Lead Estimator

Colas Ltd are a UK subsidiary of the global Colas Group, which operates in over 50 countries worldwide and employs over 55,000 people including over 1500 in the UK across multiple sites. We are specialists in highways construction and have been involved in large-scale UK and international construction projects within the highways, airfields, and marine sectors as well as offering highways maintenance services and manufacturing our own innovative surfacing products.

We hold a 'Gold Investor in People' award for continuously developing and rewarding our employees, offering excellent career potential.

We are seeking an experienced Lead Estimator to be based at our head office in Solihull, B37 7YB
. The Lead Estimator will lead the estimating function across civil engineering and highways infrastructure projects for both external clients and internal business units. This is a key leadership role responsible for delivering high-quality, competitive, and compliant estimates that align with business objectives and client requirements. The successful candidate will provide strategic direction, leadership, and governance across all estimating activities, ensuring adherence to company procedures, ethical standards, and best practice.

You will oversee the full tender lifecycle, from initial review through to submission and post-tender engagement, while driving continuous improvement and innovation within the estimating function. Working closely with commercial, operational, design, and procurement teams, you will play a pivotal role in developing robust pricing strategies, identifying risks and opportunities, and delivering value-engineered solutions that enhance competitiveness and support business growth.

As a Lead Estimator, you will take ownership of the preparation and delivery of accurate, compliant, and competitive tenders across a range of civil engineering and highways projects. You will provide strategic oversight of all live bids, leading the detailed review of tender documentation and ensuring that key commercial drivers, risks, and opportunities are identified and effectively managed. You will establish and maintain estimating governance, processes, and procedures, reviewing and challenging estimates, methodologies, and pricing strategies to ensure consistency and accuracy.

The role includes leading the development of risk and opportunity schedules, overseeing governance submissions and approvals, and acting as the final authority for estimate sign-off where delegated. Working collaboratively across the business, you will support client engagement during tender stages, ensure successful handover of awarded projects, and foster strong relationships with procurement teams to maximise value and efficiency. You will also maintain estimating databases, benchmarks, and cost libraries, champion innovation and continuous improvement, and contribute to wider business strategy and development initiatives.

In addition, you will be responsible for developing and mentoring the estimating team, promoting a positive health and safety culture, ensuring compliance with company procedures and ethical standards, and maintaining accurate records of tendering activity.

The ideal candidate will hold a degree in Construction, Civil Engineering, or a related discipline, with chartered status being desirable. You will bring significant estimating experience within the civil engineering sector, particularly in highways construction and maintenance, alongside a proven track record of leading and developing high-performing teams. You will possess strong commercial awareness, excellent leadership and people management skills, and the ability to think strategically while maintaining attention to detail.

Advanced knowledge of estimating software and methodologies is essential, together with exceptional planning, organisational, and analytical capabilities.

A confident communicator, you will be skilled in stakeholder engagement and client relationship management, with the ability to influence, collaborate, and make sound decisions in a fast-paced environment. You will be adaptable,…