Senior Cost Consultant (Senior Estimators & Cost Planners

Senior Cost Consultant (Senior Estimators & Cost Planners)

Location:

Multiple Locations (Manchester, London, Birmingham, Leeds, Liverpool, Bristol)
Permanent  Full-time with flexible working and core hours  Gleeds is a leading global property and construction consultancy. Independent since 1875, we are proud to deliver award-winning projects around the world. We are an accredited Great Place to Work, with our people at the heart of everything we do. Gleeds Infrastructure specialise in delivering projects worldwide with extensive experience in the Rail, Water & Utilities, Aviation, and Transportation & Highway sectors.

Our goal is to deliver Infrastructure that leaves a positive, lasting legacy when well-integrated into the physical, human, and economic environment. Whether it’s a rail link, wind farm, or flood defence barrier, the goal is to create tangible benefits for individuals, communities, and economies.

We are looking for highly motivated Cost Consultant (Estimators & Cost Planners) with proven experience in the infrastructure sector (Rail, Highways, Aviation, Utilities, Water, Power and general Civils). Our team supports some of the UK’s most complex and high-profile infrastructure programmes across Rail, Aviation, Water, Utilities, Power, Highways and General civils helping clients develop robust business cases, make informed investment decisions, and safeguard commercial outcomes.

Estimating sits at the heart of infrastructure decision-making. Our team specialises in developing high-quality estimates and cost intelligence across the full project lifecycle from early strategic business case estimates through to detailed delivery phase cost plans and independent assurance. Our work combines industry best practice estimating methodologies, structured benchmarking, digital cost intelligence, and rigorous assurance to provide clients with confidence in their investment decisions.

We offer a wide range of estimating services, including:

Estimate and cost plan production across all levels of maturity

Independent estimate assurance and challenge

Benchmarking and cost intelligence development

Major programme and estimating framework setup

This role provides an excellent opportunity to develop specialist estimating expertise within a highly regarded and collaborative team.

Your day-to-day responsibilities may include:

Leading the production of estimates and cost plans across multiple stages of project maturity, from early business case through to detailed delivery phase estimates

Taking ownership of estimate structure, methodology, assumptions, and presentation

Taking responsibility for the technical quality and completeness of estimate deliverables

Supporting the planning and delivery of estimating commissions to meet client and programme requirements

Leading estimate reviews and providing technical challenge to ensure robustness and completeness

Developing estimate assumptions, exclusions, risk allowances, and Basis of Estimate documentation

Coordinating inputs from multi-disciplinary teams, including design, engineering, and commercial stakeholders

Supporting benchmarking and the development and application of cost intelligence

Analysing and interpreting cost data to identify key cost drivers, risks, and opportunities

Supporting client understanding of estimate outputs, including explaining cost drivers, risks, and areas of uncertainty

Mentoring and supporting the development of junior estimators

Supporting the continuous improvement of estimating processes, tools, and data

Who we're looking for:

We are interested in candidates with strong infrastructure estimating or cost planning experience. You may have:

Experience leading the production of estimates and cost plans within infrastructure or construction

Experience developing estimates across multiple stages of project maturity

Strong understanding of estimating principles, methodologies, and best practice

Experience applying industry standard Methods of Measurement (e.g. NRM, RMM, CESSM, MMHW or similar)
Experience developing estimate assumptions and Basis of Estimate documentation

Understanding of estimate risk, uncertainty, and contingency development

Ability to…