Job Description

About the job.

National Highways are tasked with managing and maintaining the Strategic Road Network across England with a budget in excess of £5bn annually. The Commercial Services Division offer support to the business by providing estimating capability and intelligence, that allows for informed investment decisions to be taken and ongoing budget control.

We are looking for a Civil Engineering Estimator/Cost Engineer to join our team!

• Taking-off and/or validating bills of quantities. Production of estimates using a variety of digital platforms and using a mixture of supplier framework rates, rates derived from cost intelligence and new rates built from ‘First Principals’.
• Provide a level of ‘sense checking’ that rates and prices are within market norms both in terms of cost and output.
• To consider programme durations, construction and non-construction costs, risks, ‘whole-life-cost’ principals and ‘Options Assessment’.
• Presentation of completed estimates for review with peer groups, Estimating Managers or Head of Cost Planning as well as undertake peer level reviews of others estimates.
• Interaction with asset owners, project managers and other construction staff to discuss scheme requirements, buildability, risks/opportunities and to provide a level of advice.

About you.

• Appropriate professional qualification and/or degree in Civil engineering/Quantity surveying/Estimation (or working towards).
• Experience of estimation and cost engineering techniques (top down and bottom up) including knowledge and understanding of the Specification for Highway Works (SHW) and Method of Measurement for Highway Works (MMHW).
• Attention to detail and perceptive to risks and buildability issues.
• Clear and concise communicator, both orally and in writing, with confidence to work with project stakeholders.
• Good time management skills to allow for multiple projects to be worked on within service delivery deadlines.

About us.

Here at National Highways, we manage and improve England’s motorways and major A roads, helping our customers have safer, smoother and more reliable journeys. Our priorities are safety, customers and delivery, and at the core of this, are our values of passion, integrity, safety, teamwork and ownership.

Operations is at the heart of keeping the strategic road network moving and ensuring our customers get the best possible experience when using our roads.

We address over 39,000 customer enquiries every month, plan and deliver all maintenance activities on the network, drive efficiencies and improvements across our systems and roads, and respond to incidents across 4,500 miles of motorways and major A-roads that we manage. All to make sure National Highways customers have safer, smoother, and more reliable journeys.

External candidates will be offered a starting salary at the lower end of the pay scale, while current employees will be appointed in accordance with our established pay policy.

We are committed to creating a diverse environment and welcome applicants from all backgrounds

Why you should join us

At National Highways we believe in a connected country. We are passionate about creating a culture where colleagues feel connected, included and enjoy greater wellbeing to achieve this. We’re proud that as an organisation we are continually striving to do better and actively encourage and support our colleagues to do the same with their careers.

So, if you put safety first, take ownership of your work, show passion for what you do, work effectively in a team, and demonstrate integrity in how you do it – then you’ll be a great fit for our organisation.

A connected and sustainable working approach has been adopted across National Highways. For some roles, this means being able to work in a hybrid way spending up to 60% of time working from a remote location such as home.

We offer many different ways to work flexibly and we’re open to discuss part-time working, job shares, and flexible start and finish times.

Please wait until the interview stage before asking us about flexibility, and we will explore what is possible.

Our benefits package

• Our total reward package includes basic salary, the potential for a performance related bonus
• Contributory pension scheme with employer contribution of up to 10%
• Annual Leave starting at 26 days (plus Bank Holidays) rising by 1 day each year up to 31 days (plus Bank Holidays)
• Flexible hours and an approach driven by connected and sustainable working which includes hybrid working
• Life assurance of 4 times annual salary
• Health and wellbeing support, including an Employee Assistance Programme, available 24/7 365 days and network of mental health first aiders. Plus access to a wellbeing app to enhance your self-care 24/7, Occupational health service and flu vaccines
• A cycle to work scheme for the purchase of a bicycle and equipment for healthy, low carbon travel
• Significant investment in your career development, through learning and development, talent management, coaching, mentoring and on job experience

And we are

• Family friendly with enhanced maternity leave and pay, paternity leave (15 days), shared parental leave, adoption leave. Plus access to financial support for holiday play schemes and paid special leave (up to 5 days pa), eg for caring responsibilities
• Money friendly with access to a discounts platform including over 3000 discounts for supermarkets, eating out, leisure, holidays. Alongside a financial wellbeing programme
• Community friendly – offering paid leave to volunteer, 3 days basic/year

If you are successful, it is key to know all offers of employment are subject to satisfactory completion of our pre-employment checks which include:

• Right to work check
• 3 year employment history references
• DBS criminal record check
• Social media and adverse journalism check
• Driving licence check (if applicable)
• Fit to work questionnaire (for all), followed by a medical check (if applicable)
• Qualifications and/or professional membership check (if applicable)

And finally

We reserve the right to close before the advertisement expires.