Senior Quantity Surveyor

WOODplc; Houston (TX); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

John Wood Group PLC in Houston seeks a Senior Quantity Surveyor to lead tendering, cost estimation and commercial aspects of major projects. You will manage Bills of Quantities, pricing schedules, and contract terms, while guiding a QS team and maintaining strong client relationships.

The role emphasizes independent leadership, disciplined cost control, and proactive negotiation to secure favorable outcomes.

Qualifications

• Degree qualified in Quantity Surveying or similar.
• Significant Quantity Surveying / Commercial Management experience on major capital projects.
• Strong knowledge of measurement principles, Bills of Quantities, unit rates and reimbursable contracting.
• Experience in contract administration, change management, and final account settlement.
• Ability to lead assignments with limited supervision and provide clear commercial recommendations.
• Proven team player capable of leading a QS team.
• Excellent IT skills including MS Word, PowerPoint and advanced Excel.

Responsibilities

• Lead preparation and review of Bills of Quantities and pricing schedules for tenders.
• Develop contracts terms related to measurement, payment, variations and commercial administration.
• Support development of contracting and procurement strategies and tender negotiations.
• Prepare and review take-offs from drawings and cost estimates.
• Agree re-measurement quantities and interim/final accounts with Contractors.
• Liaise with project cost control teams to support reporting and forecasting.

Skills

Quantity Surveying

Commercial Management

Contract Negotiation

Analytical Skills

Client Relations

Excel Expertise

Team Leadership

Education

Degree in Quantity Surveying

Tools

MS Word

PowerPoint

Excel

Job description

In addition to the SQS accountabilities and responsibilities highlighted below, it would be expected for senior level personnel to:

• Help lead, guide & mentor junior member's of the team
• Build and maintain external client relationships
• Help development and deliver new business opportunities

Responsibilities

Prime responsibilities and duties

Pre-Contract

• Lead the preparation and review of Bills of Quantities, Schedules of Rates, pricing schedules and other commercial tender documentation.
• Preparation and development Preambles and Schedules of Rates, including input to Contract Payment terms and conditions, commensurate with client’s requirements.

• Support development of contracting and procurement strategies, including advice on appropriate pricing and compensation mechanisms.
• Lead or support commercial tender clarification meetings and negotiations with bidders.

Prepare normalized commercial bid comparisons, including assessment of exclusions, qualifications, escalation, provisional sums and commercial deviations.

• Develop independent cost estimates and commercial benchmarks to support tender evaluation and negotiation.
• Prepare and update take-off of quantities from AFC/IFC drawings.

• Review contractor pricing build ups, labour productivity assumptions, equipment rates, material pricing, indirect costs and mark ups.
• Provide input to contract terms relating to measurement, payment, variations, escalation, reimbursable costs and commercial administration.
• Support preparation of contract exhibits, commercial schedules and agreed post bid pricing documentation prior to award.

Post Contract

• Prepare re-measurement of quantities from AFC drawings and/or site implementation in accordance with the method of measurement in the contract.
• Agree re-measurement quantities with Contractor including identifying and agreeing star rates.
• Agree progress measurement with Contractor and prepare and submit interim valuations and final accounts including valuation of works completed.
• Establish validity, negotiate and agree value of Variation Requests and Claims received from Contractor.
• Liaise with Contracts Engineer, Cost Engineer and Cost Estimator to support effective project cost control and reporting.
• Prepare estimates as required including reviewing client and 3rd party estimates.
• Provide reasoned advice and forecasts on costs including conducting Contractor and Company audits.
• Prepare final account and effectively close-out contract including providing measurement data for benchmarking purposes.
• Set a personal example in relation to adherence to Business Ethics, Health and Safety requirements, Code of Business Conduct and other relevant Global Mandatory Procedures and Processes.

Qualifications

Skills and competencies

• Degree Qualified in Quantity Surveying or similar qualification
• Significant relevant Quantity Surveying / Commercial Management experience within major capital projects, preferably within energy, oil & gas, power, mining, infrastructure or industrial sectors.
• Strong working knowledge of measurement principles, Bills of Quantities, Schedules of Rates, unit rate and reimbursable contracting arrangements.
• Demonstrated experience in contract administration, change management, claims assessment, commercial negotiation and final account settlement.
• Ability to lead assignments with limited supervision and provide clear commercial recommendations to senior client stakeholders.
• Proven team player and capable of leading and motivating a QS team within rhi or client’s office
• Sound IT skills in MS Word, PowerPoint and Advanced Excel data manipulation skills
• Advanced analytical skills and ability to follow a structured approach
• Excellent communication skills, having the ability to sustain close client contact

Personal Attributes

• Highly organized, pragmatic, and reliable, with a high degree of accuracy through attention to detail
• Excellent oral and written communication skills
• Strong interpersonal skills, ability to work independently and collaboratively
• Confidentiality is essential

Flexible outlook, adaptable to changing priorities and comfortable managing workload and deadline pressures

About Us

Wood is a global leader in consulting, engineering and operations for the energy and materials sectors. With 33,000 people in around 50 countries, Wood supports clients across the full asset lifecycle, delivering safe, predictable outcomes while enabling resilient operations and a lower carbon future. Wood forms the Energy & Materials pillar of Sidara - a global partnership uniting leading multidisciplinary engineering, design, and project management companies. www.woodgroup.com

Diversity Statement

We are an equal opportunity employer that recognises the value of a diverse workforce. All suitably qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment on the basis of objective criteria and without regard to the following (which is a non-exhaustive list): race, colour, age, religion, gender, national origin, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or other characteristics in accordance with the relevant governing laws.

Job Info

• Job Identification 33279
• Job Category Project Control
• Posting Date 10/29/2026, 08:12 PM
• Apply Before 11/08/2026, 08:12 PM
• Job Schedule Full time
• Locations Houston, TX, United States (Hybrid)