Lead Estimator - Manchester / Warrington Due to continued growth in our Water sector, we are recruiting for a Lead Estimator to join our United Utilities Capital Delivery Framework. This is a home-based role with occasional travel to project offices as required. Costain have won extensive work across the water sector this year to support the AMP 8 investment cycle. We have been appointed by United Utilities as one of 7 partners to deliver £3bn of projects in the Asset Management Period 8 (AMP8) between 2025 - 2030. The Lead Estimator will join the current Water estimating team and be responsible for reviewing the Project Content Documents (PCD) and proposed scope of works to assist in preparation of innovative solutions and Bottom-up-estimates for the schemes along with a Top-Down review from cost curves and Schedules of rates to assist in negotiation of the proposed Target Price. Key Responsibilities Lead the estimating function across multiple water projects including management of a multi-discipline estimating team including civil, mechanical and electrical estimating Responsible for interfacing with the framework design, engineering, and delivery teams to provide estimating support for both projects and tenders Work with the head of estimating to manage the estimating resources across the division Be a leader in the bid / project team taking responsibility for the preparation of the estimate Develop estimates at all stages of project life cycle from feasibility and concept through to detailed design stage Lead on the development of estimating strategies and present to senior stakeholders both internal and external Work closely with the bid and/or project team and be responsible for preparation of either the civils, electrical or mechanical estimate for each project Technical and commercial appraisal of material and subcontractor quotations to ensure full coverage of the scope is priced Attend site visits during the tender period About You Degree level qualified or equivalent in a Civil, Mechanical or Electrical/ICA Engineering related discipline Preferably Chartered Significant experience working as an Estimator for a major civils contractor in the water sector Experienced pricing medium to large value civil engineering projects Familiar with Civil Engineering Method of Measurement Customer Focused, Open and Honest, Safe and Environmentally aware Excellent communication skills and a great team player Knowledge of CCS 'Candy' Estimating system would be an advantage albeit training will be given. Full driving licence For the full job description, please contact careerscostain.com quoting the vacancy number About Costain At Costain, we help to improve people's lives by creating connected, sustainable infrastructure that enables people and the planet to thrive. We work together to shape, create, and deliver pioneering solutions that transform the performance of the UK's infrastructure ecosystem across energy, water, transportation and defence markets. Through our collaboration with customers, partners, communities, and wider industry we will deliver an infrastructure fit for a better future. Your application Should you require any adjustments to support you in your application, please do not hesitate to contact us: careerscostain.com We welcome all applicants regardless of age, race, faith, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, socioeconomic background and physical or neurological disabilities. We welcome you to ask about the flexibility you need for dynamic working. Such as, working part-time, remote working, or compressed hours. In return, we will explore what is possible. To find out more about our Inclusion strategy, please visit our ED&I page: https://www.costain.com/our-culture/equality-diversity-and-inclusion/ Right to Work & Security Checks Understandably given the nature of our business, everyone who is employed at Costain must undergo thorough referencing checks. We will need different information depending on the job we have offered you. For all roles, we'll carry out a criminal record check and we'll ask to see evidence that you have the legal right to work in the UK. For some of our roles, you may be required to obtain and maintain security clearance of at least Security Check level (or SC clearance). To satisfy the requirements, you will need to have been a legal UK resident for a minimum of 5 years and have successfully complete all stages of the vetting process. Closing date Please note that Costain reserves the right to bring forward the closing date of any of its job vacancies if we receive a suitable number of quality applications from which to make a shortlist. Therefore, we recommend at you apply as soon as possible rather than wait until the published closing date. A Disability Confident employer will generally offer an interview to any applicant that disclose they have a disability and meets the minimum criteria for the job as defined by the employer. It is important to note that in certain recruitment situations such as high-volume, seasonal and high-peak times, the employer may wish to limit the overall numbers of interviews offered to both disabled people and non-disabled people. For more details please go to the Disability Confident website: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/disability-confident-campaign LI-JA1