Associate Director - Estimating - Tunnels/Civils

About Mace

At Mace, our purpose is to redefine the boundaries of ambition. We believe in creating places that are responsible, bringing transformative impact to our people, communities and societies across the globe.

The Project

The project: Our client is the utilities provider in the South‑East geographic area. Their purpose is to deliver services in an environmentally sustainable, economically beneficial, and socially responsible manner and create sustainable long‑term value for all.

Our Values

• Safety first – Going home safe and well
• Client focus – Deliver on our promise
• Integrity – Always do the right thing
• Create opportunity – For our people to excel

Be a part of our cost and commercial management centre that spans our five global hubs, where we oversee major events and infrastructure programmes of work for world‑leading organisations across the public and private sectors.

The estimating function shall ensure that cost plans are robust, integrated, represent value for money, and are supported by consistent internal and external benchmarking data. It will also ensure that the scope of services is held as an integrated baseline (scope, cost and time) within infrastructure project controls systems. The estimating function shall also assist in pricing risk and change values.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to continuous improvement of estimating processes and digital workflows.
• Setting an estimating plan and strategy with the team and ensuring compliance.
• Preparing Initial cost plans at pre‑concept and concept stages.
• Refining the cost plans through all stages to detailed design arriving at full estimates quantification.
• Liaising with specialists and contractors to obtain cost advice and data.
• Benchmarking both cost and functional spaces and quantities.
• Costing data analysis, including researching appropriate cost data for use within the estimates and refining to reflect project specific requirements.
• Identifying key cost drivers and briefing the team to drive design to a solution within budget.
• Producing reports at various stages.
• Working with design and construction teams and providing commercial and cost advice.
• Changing control contribution to ensure budgets reflect the current scope.
• Challenging and contributing to alternative solutions to ensure budgets are maintained.
• Value management and value engineering, commercial input.
• Understanding of three‑point estimating techniques including application of levels of uncertainty, risk, and modelling of estimates.
• Ability to support producing cost plans and estimates that consider site specific requirements, construction methods, and allowances for temporary and abortive works.
• Provide support in 2D and 3D/BIM takeoff.
• Develop and maintain live‑linked estimating workbooks and cost databases.
• Manage auto‑revisioning processes and audit trails for design changes.
• Customise client outputs and reporting structures to meet corporate standards.

Qualifications

• Degree qualified preferred – quantity surveying or appropriate related.
• Professional qualifications likely to have or preferred – RICS/CIOB/ICE.
• Experience on major infrastructure projects.
• Estimating or cost planning experience with a contractor or consultancy.
• Worked previously with design teams with understanding of what drives design decisions.
• Ability to analyse cost and quantity data including key drivers.
• Researching data and ability to analyse and adjust for specific cost drivers such as location etc.
• Working as a team member alongside the project manager to help drive projects to the right solutions within budget.
• Understanding and experience of benchmarking.
• Ability to support or build estimates from first principles.
• Producing estimates from benchmark data and limited information.
• Working with detailed design to produce estimate.
• Working with limited design information with ability to understand what is not detailed on the drawings.
• Understanding and experience of estimating systems including RIB Candy/RIB CostX.
• Be able to present work in a clear and concise manner.
• Preparation of reports which are clear and identify key messages and costs.
• Supporting presentations to clients and stakeholders if required.
• Measurement for buildings and/or civil engineering.
• Heavy Civils & Tunnels experience is needed.
• Major Projects Experience.

Mace is an inclusive employer and welcomes interest from a diverse range of candidates. Even if you feel you do not fulfil all of the criteria, please apply as you may still be the best candidate for this role or another role within our organisation.

We are also open to discussing part‑time, flexible, and hybrid working options if suitable within the role.