Senior Civil Estimator

John Holland • Parnell, IA

42d

About The Position

As a Senior Civil Estimator, you will play a critical role in shaping the success of major infrastructure projects by delivering accurate and timely cost estimates that inform strategic decisions and tender submissions. This position requires a deep understanding of construction methodologies, market trends, and risk management to ensure competitive and compliant estimates. You will lead the preparation of complex tenders, collaborate with multidisciplinary teams, and engage with subcontractors and suppliers to secure precise pricing. Acting as a key technical advisor, you will provide insights on design reviews, contractual compliance, and cost optimization opportunities, while maintaining rigorous adherence to John Holland's governance, policies, and industry standards. Your expertise will directly influence project viability and profitability, making this role pivotal to achieving operational and commercial excellence.

Requirements

• Tertiary or trade qualifications in Construction, Engineering, Science, Quantity Surveying, and/or Project/Construction Management.
• 7-10 years' experience in construction cost planning, tendering, or project delivery.
• Minimum 10 years' construction experience with a strong background in civil and structural estimating for large-scale infrastructure projects.
• Proven experience in multi-disciplinary estimating across diverse contract types, including Construct Only, Design & Construct, Managing Contract, Alliance, Joint Ventures, and PPP models.
• Strong financial management skills and ability to perform detailed risk assessments for safety, environment, and quality.
• Demonstrated capability to interpret specifications, standards, and legislation impacting project costs.
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and communication skills, with experience managing subcontractor and supplier pricing processes.

Responsibilities

• Prepare accurate and comprehensive estimates of project quantities and costs for major tenders, ensuring delivery within required timeframes and technical standards.
• Monitor and analyse current competitive pricing, emerging techniques, and cost trends to maintain market awareness and inform estimating strategies.
• Establish cost codes and work breakdown structures, ensuring compliance with contractual, commercial, and legislative requirements.
• Assist in allocating the Bill of Quantities for costing purposes and perform productivity and benchmarking analysis to improve accuracy and efficiency.
• Develop detailed estimates using first-principles pricing for both direct and indirect job costs, ensuring transparency and reliability.
• Review client designs to identify opportunities for cost savings and omissions that may impact project delivery.
• Support site managers in preparing variation and extension of time (EOT) claims, providing accurate cost data and analysis.
• Interpret specifications and standards, assessing their impact on project costs and compliance obligations.
• Maintain a thorough understanding of legislation and regulatory requirements that could influence project costs and tender outcomes.
• Liaise with subcontractors and suppliers to obtain accurate pricing, evaluate quotes, and ensure competitive and compliant submissions.
• Conduct tender risk assessments and prepare comprehensive Risks and Opportunities schedules to inform decision-making.
• Manage and present tenders, including multi-discipline and joint venture submissions, to senior business leaders for approval.
• Lead detailed line-by-line tender reviews, ensuring accuracy and alignment with project objectives and client requirements.
• Prepare high-quality presentation materials for final tender evaluations and leadership reviews.
• Provide feedback on tender deviations and exceptions, collating and reporting findings to relevant stakeholders.
• Manage stakeholder relationships across internal teams and external partners to facilitate smooth tender processes and collaboration.
• Provide technical input and leadership to ensure timely completion of estimates, guiding team members and promoting best practices.
• Perform all duties in accordance with John Holland policies, processes, systems, and procedures, maintaining compliance and governance standards.

Benefits

• Competitive remuneration with salary continuance, and salary sacrifice options.
• Great leave benefits including 18 weeks paid parental leave with super and up to an extra 18 weeks of super paid on further periods of unpaid parental leave, multicultural leave exchange and two extra days to prioritise your wellbeing.
• Career progression underpinned by our exciting pipeline of work means you'll have the opportunity to work on iconic projects that are shaping cities and communities.
• Learning and development opportunities where you'll have access to emerging talent programs, building your career through clear career pathways, plus technical and leadership training and development opportunities.
• Inclusion, diversity and equity is part of how we work. We want everyone at John Holland to feel that they belong - that's why we're working hard every day to foster a more inclusive culture, backed by a business-wide inclusion strategy to bring about meaningful change. We've also got active employee resource groups that support our commitments including those around gender equality and reconciliation.
• Flexibility means different things to different people. Whether it's flexi-hours, flexi-parenting, flexi-leave, flexi-shifts or flexi-work, we're committed to helping our people work flexibly.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Industry: Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 5,001-10,000 employees