BSE Cost Manager

Your opportunity

If you are an experienced Commercial Manager or Quantity Surveyor with a strong understanding of mechanical and electrical building services and ready for your next career move, please read on as we are recruiting. This role will be based in our Woodstock office (just outside Oxford) and you will join a dynamic team that is continuing to strengthen and expand its commercial management capability.

In this role, you will work on a varied portfolio of projects across multiple sectors, with values ranging from thousands to hundreds of millions of pounds. You will collaborate with a broad in-house team, including engineers, project managers, architects and building cost managers, giving you a wider perspective and the chance to contribute throughout the project lifecycle.

What you will be doing

• Measuring mechanical and electrical systems, applying appropriate rates and preparing complete, well-supported cost reports.
• Preparing MEP cost plans from RIBA Stage 2 onwards, using benchmark data, rules of thumb and current market intelligence.
• Carrying out commercial reviews of MEP work packages and contractor recommendations, challenging assumptions and identifying opportunities to achieve best value.
• Preparing clear cost reports for client review, agreement and sign-off.
• Working with main contractors and specialist subcontractors to identify practical routes to affordability.
• Identifying potential cost increases arising from design development, preparing budget assessments and advising the commercial lead on the likely impact.
• Reviewing monthly valuations and supporting information, then agreeing valuations with contractors.
• Interrogating contractor commercial reports and providing clear, evidence-based advice to the wider project team.

What we are looking for

• Solid experience in building services cost management, with proven involvement in preparing and managing MEP costs which will be covered at interview.
• Good working knowledge of with mechanical and electrical systems, components and installation methodologies at interview.
• The ability to measure MEP systems and use that analysis to check, test and challenge contractor costs.
• Good understanding of procurement strategies, including the differences between plant and equipment procurement and specialist subcontract procurement.
• Experience preparing and agreeing monthly valuations and producing monthly commercial reports for clients.
• Strong commercial judgement, attention to detail and the confidence to challenge information constructively.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills,
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Word and Excel. Experience with Bluebeam, Smartsheet or similar software would be advantageous.

About us

We are Ridge, a Built Environment Consultancy. We help our clients transform the quality and sustainability of the built environment.

Our 1,400+ people bring a vast range of skills, delivering a professional mindset, gritty discipline and a genuine passion to every one of the thousands of projects they undertake each year. They're the foundation of our success - they drive our vision, embody our values and separate us from the competition.

Come and join us if you're hungry to be part of an exceptional team - if you put quality first - if you're motivated by ingenuity and if you're always aspiring to be the very best.