Purpose of the Role
The Senior Cost Manager/Senior Quantity Surveyor will provide commercial and cost management support across a portfolio of engineering, infrastructure, or capital delivery programmes. The role ensures governance, commercial compliance, accurate cost reporting, and value for money across assigned projects.
This includes working proactively with project teams to support programme delivery, contractual compliance, best-practice commercial management, and accurate forecasting.
Commercial Management
- Provide commercial assurance across programmes, including capital delivery contracts
- Prepare, review, and manage service orders, call-off orders, or similar contract mechanisms
- Challenge, negotiate, and agree project tenders across the assigned portfolio
- Ensure appropriate commercial processes are in place and monitored for contractual compliance, identifying non-performance and supporting corrective actions
- Provide contractual advice and support to project and delivery teams
- Maintain high standards of commercial, contractual, and governance documentation
Cost Control & Reporting
- Produce project and programme-level cost reports and forecasts
- Track committed, forecast, and actual expenditure
- Support the management and optimisation of budgets and spend across the project portfolio
- Audit and agree project accounts
- Identify and manage cost transfers across project codes where required
- Analyse financial performance, scrutinise forecasts, and validate anticipated spend
Contract Administration
- Support procurement and Request for Proposal (RFP) processes
- Use of CEMAR for contract administration and communications
- Assess and negotiate changes, variations, quantum of change, and extensions of time under relevant contracts
- Ensure payments are made on time and in accordance with contract requirements
- Support the Senior, Principal, and Managing Quantity Surveyors with claims and dispute resolution
Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership
- Attend monthly site meetings and engage with delivery partners and contractors
- Work collaboratively with engineering, project management, and commercial teams
- Provide commercial training and guidance to improve commercial capability across teams
- Manage team members to ensure responsibilities are delivered effectively
Minimum Qualifications
- Degree-level qualification in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management, Engineering, or related discipline
- Chartered status (RICS, CIOB, or equivalent) desirable
Minimum Experience
- Minimum 6 years post-graduate experience in a cost management or quantity surveying role
- Experience working on infrastructure, utilities, water, construction, or engineering projects
- Demonstrable ability to operate independently at a senior level