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Principal Estimator
Chelmsford, Essex
Willmott Dixon
Willmott Dixon are currently looking to recruit a Principal Estimator to join our London and East construction business. With offices in Hitchin and Chelmsford, we deliver projects across multiple sectors within west, east and north London, the northern home counties and East Anglia. This is a hybrid role which will involve a mix of both remote based and office based working.
The Principal Estimator will lead and take ownership to deliver a build cost for our customers on one or more high value projects, ensuring we propose the right net cost, on time, and to the highest quality for cost accuracy.
You will collaborate with our wider preconstruction team and supply chain partners to ensure that we provide an accurate cost in line with the project scope and the customer’s requirements. The Principal Estimator will lead and take ownership of the estimating process to contract signing, strategising the procurement/value for money phase to deliver a successful and profitable project.
You will ensure the service standards and customer value is at the forefront of delivering a perfect product and service.
The Project
The role will involve leading, managing and having responsibility for the following tasks within a preconstruction team:
- Create robust accurate cost plans to track the development of the customer’s concept design through the various design gateways up to target price.
- Take the lead in guiding the design team and customer with respect to affordability.
- Identify opportunities to add value.
- Identify risks and offer workable solutions throughout the project process.
- Actively seek to learn and extend my construction knowledge and estimating skill set.
- Actively seek and cost alternative design solutions, where required, to suit customers’ budgets.
- Lead and own the development of a tender procurement strategy to meet the needs of the project, ensuring we have a robust profit plan, supply chain engagement schedule and that agreed design milestones have been taken into account.
- Complete or manage project take-offs to the required level of detail up to the level of SMM 7/NRM2 for all trades.
- Provide a complete and detailed cost information package during the substantiation process to the commercial build team at handover to include completed comparisons, bills of quantities, tender book and quotations.
- Continuously build and enhance relationships with our supply chain, nurturing existing and future partnerships.
- Actively take the lead in obtaining and giving supply chain feedback.
- Collaborate with the production team throughout the project to ensure that logistics, programmes, sequencing and buildability activities are accounted for during substantiation.
- Review performance of supply chain partners with the site team.
- Review and ensure that all design/survey fees (including CDPs) are captured within the proposed costs.
- Conduct cost assessments/’what if’ analysis on differing designs during the optioneering stages to inform design decisions.
- Build meaningful relationships with our customers and consultants to ensure I am their trusted advisor.
- Lead by example and take responsibility to make things happen.
Essential and Desirable Criteria
You will ideally have some of the following experience:
- Successful delivery of tenders
- Using Conquest Estimating system or similar
- Taking off quantities up to SMM 7
- Controlling costs, timing and quality in line with targets
- Managing a team
- Reading and accurately interpreting drawings and technical specifications
- Proactively liaising with customers
- Proactively identifying opportunities to add value throughout the project process
Qualifications and Memberships
Academic
Essential
- Good demonstrable standard of written and spoken English.
- Good standard of mathematical ability.
Desirable
- Minimum relevant level 4 qualification (HNC / NVQ4 etc).
- Relevant degree.
Professional
Essential
- Appropriate CSCS card.
Desirable
- Working towards MCIOB / MRICS.
Personal Qualities Additional Information
Willmott Dixon embraces diversity in the workplace and will consider flexible and agile working. We are a disability confident employer.
Benefits: In return we reward our people generously with a competitive package that gives you flexible benefits to fit your lifestyle and priorities. This includes but is not limited to, an enhanced pension scheme, full / heavily discounted private medical, life assurance, incentive bonus and a car scheme which will make us a market leader in sustainable company travel. Applicable roles will benefit from a motoring expenditure allowance (MEA) and everyone can access a new generation of low carbon and electric cars via the Willmott Dixon run car leasing scheme.
About Us
With nearly 170 years of rich history, Willmott Dixon’s purpose is beyond profit; delivering brilliant buildings, transforming lives, strengthening communities and enhancing the environment so our world is fit for future generations. Ensuring that we add lasting value to the neighbourhoods we work in; our values, people, innovation, partnerships and focus on sustainability has allowed us to build a successful and solid privately owned business where our people can thrive.
Construction is changing and we are at the forefront of that change. Pioneering new ways to build, innovating the way construction is viewed and establishing ourselves as one of the top employers in any industry. It truly is an amazing company in one of the most exciting industries with a vast array of professional career paths. Adding to that our numerous people awards, we understand everyone has a unique potential and ability to make a difference and succeed; if you want your skills developed and talent recognised, why not join our business!
Willmott Dixon was awarded 5th place in the Sunday Times Best Companies Top 100 (2020) to work for, the Times Top 50 Employers for Women 2021 and is the first major contractor and developer to win a King’s Award for Enterprise in the category of sustainable development.
