Quantity Surveyor Defence in London

We’re growing our Defence commercial team and want to hear from quantity surveyors at Commercial Manager (Professional) level.

You’ll work for Turner & Townsend’s Defence clients. They include Ministry of Defence organisations such as Defence Equipment & Support (DE&S) and the Defence Infrastructure Organisation (DIO), and strategic Defence suppliers, on programmes across air, land, sea, cyber and space.

We also deliver infrastructure work, including under NEC4, and more or less anything else our clients need commercial support with.

Your focus: quantification and costing, cost planning, procurement and tendering, contract practice under NEC4, JCT or FIDIC, and project financial control and reporting.

You don’t need Defence experience to apply. It’s a real advantage, but commercial skill, good decision-making and experience of public procurement carry across from other sectors.

New to consultancy? That’s fine too. If you’ve built your commercial skills client-side, in industry, in the public sector or in the Armed Forces, and you fancy a move into consultancy, this could be a great next step.

Experience beyond quantity surveying? Our commercial team brings procurement, quantity surveying and cost estimating together. If you’ve worked across more than one of these, tell us about it when you apply.

About you

You’re a commercial professional who enjoys solving problems that matter. You can walk into a client’s team, understand quickly what they need, and give advice they trust.

Our culture is underpinned by three values: love a challenge, stronger together and bring out the best in everyone. If those sound like you, you’ll feel at home here.

You don’t need to tick every box. If you have relevant skills and experience and you’re excited by this work, please apply.

What you’ll do

No two commissions are the same. You will  work across the commercial lifecycle wherever our clients need you, from cost planning and tendering to contract administration and final accounts, drawing on your existing experience while strengthening the areas that are newer to you. You can expect to:

• Contribute to the commercial workstream on client projects, taking on more of the lead as your experience grows.
• Recommend the right commercial approach for each situation, weighing the trade-offs and the risk mitigation it needs to achieve value for money.
• Support cost planning, procurement and tendering, adding your own commercial insight.
• Administer contracts and track supplier and contractor performance, using cost analysis, earned value and contract management information.
• Assess change, variations and compensation events, including under NEC4.
• Prepare valuations and process payment applications, through to agreeing final accounts.
• Produce cost forecasts, cashflows, value of work done and monthly commercial reports.
• Identify, analyse and help mitigate commercial risks.
• Support negotiations and continuous improvement, and make sure commercial activity meets governance, compliance and legal requirements.
• Use programme, portfolio and project management tools to keep commercial activity aligned with project delivery.
• Build trusted relationships with client teams, including senior stakeholders, and gain their support for your recommendations.
• Share what you know with colleagues, and help raise commercial standards across the team.

Turner & Townsend are a key Tier 1 supplier of project and programme management services to the Ministry of Defence and strategic Defence suppliers in the UK. We play a crucial role in supporting the defence of the United Kingdom, whilst ensuring our clients achieve better outcomes

Turner & Townsend’s Defence South East Cost Centre provides support to Defence projects and programmes that range in complexity and size. Our service offering includes programme & project management, controls & performance management, cost management and procurement.

We are actively looking to expand the Defence South East team due to client requirements; we’re looking for talented individuals to join us to support the delivery of our growing client portfolio. These individuals should expect to further develop their careers through working on a range of complex and challenging commissions, whilst being part of an engaging and high performing team.

Important: Before applying, due to the sensitive nature of these projects, you must be a SOLE UK National who is able to achieve and maintain UK MoD Security Clearance (SC). See Security Clearance Section.

• Confident with clients: you can explain a commercial position clearly to senior stakeholders, including when it isn’t what they want to hear.
• Sound in judgement: you weigh risk, value and compliance, and recommend an approach you can defend.  You’ll be trusted to manage your own workload, develop commercially sound recommendations and provide clear advice to clients and stakeholders.
• Trustworthy: you act with integrity, and clients and colleagues can rely on your advice.
• Curious: you’re keen to learn a new sector, client or contract model, and you ask good questions.
• Adaptable: you flex to what each client needs rather than sticking to what you already know, and you’re keen to build experience across the whole commercial lifecycle.
• Collaborative: you work well alongside project managers, engineers, controls and finance teams.
• Generous with knowledge: you support and develop junior colleagues and help create an inclusive and respectful environment where people feel valued and able to contribute.

• Professional qualification(s) in quantity surveying, commercial management, project management or a similar relevant discipline, or an equivalent level of relevant experience.
• 2+ years of relevant cost or commercial management experience, ideally within Defence or a sector closely related to Defence.
• AssocRICS or higher (e.g. MRICS), either achieved or with an appetite to work towards it.
• Experience of working on publicly procured projects.

Important: Before applying, due to the sensitive nature of these projects, you must be a SOLE UK National who is able to achieve and maintain UK MoD Security Clearance (SC).
Many of the clients and projects we support are subject to MoD security clearance and Trade Control restrictions. This means that your eligibility for certain roles may be affected by your place of birth, nationality, time out of country, current or former citizenship, and any residency you hold or have held. Further details are available at United Kingdom Security Vetting: clearance levels - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).

Our inspired people share our vision and mission. We provide a great place to work, where each person has the opportunity and voice to affect change.

We want our people to succeed both in work and life. To support this we promote a healthy, productive and flexible working environment that respects work-life balance. 

Turner & Townsend is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and actively encourage applications from all sectors of the community.

Please find out more about us at www.turnerandtownsend.com/

SOX control responsibilities may be part of this role, which are to be adhered to where applicable.

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It is strictly against Turner & Townsend policy for candidates to pay any fee in relation to our recruitment process. No recruitment agency working with Turner & Townsend will ask candidates to pay a fee at any time. 

Any unsolicited resumes/CVs submitted through our website or to Turner & Townsend personal e-mail accounts, are considered property of Turner & Townsend and are not subject to payment of agency fees. In order to be an authorised Recruitment Agency/Search Firm for Turner & Townsend, there must be a formal written agreement in place and the agency must be invited, by the Recruitment Team, to submit candidates for review.