Senior Cost Estimator

Key Responsibilities:

Estimating Leadership and Governance

• Translates tender priorities and the Technical Office Manager's direction into clear estimating work plans responsibilities and review dates.
• Maintains estimating procedures, templates, coding structures, checklists and approval gates.
• Applies consistent basis-of-estimate, version-control, peer-review and confidentiality standards.
• Provides objective cost advice and escalates material gaps or pricing risks without delay.

Tender Review and Estimate Planning

• Reviews instructions to tender, drawings, specifications, bills, addenda, contract conditions and submission requirements.
• Prepares an estimate execution plan covering work packages, contributors, quotation needs, programme interfaces, reviews and deadlines.
• Maintains tender queries, assumptions, deliverables and responsibility matrices.
• Identifies incomplete scope, long-lead inputs and resource constraints early for management action.

Scope Definition and Work Breakdown

• Translates tender documents into a complete work breakdown and cost-code structure.
• Maps scope between BOQ items, drawings, specifications, methods, temporary works, interfaces and contractual obligations.
• Identifies exclusions, provisional quantities, client-supplied items, nominated parties and gaps.
• Ensures the estimate includes enabling works, testing, handover, demobilisation and close-out obligations.

Quantity Take-Off and BOQ Verification

• Directs and checks measurement from approved drawings, models, schedules and specifications.
• Verifies client BOQs, detects arithmetic, unit, duplication and omission risks and records adjustments.
• Uses clear measurement rules, references and audit trails that allow independent review.
• Performs reasonableness checks using geometry, production logic, benchmarks and comparable projects.

Construction Method and Programme Inputs

• Works with Operations, Design and Planning to define practical construction methods, sequencing, temporary works, access and production assumptions.
• Aligns labour, plant, material and subcontract resources with the tender programme and constraints.
• Challenges unrealistic productivity, mobilisation, weather, shift, curing, testing or approval assumptions.
• Quantifies time-related cost exposure and documents dependencies requiring management attention.

Direct Cost Build-Up

• Develops transparent unit-rate build-ups for labour, materials, plant, subcontractors, waste, transport and production output.
• Uses current approved wage, material, plant, fuel, productivity and market-rate information.
• Checks unit conversions, crew balances, yields, wastage, cycle times and resource utilisation.
• Separates base cost, escalation, risk and commercial additions to preserve estimate transparency.

Preliminaries, Indirects and Site Establishment

• Estimates mobilisation, site establishment, supervision, facilities, utilities, security, surveys, laboratory, quality, EHS, insurances and temporary services.
• Aligns time-related preliminaries with the tender programme and staffing plan.
• Includes head-office support, permits, bonds, testing, maintenance, demobilisation and close-out where applicable.
• Prevents duplication or omission between direct rates, preliminaries and corporate allowances.

Supplier and Subcontractor Quotations

• Defines complete quotation packages and required return schedules with Procurement and technical owners.
• Procurement controls market enquiries and commercial contact; Estimation evaluates coverage, comparability, exclusions, validity, delivery and pricing impact.
• Normalises quotations for freight, duties, tax, currency, payment, warranty and scope differences.
• Maintains quotation logs and selects estimate inputs using documented, reviewable judgement.

Plant, Equipment and Logistics Costing

• Coordinates with the Plant and Equipment Manager on availability, ownership cost, operating rates, fuel, maintenance, operators, mobilisation and residual assumptions.
• Compares owned, hired, leased and subcontracted solutions on total cost and operational risk.
• Includes transport, permits, escorts, customs, assembly, commissioning, standby and demobilisation.
• Ensures plant productivity and fleet quantities are consistent with programme and site conditions.

Risk, Opportunity and Contingency

• Facilitates estimate-risk reviews covering quantities, design maturity, productivity, market, currency, inflation, access, weather, interfaces and contract conditions.
• Quantifies credible risk ranges and opportunities using approved methodology and evidence.
• Separates identified allowances from management contingency and avoids hidden or duplicated risk.
• Presents sensitivities and residual exposures for Technical Office and General Manager decisions.

Commercial Pricing and Cash-Flow Interface

• Works with the Contract Manager, Quantity Surveyor and Finance on payment terms, taxes, duties, retention, bonds, financing, escalation, currency and cash-flow implications.
• Prepares cost summaries and pricing options without obscuring base cost or risk.
• Tests the effect of schedule, productivity, exchange-rate and market scenarios on cost and cash.
• Recommends pricing considerations while leaving margin and final commercial decisions to the General Manager.

Estimate Review and Bid Approval Support

• Prepares clear review packs showing scope, basis, quantities, rates, quotations, indirects, risk, cash-flow, qualifications and outstanding decisions.
• Completes discipline checks, reconciliation and independent review before management gates.
• Records review comments, decisions and authorised changes and protects the approved estimate baseline.
• Supports the Technical Office Manager in presenting the recommended estimate to the General Manager.

Tender Submission and Post-Bid Clarifications

• Reconciles final pricing schedules to the approved estimate and confirms arithmetic, units andcompleteness.
• Provides controlled cost input to qualifications, alternatives, value-engineering proposals and forms.
• Supports authorised clarification and negotiation responses without changing price or risk outside approval.
• Maintains a final submission reconciliation and complete record of approved post-bid changes.

Handover, Benchmarking and Continuous Improvement

• Hands successful tenders to Operations, Contract, Quantity Surveying, Procurement and Finance with the approved basis, assumptions, risks, quotations and cost structure.
• Compares estimate assumptions with awarded budgets, procurement outcomes and actual production costs.
• Maintains current benchmark rates, productivity norms, historical costs and lessons learned.
• Improves estimating tools, data quality and staff capability and reports performance to the Technical Office Manager.

Qualification:

Formal Education

• Bachelor's degree or HND in Quantity Surveying, Civil Engineering, Construction Economics, Building Technology or a related discipline.
• A recognised professional qualification or progress toward GhIS, RICS or an equivalent estimating, quantity-surveying or engineering credential is advantageous.
• Training in estimating software, measurement, planning, risk or contract administration is desirable.

Work Experience

• Minimum 8 to 12 years of progressive estimating or pre-contract cost experience, including at least three years in a senior estimating role.
• Demonstrated responsibility for quantity take-off, unit rates, tender cost plans, subcontract analysis, preliminaries, risk and management reviews.
• Strong experience in roads, infrastructure, buildings, earthworks, drainage, pavement, concrete, utilities or comparable construction disciplines is highly desirable.
• Experience in Ghana or comparable West African markets is advantageous.

Skills:

• Advanced quantity take-off, cost planning, unit-rate build-up and tender reconciliation.
• Strong analytical, numerical, commercial, risk and value-engineering capability.
• Ability to review drawings, specifications, BOQs, programmes and contract conditions.
• Clear management reporting and ability to defend assumptions and sensitivities.
• Advanced Excel and proficiency in recognised estimating, take-off and planning tools.

Knowledge

• Strong knowledge of construction methods, productivity, materials, plant, labour, logistics, temporary works, preliminaries and subcontract pricing.
• Knowledge of measurement principles, BOQ structure, FIDIC or comparable contract forms, tendering, bonds, retention, tax, duties, currency and escalation.
• Understanding of Ghanaian construction markets, supplier conditions and project-delivery constraints.
• Knowledge of estimate risk, cash-flow, cost coding, benchmarking and post-tender handover.

Abilites:

• Ability to convert incomplete tender information into a structured estimate with transparent assumptions.
• Ability to detect quantity, scope, productivity, interface and commercial inconsistencies.
• Ability to manage concurrent deadlines and coordinate multidisciplinary inputs.
• Ability to challenge optimistic assumptions and resist pressure to hide cost or risk.
• Ability to explain complex cost drivers clearly to senior management.

Behavioural Competencies

• High integrity, confidentiality and personal accountability.
• Strong attention to detail combined with practical construction judgement.
• Calm, organised and decisive under tender deadlines.
• Constructive collaboration with Technical, Operations, Procurement, Plant, Finance and EHQS.
• Professional courage to identify omissions, unrealistic assumptions and unapproved risk.
• Commitment to developing people, reliable data and continuous improvement.

Key Performance Indicators 

• Tender Delivery: Estimates completed on time against the approved tender schedule
• Estimate Completeness: Scope coverage, unpriced items, assumptions and review exceptions
• Quantity Accuracy: Take-off and BOQ variance identified during review or execution
• Rate Quality: Current resource rates, quotation coverage and benchmark validation
• Estimate Accuracy: Variance between approved estimate, awarded budget and validated outcomes
• Risk Visibility: Material risks quantified, sensitivities reported and decisions recorded
• Review Compliance: Estimate gates, independent checks and approved change traceability
• Pricing Reconciliation: Final tender schedules reconciled to the approved estimate
• Handover: Complete, timely handover of estimate basis, assumptions and risk
• Benchmarking: Post-tender feedback captured and cost database kept current
• Value Improvement: Accepted alternatives, value engineering and cost opportunities
• People and Service: Estimation Engineer capability and internal stakeholder satisfaction

Location: Accra (with visits to tender sites, active projects, plants, quarries, supplier premises and joint-venture or client offices as required)

Salary: Attractive