Senior Estimator
Leading International Engineering Contractor | Nuclear Infrastructure | Workington-based | Staff Role | Competitive Salary
The Opportunity
We're recruiting a Senior Estimator to prepare detailed and accurate pricing for major tenders and support clients with pricing on early contractor involvement projects. You'll be responsible for comprehensive cost estimation across labour, plant, materials, subcontracts and preliminaries, working closely with bid managers, planners, procurement and technical teams to deliver competitive, robust pricing submissions.
Position Details: Permanent Staff Role | Competitive salary | Based in Workington | Full-time office based with 1 day per week remote working post-probation | SC clearance required (ability to obtain) | Reports to Head of Bid Management
This is a senior technical role for an experienced estimator with nuclear industry background. You'll manage pricing strategy, develop cost estimates, lead supplier and subcontractor negotiations, and ensure all bids are competitively priced and compliant with client requirements. You'll manage assistant estimators and collaborate across bid management, planning, procurement and operations teams.
What You'll Be Doing
Estimate Preparation & Pricing Strategy
- Prepare detailed and accurate pricing for major tenders
- Develop cost-effective design options and price alternatives
- Ensure company governance procedures and competitive pricing methodologies are followed
- Agree estimation methodologies and outputs with planners, bid managers and design teams
- Provide cost advice to bid and design managers on value engineering opportunities
Labour Costing
- Develop local and build-up rates for self-delivered labour
- Ensure compliance with Working Rule Agreements and client-specific requirements
- Prepare scheme-specific labour rate calculations
- Coordinate staffing levels and labour programme with operations teams
- Manage shift patterns and overtime rates in compliance with Working Time Directive
Plant & Equipment
- Develop local and build-up rates for plant and equipment
- Liaise with planners to reconcile plant resource levels
- Ensure plant requirements are appropriately costed and resourced
Materials & Procurement
- Prepare material comparison sheets considering unit rates, wastage, waiting times and part loads
- Liaise with procurement to identify and select appropriate suppliers
- Review supplier quotations for sufficiency and compliance
- Agree material supplier selections with procurement and bid team
- Manage material cost management and supplier negotiations
Subcontract Management
- Liaise with procurement and bid team to identify and select subcontractors
- Review subcontractor quotations for sufficiency and compliance
- Prepare subcontractor comparison sheets with rate adjustments/deletions
- Agree subcontractor selections with procurement and bid manager
- Manage subcontract cost negotiations and inclusions/exclusions
Preliminaries & Temporary Works
- Coordinate with planners and temporary works coordinators on extent and cost of temporary works
- Agree temporary works costs and methodology
- Liaise with planners to determine preliminary duration and overall project timescales
- Ensure all client requirements are included (CCS, CEEQUAL, etc.)
Risk & Value Management
- Input into tender risk and opportunity registers with bid manager and risk team
- Identify and quantify cost risks and opportunities
- Contribute to value engineering and cost optimisation discussions
Tender Submission & Settlement
- Prepare top-sheet tender summaries and supporting cost build-up sheets
- Present pricing build-up at pre-settlement and settlement meetings
- Prepare adjustment sheets reflecting settlement decisions
- Prepare final pricing documentation ensuring positive cash flow throughout project lifecycle
- Coordinate contract data and form of tender documentation with bid manager
- Address post-tender clarifications and amendments from clients
Post-Tender Activities
- Prepare handover pricing documentation for project managers and commercial managers
- Attend handover meetings with bid managers on successful bids
- Coordinate bid reviews and feedback analysis on unsuccessful tenders
About You
Essential Qualifications & Experience
- Degree in quantity surveying, construction management or related discipline - or equivalent professional qualification
- MUST HAVE: Nuclear industry experience - demonstrated background estimating on nuclear or similar regulated infrastructure projects
- Minimum 8-10 years' estimating experience on major infrastructure tenders
- Proven track record on competitive tenders for Tier 1 or Tier 2 contractors
- Expert-level knowledge of:
- Labour cost build-ups and compliance (WRA, London Living Wage, etc.)
- Plant and equipment costing
- Material procurement and supplier management
- Subcontract assessment and cost management
- Temporary works and preliminaries pricing
- Risk identification and quantification
- Strong understanding of:
- Tender procedures and client requirements
- Commercial and contractual matters
- Working Time Directive and labour compliance
- Cost control and value engineering principles
- Proficiency in estimating software - Comapny systems, Excel and cost management tools
- Excellent communication skills - confident presenting pricing at settlement meetings and liaising with multiple stakeholders
- Collaborative approach - comfortable working across bid teams, procurement, planning and operations
- Attention to detail - accuracy essential in cost build-ups and tender documentation
- Strategic thinking - ability to develop competitive, risk-aware pricing strategies
Desirable
- Chartered Surveyor (RICS) or equivalent professional qualification
- Experience managing assistant estimators or junior team members
- Familiarity with collaborative working on early contractor involvement projects
- Experience on large, complex nuclear or infrastructure projects
- Knowledge of client value frameworks (CCS, CEEQUAL, etc.)
- Experience with 4D scheduling and time-related cost management
- Value engineering and cost optimisation expertise
Security Clearance
You must be able to obtain SC (Security Clearance) to work on nuclear infrastructure projects. BPSS is the minimum starting point.
The Role in Practice
You'll be based in Workington, working as part of the bid management team. You'll report to the Head of Bid Management and manage assistant estimators, collaborating closely with bid managers, planners, procurement teams and operations leads.
This is hands-on estimating work on strategically important nuclear infrastructure tenders. You'll be producing detailed cost estimates, managing supplier and subcontractor negotiations, presenting pricing at settlement meetings, and ensuring bids are competitive and compliant. Your estimating expertise, attention to detail and ability to work collaboratively across multiple functions directly impact bid success and project profitability.
Why This Role
You'll be working for a leading international engineering contractor on major nuclear infrastructure programmes. This is professional estimating work where your expertise in cost analysis, supplier management and value engineering is genuinely valued. You'll be working with experienced bid teams on strategically important, complex tenders where technical accuracy and commercial thinking matter.
The role offers a competitive permanent salary, career development on significant UK nuclear projects, and the opportunity to influence how major infrastructure programmes are costed and delivered.