Estimator / Senior Estimator

Location/s: Brighton or London, UK

About the Business Unit

Mott MacDonald's Advisory and Programme Delivery (APD) unit delivers project, programme and commercial management services across the built environment, defence, energy, water, environmental, transportation, health and care sectors.

Overview of the Role

As an estimator, Mott MacDonald plans, designs, delivers and cares for infrastructure that society depends on – transport, energy, defence, water, environment and buildings. We apply digital innovation and technical excellence to improve outcomes for our clients, society and the environment. The role involves cost estimate development through all stages of project and programme lifecycles, from concept stage through to delivery and handover, using various estimating techniques and collaborating with stakeholders to capture and record scope of estimating activities.

Key Responsibilities and Duties Include:

• Hold responsibility for cost estimate development through all stages of project and programme lifecycles.
• Undertake estimates using techniques such as first-principal bottom-up and parametric top-down methods.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to identify, capture, and record the scope of the estimating activities.
• Establish Work Breakdown and Cost Breakdown Structures ensuring all scope elements captured and recorded using industry standard methods such as CESMM4, NRM, RMM, HWMM.
• Ensure all elements of the ‘cost stack' including escalation, land and property, administration, direct costs, indirect costs, and temporary works are considered in the estimate.
• Support the identification of risk and opportunities and produce estimates for pre-mitigation and post-mitigation cost impacts.
• Develop and support the calculation of contingency as a holistic view of risk, opportunity and estimating uncertainty within a project team environment.
• Challenge sustainability and consider embodied and operational carbon within the proposed solution.
• Produce basis of estimate reports to communicate all estimating assumptions, dependencies, and exclusions to stakeholders and end users.
• Implement estimating best practice to ensure quality and governance is maintained and deliver estimating outputs to an exceptional level of technical competence within agreed timescales.
• Ensure that leadership review, assurance and sign-off is completed for all estimates.
• Have a clear understanding of project finances and provide support to the project team in developing project financial models.

Candidate Specification:

• HNC / HND or degree qualified in an Engineering, Construction Management, or Quantity Surveying discipline or relevant industry experience.
• Professional accreditation with AcostE / RICS / CIOB or working towards.
• Familiarity with the application of estimating packages such as CANDY, CONQUEST, CAUSEWAY, COST OS, COST X etc.
• Working knowledge and demonstrable experience in the use and application of the Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, PowerPoint etc.
• Extensive experience of working in infrastructure projects, with the ability to establish and maintain good working relationships with clients and colleagues.
• Knowledge of the HMT Five Case Business Model, and experience in producing estimates from Strategic Outline Case through to Full Business Case for project and programme appraisals.
• Working knowledge of carbon estimating including embodied, operational, and whole life carbon.
• Understanding of how TOTEX (Total Expenditure) is calculated, using Development Expenditure, Capital Expenditure, Operational Expenditure, End of Life / Decommissioning Expenditure, to provide Whole Life Cost solutions to our clients.

UK Immigration:

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is due to changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion:

We put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business, ensuring fair employment procedures and opportunities for all.

Benefits:

• Financial Wellbeing: We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%. Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary. Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long‑term illness or injury. Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing. As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.
• Employee Ownership: Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success. Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses. As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long‑term impact and contribution. Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future. For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.
• Health and Wellbeing: Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues. Health cash plan to support you with everyday health costs and treatments. Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues. A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing programme, including access for you and your family. Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.
• Lifestyle: A minimum of 33‑35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme. Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service. Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high‑street retailers.
• Enhanced Family and Carers Leave: Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave. Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay. Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.
• Learning and Development: Primary annual professional institution subscription. A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self‑development options.
• Networks, Communities and Social Outcomes: Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race, ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities. Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply Now: Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.