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- Tasks: Lead the estimating team and develop competitive bids for major contracts.
- Company: Join Mears Group, a leader in social housing and construction services.
- Benefits: Enjoy a competitive salary, car allowance, and generous annual leave.
- Why this job: Make a significant impact on business growth while shaping commercial strategies.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in social housing estimating and strong leadership skills.
- Other info: Work remotely with opportunities for UK travel and career development.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 £ per year.
Mears Group is seeking an exceptional Head of Estimating to lead our commercial estimating and tendering function at a strategic level. This is a pivotal senior leadership role, shaping how we price, win and mobilise major contracts across the organisation. If you are commercially astute, influential at senior levels, and passionate about driving excellence in tendering, this is an opportunity to make a significant impact on the future growth of our business.
As Head of Estimating, you will take ownership of developing robust, compliant and commercially competitive bids across a wide range of workstreams, including Repairs & Maintenance (such as M&E and Planned Works), Central Government housing and support services, Decarbonisation and Net Zero programmes, and DLO support. You will shape the commercial strategy behind each opportunity, building cost models from first principles, driving value engineering, and ensuring risks and assumptions are clearly understood. Working closely with Business Development, Operations and Legal teams, you will influence strategic bid decisions and ensure our proposals support sustainable growth and margin protection. Your leadership will set the standard for commercial governance, pricing excellence and the continuous improvement of our estimating function.
Key Responsibilities- Lead the creation of high-quality commercial proposals tailored to individual opportunities
- Develop cost models from first principles and drive pricing strategy and value engineering
- Provide senior leadership with clear commercial analysis, risk positions and recommendations
- Partner with internal teams to shape strategic bid decisions and contract risk assessments
- Ensure all submissions are compliant, well-documented and commercially sound
- Lead competitive dialogue, clarifications, RFIs and post-tender negotiations
- Oversee commercial review of contracts and legal documentation
- Enhance estimating methodologies, tools, templates and documentation standards
- Present commercial proposals to Directors and the Senior Management Team
- Embed tender assumptions and methodologies into mobilisation and operational teams
- Engage with supply chain partners to secure competitive and deliverable pricing
- Play a key role in mobilisation of successful tenders, challenging assumptions to drive profitability
- Translate estimating assumptions into operational cost monitoring
- Analyse outturn performance to inform future bids and build a commercial knowledge base
- Lead, mentor and develop the Estimating Team, fostering technical excellence and collaboration
- Identify capability gaps and champion learning, systems improvement and performance management
- Extensive experience in social housing estimating, including expert knowledge of NHF Schedule of Rates
- Proven ability to develop pricing strategies and deliver value engineering solutions
- Strong track record in post-tender negotiations and contract award processes
- End-to-end tender lifecycle experience, from pricing to mobilisation
- Strong working knowledge of standard forms of contract
- Experience presenting commercial proposals at senior leadership level
- Ability to manage multiple bids under demanding deadlines
- Demonstrable leadership experience in building high-performing teams
- Experience at Head of / Senior Manager level within a large contracting or housing services organisation
- Familiarity with sector-standard estimating systems and analytical tools
- Professional qualification in Quantity Surveying or Construction Management
- Strategic commercial thinker with strong influencing capability
- Excellent communicator, able to simplify complex commercial reasoning
- High numerical accuracy and attention to detail
- Proactive problem solver committed to continuous improvement
- Collaborative leader with a passion for developing people
- Family friendly policies, including enhanced maternity/paternity leave and much more
- 25 days annual leave plus
Head of Estimating in Gloucester employer: Livin Housing Limited
Contact Detail:
Livin Housing Limited Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Head of Estimating in Gloucester
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to industry contacts on LinkedIn or attend relevant events. We all know that sometimes it’s not just what you know, but who you know that can help you land that Head of Estimating role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching the company and its recent projects. We want you to be able to discuss how your experience aligns with their needs, especially in areas like pricing strategy and value engineering.
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your pitch! Be ready to present your commercial proposals and ideas clearly and confidently. We suggest rehearsing with a friend or mentor to get feedback and refine your delivery.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, we love seeing candidates who are proactive about their job search.
We think you need these skills to ace Head of Estimating in Gloucester
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your Application: Make sure to customise your CV and cover letter for the Head of Estimating role. Highlight your experience in social housing estimating and any relevant leadership roles you've held. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Showcase Your Achievements: Don’t just list your responsibilities; share specific examples of successful bids or projects you've led. Quantify your achievements where possible, as this helps us understand the impact you've made in previous roles.
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it straightforward and to the point. Use clear language to explain your experience and how it relates to the role. We appreciate a well-structured application that’s easy to read!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to submit your application through our website. This ensures we receive all your details correctly and can process your application efficiently. Plus, it shows you're keen on joining our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Livin Housing Limited
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Head of Estimating, you'll need to demonstrate your numerical accuracy and attention to detail. Brush up on key metrics and cost models relevant to the role. Be prepared to discuss how you've developed pricing strategies in the past and how you approach value engineering.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
This role requires strong leadership capabilities. Think about examples where you've led teams or mentored colleagues. Be ready to share how you've fostered collaboration and technical excellence within your team, as well as how you've identified and addressed capability gaps.
✨Understand the Tender Process
Familiarise yourself with the end-to-end tender lifecycle. Be prepared to discuss your experience with post-tender negotiations and how you've ensured compliance in submissions. Highlight any specific methodologies or tools you've used to enhance estimating processes.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
You'll be presenting commercial proposals to senior management, so practice simplifying complex commercial reasoning. Think of ways you've successfully engaged with internal teams and external partners to secure competitive pricing and ensure deliverable outcomes.
