Head of Estimating
Location: Homebased - Remote, with UK travel
Contract: Full-time, Permanent
Hours: 40 per week, Monday to Friday
Salary: £106,000 per annum, plus £6,900 car allowance
Mears Group is seeking an exceptional Head of Estimating to lead our commercial estimating and tendering function at a strategic level. This is a pivotal senior leadership role, shaping how we price, win and mobilise major contracts across the organisation. If you are commercially astute, influential at senior levels, and passionate about driving excellence in tendering, this is an opportunity to make a significant impact on the future growth of our business.
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 assessmentsTender 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 standardsStakeholder 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 pricingMobilisation & 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 basePeople Leadership
Lead, mentor and develop the Estimating Team, fostering technical excellence and collaboration.
Identify capability gaps and champion learning, systems improvement and performance managementEssential 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 ManagementKey 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 peopleBenefits:
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
£6,900 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 commitmentIf 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.
Apply below or to discuss your application further; contact:
Laura Crosby ((url removed))
If you need any help with your application process, we are here to support you. We will be accessible every step of the way.
At Mears Group, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive environment where everyone can thrive, we are a Disability Confident employer, valuing individuality and ensuring equal opportunities for all.
We proudly support the Armed Forces Covenant and are honoured to have achieved the Gold Award in the Defence Employer Recognition Scheme (ERS) to coincide with this, we hold an Endorser Award for the Career Transition Partnership, recognising our commitment to veterans transitioning into civilian careers.
In our continued effort to promote social mobility, we invite applicants to voluntarily share their background information during the application stages to help us better understand the diverse experiences of our candidates. This is to ensure we are committed to improving social mobility. We use the Social Mobility Index to assess and enhance opportunities for individuals from diverse backgrounds. These questions are optional and will not impact your ability to apply
Salary description
£106000.00 - £106000.00 per year