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For Companies At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead the creation of competitive bids and develop pricing strategies for various projects.
- Company: Join Mears Group, a leader in housing services with a focus on social value.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25 days annual leave, family-friendly policies, and excellent training opportunities.
- Why this job: Shape the future of estimating and influence strategic decisions in a dynamic environment.
- Qualifications: Extensive experience in social housing estimating and strong leadership skills required.
- Other info: Be part of a collaborative team with opportunities for community volunteering.
The predicted salary is between 43200 - 72000 ÂŁ per year.
About the Role
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
- Commercial Leadership
- 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
- Tender Governance & Risk Management
- 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
- Stakeholder Engagement
- 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
- Mobilisation & Continuous Improvement
- 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
- People Leadership
- Lead, mentor and develop the Estimating Team, fostering technical excellence and collaboration
- Identify capability gaps and champion learning, systems improvement and performance management
Essential Experience
- 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.
Desirable
- 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
Key Skills & Attributes
- 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
Benefits:
- Family friendly policies, including enhanced maternity/paternity leave and much more
- 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays
- 3 x Life assurance
- Family private medical
- ÂŁ6,900 car allowance
- Generous Pension Scheme and sick pay
- Employee Assistance Programme
- Mears Rewards – discount voucher scheme for a host of household name retailers, including supermarkets, offering savings on purchases
- Excellent training and development opportunities
- Mears Fun Day - Our annual Fun Day is organised as a massive thank you from the Executive team for all the hard work! Previous years include, Alton Towers, Drayton Manor etc
- Volunteering Leave - Mears supports employees to undertake volunteering in the community for two days per year, in support of our social value commitment
If you’re ready to shape the future of estimating at Mears Group and lead a high‑performing team in a role with real strategic influence, we’d love to hear from you.
All our roles require candidates to have the entitlement to work within the UK, Mears does not currently offer visa sponsorship.
To drive a Mears vehicle, you must be aged over 21 have held your licence over 3 months and have less than 9 points.
Candidates should be aware that all our roles are subject to relevant Background, Identity & Security checks before commencement of employment.
Head of Estimating in Gloucester employer: Mears
Contact Detail:
Mears 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 your connections in the industry and let them know you're on the hunt for a Head of Estimating role. You never know who might have the inside scoop on an opportunity or can put in a good word for you.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by diving deep into the company’s recent projects and their approach to estimating. Show us that you understand their commercial strategy and how you can contribute to their success right from the get-go!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just wait for job postings; be proactive! Check our website regularly and apply directly through it. Tailor your application to highlight your experience in social housing estimating and your leadership skills.
✨Tip Number 4
Follow up after interviews with a thank-you note. It’s a great way to reiterate your interest in the role and remind them why you’re the perfect fit for leading their estimating team!
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 projects you've led. We want to see how your skills align with our needs!
Showcase Your Leadership Skills: Since this role involves leading a team, don’t forget to mention your leadership experience. Share examples of how you've developed high-performing teams and fostered collaboration. We love seeing candidates who can inspire others!
Be Clear and Concise: When writing your application, keep it clear and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make your achievements stand out. We appreciate straightforward communication, especially when it comes to complex commercial reasoning.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way to ensure your application gets seen by the right people. Plus, it shows us you're keen on joining the Mears Group family!
How to prepare for a job interview at Mears
✨Know Your Numbers
As the Head of Estimating, you'll need to demonstrate your strong numerical accuracy. Brush up on key metrics and cost models relevant to the role. Be prepared to discuss how you’ve developed pricing strategies and value engineering solutions in past projects.
✨Showcase Your Leadership Skills
This role requires a collaborative leader who can mentor and develop teams. Think of examples where you've led high-performing teams or improved estimating methodologies. Be ready to share how you foster technical excellence and collaboration within your team.
✨Understand the Tender Lifecycle
Familiarise yourself with the end-to-end tender lifecycle, from pricing to mobilisation. Prepare to discuss your experience in post-tender negotiations and how you've ensured compliance and sound commercial proposals in previous roles.
✨Engage with Stakeholders
You'll be presenting commercial proposals to senior leadership, so practice simplifying complex commercial reasoning. Think about how you've influenced strategic bid decisions and engaged with supply chain partners to secure competitive pricing in the past.
