complex execution methods.
• Strategic insight and strong advisory skills.
• Coaching abilities and the capability to help colleagues further develop themselves.

We offer you a position in which you will have an important contribution to our mission 'building a better world for future generations'. In addition, we offer you:

• A salary that matches your responsibilities and experience;
• Travel allowance (€0.31 per km) and home office allowance (€2,45 per day);
• 32 leave days per year;
• Variable bonus;
• Pension scheme;
• Collective health insurance (optional);
• Flexible working from home policy, 2 days a week when working on a full-time basis;
• Extensive learning and (personal) development possibilities, including a wide range of online courses via Goodhabitz;
• You can join communities, like Young Van Oord, Van Oord Women and the Van Oord staff association;
• We organise several (sport) events, e.g. winter sport, weekend of sailing, cycling and a motorcycle tour.

In this senior role, you are the technical and financial conscience of our more complex tenders within the Infra Land product line. You work closely with tender managers, project managers, and engineers to develop strong and competitive proposals.

You combine technical expertise with leadership: while actively contributing to cost estimates yourself, you also guide and support colleagues within the estimating team. You look beyond the numbers and focus on smart solutions and practical execution strategies.

Your responsibilities include:

• Preparing multidisciplinary and complex cost estimates for infrastructure and dyke reinforcement projects.
• Leading and coordinating estimating teams during tenders.
• Conducting and reviewing extensive risk analyses.
• Advising on alternatives, execution strategies, and contractual choices.
• Coaching and mentoring fellow cost engineers.
• Visiting project locations to define project assumptions and frameworks.
• Safeguarding knowledge and lessons learned for future tenders.

Your working environment

You will join Tendering & Engineering (T&E): the technical and strategic heart of Van Oord. Here, knowledge and experience from different disciplines come together to develop innovative solutions for complex projects.

Within the Infra Land product line, you will work on infrastructure projects in the Netherlands and surrounding countries. You will become part of an integrated tender team and a professional network of more than 30 cost engineers within the Business Unit Dredging & Infra, including 6 within Infra Land. Together, you ensure that our tenders are technically strong, financially competitive, and executable.

You will work closely with tender management, IPM team members, and other technical specialists. In this environment, you will have plenty of room to take initiative, share knowledge, and contribute to the further development of our tendering processes.