Senior Estimator in Watford

At Elmcroft, we are a family-run groundworks specialist with nearly five decades of experience supporting the modular construction sector. From site surveys through to civils construction and final landscaping, we deliver turnkey groundwork and enabling solutions that help our partners bring projects to life. Built on strong relationships, ethical working practices and a commitment to quality, our reputation has been forged through reliable delivery and exceptional service.

We are now looking for a Senior Estimator to join us on a full-time, permanent basis, working Monday to Friday, 7:30am – 4:30pm.

The Benefits

• Salary of up to £90,000, depending on experience
• Discretionary Bonus Plan (after three months)
• Genuine autonomy and career progression
• One day working from home per week after the onboarding period

This is a fantastic opportunity for a talented groundworks, earthworks or civils estimator with specific expertise in drainage, foundations, concrete works, externals and associated civils to join our specialist construction firm. You'll have the chance to take ownership of our estimating function, in a role with genuine autonomy and plenty of scope to further develop and specialise your experience. What's more, you'll discover a market-leading rewards package, significant benefits and real growth and enhancement prospects, coupled with hybrid working, giving you flexibility in how you work to top off this exceptional role.

The Role

As a Senior Estimator, you will lead our estimating function, taking responsibility for the preparation, management and continuous improvement of bids across a wide range of groundworks and civils projects. Initially, you will bring our estimating function fully in-house, establishing a consistent and reliable approach to tendering, developing robust estimating processes, tools and controls, and ensuring all submissions are commercially sound and professionally presented. Delivering a pipeline of up to 20-30 small and large tenders each week, you will ensure every submission is accurate, competitive and supported by clear assumptions, risk ownership and pricing integrity. You will help strengthen our supply chain, improve margin reliability and build scalable estimating processes that support future growth. You will also play an important role in shaping the future of the department, creating the foundations for the development of an estimating team.

Additionally, you will:

• Produce bids for projects valued up to £3m+
• Prepare take-offs and cost estimates
• Manage commercial and delivery risks
• Drive value engineering opportunities
• Lead handovers into project delivery teams

About You

To be considered as a Senior Estimator, you will need:

• Proven estimating experience in groundworks, earthworks or civils
• Strong ability to interpret engineering drawings, specifications and tender documentation
• Confidence producing take-offs and pricing for drainage, foundations, concrete works, externals and associated civils
• Strong commercial judgement with the ability to identify risk, challenge ambiguity and protect margin through assumptions and clarifications
• The ability to manage a mixed tender pipeline with calm prioritisation
• Strong communication skills with the ability to explain pricing logic, risks and options to non-estimators
• Strong IT and digital capability, including Bluebeam and Excel for analysis, comparisons and audit trails
• High attention to detail with a track record of estimates that stand up in delivery

Webrecruit and Elmcroft are equal opportunities employers, value diversity and are strongly committed to providing equal employment opportunities for all employees and all applicants for employment. Equal opportunities are the only acceptable way to conduct business and we believe that the more inclusive our environments are, the better our work will be.