Senior Quantity Surveyor

Should you not have the full range of essential skills, qualifications and competencies listed below, there may be an opportunity for further training to equip you. If you do not have all relevant competencies for the core grade, it will be appropriate to appoint at a lower grade until you have developed the required competencies.

Job Purpose:

The Capital Programme and Procurement Team has a requirement for a Senior Quantity Surveyor to provide commercial support to the Southern Region Commercial Manager, on the Lower Thames Crossing scheme being delivered from our Maidstone office. 

Whilst based in the Maidstone office the successful applicant will be expected to travel to site on a regular basis.

The Senior Quantity Surveyor will be required to provide a supporting role during initial procurement before taking ownership for delivery through to final account.

This will require good commercial and contractual management of contractors engaged through a variety of contractual mechanisms (e.g. NEC Fixed Price/ Target Price contracts, Framework Call-off forms and manufacturing orders), utilising our computerised contract management tool (Unifier) as well as P6 to ensure that projects are delivered on time and within budgetary constraints. 

The Senior Quantity Surveyor will be responsible for all elements of Commercial Administration including the payment process, EWN’s/ CE’s, P6 programme reviews, approval of subcontractors and the like, as well as production of CVR’s and other commercial reporting. 

The Senior Quantity Surveyor will also be required to compile pre-contract information and assist in the drafting of contracts, prior to passing over to our contract execution team.

The Senior Quantity Surveyor will also be responsible for figures within the project gate papers / exception papers for their contracts, whilst the Project Manager holds overall responsibility for the governance process.

Dimensions:

1. To comply with all UKPN guidelines, business objectives and procedures, identifying and reporting areas of non-conformance to the Commercial Manager.
2. Administering the contract in accordance with the terms and conditions, ensuring both UKPN and the Contractor meet their obligations.
3. Responsible for assessing contractor applications and change requests, making recommendations and preparing general correspondence on behalf of the Project Manager.
4. Build a close relationship with all external and internal stakeholders to enable progress without delay, ensuring that all reasonable requests are met in a timely efficient manner.
5. To assist in the review and verification of contractor prices for new contracts.
6. Produce quality commercial reports and dashboards in a timely, professional and legible manner and ensure the successful Commercial management of the contract
7. Working with the Commercial Manager to resolve any contract issues, and in the event of a dispute arising to assist in the preparation of the required documentation to fully justify and reinforce our contractual position.

Principal Accountabilities

The Senior Quantity Surveyor will report to the Southern Region Commercial Manager. This role will be responsible for carrying out the following activities.

• To comply with all UKPN guidelines, business objectives and procedures, identifying and reporting areas of non-conformance to the Commercial Manager and wider commercial management team.
• Ensure that the project delivery team have acted in accordance with the contract.
• Responsible for liaising with all external and internal stakeholders to enable the projects to progress without delay, ensuring that all reasonable requests are met in a timely efficient manner.
• Interface with the Programme Manager, Senior Project Managers, Project Managers and P6 Planners to deliver professional and competent advice and support.
• Manage a programme of works in order that all contracts receive the relevant allocation of resource to efficiently commercially manage them.
• Demonstrate an understanding of the contract provisions to the team to create confidence even when faced with setbacks. Willing to make decisions and confident in justifying them when challenged.
• Produce quality reports in a timely, professional and legible manner and follow instructions, questioning the decisions and directions of others where necessary.
• Assess contractor applications, programmes, EWN’s and CE's, making recommendations to, raising payment certificates for and preparing general correspondence on behalf of the Project Managers to ensure that only legitimate monies are certified.
• Liaise with the Project Managers to review and update risk registers and add in new risks arising from the aforementioned EWN’s and CE’s.
• Identify principal risks and opportunities; raise, address and resolve problems at a project level and support the project delivery team, maintain a schedule of potential financial implications for the various projects.
• Advise others regarding the application and interpretation of the different forms of contract in use within UKPN, predominantly being NEC3.
• Responsible for managing and reporting change control procedures within each specific contract and ensuring that they are adhered to by all parties.
• Review contractor’s subcontracts and provide recommendations to Project Manager for acceptance/ rejection thereof.
• Working with the Commercial Manager to resolve any contract issues, and in the event of a dispute arising, to assist in the preparation of the required documentation to fully justify and reinforce our contractual position.

Nature and Scope:

As the Senior Quantity Surveyor, the job holder will be responsible for delivering new commercial processes, ensuring that costs are monitored and payments are made in accordance with the contract conditions reporting the result to the Commercial Manager.

The person appointed will have extensive commercial awareness; excellent analytical skills, process knowledge and an understanding of the technical requirements for the delivery for all contract work-streams within UKPN (e.g. NEC3 terms). They must have good communication, influencing and leadership skills and will be a strong team player.

The person carrying out this role will be someone who can demonstrate a good knowledge of relevant administrative and business process in a fast moving environment.

Knowledge, Skills, Qualifications and Experience:

• Degree in Quantity Surveying, Construction Law and/or Project Management.
• Ideally working towards Profession Membership in an appropriate organisation such as RICS, ICES, however not essential for the role.
• Commercial acumen and strong negotiating skills.
• Knowledge of construction contracts.
• Industry knowledge of costs and contractor performance related issues.
• An understanding of the electricity network and the various types of works undertaken advantageous but not essential.
• Numerate and accurate in analysing cost data with a focus on attention to detail. Able to communicate financial and commercial issues
• Taking responsibility for the delivery of the key objectives to manage the commercial process.
• Ability to work in a pressured environment as part of a highly focused team
• Good level PC literacy, with the ability to learn and use a variety of systems with fast and accurate keyboard skills, a good knowledge of Excel and a knowledge of SAP would be an advantage.
• Flexible attitude to work and working hours.
• Self motivated, with a strong drive to succeed.
• Ability to build good working relationships with other staff and other teams within UK Power Networks and external partners.
• Good communication, organisational and problem solving skills.
• Full UK driving licence

Please Note: Internal candidates are eligible to apply for internal positions once they have successfully completed any contractual probationary period.

If you have any queries in connection to this vacancy or your application, please contact us at careers@ukpowernetworks.co.uk quoting the vacancy reference number and a member of the team will get in touch with you as soon as possible.