Senior Quantity Surveyor / Estimator Job at Woods Glass (New Zealand) Limited

Description

Position purpose

The Senior Quantity Surveyor / Estimator provides senior commercial leadership across both pre-contract (estimating/tendering) and post-contract (quantity surveying/contract administration) activities.

The role is accountable for developing commercially robust tenders, maintaining tight cost and contract control through delivery, and ensuring all processes meet New Zealand legislative and contract requirements. A key expectation is to help standardise and continuously improve estimating and commercial workﬂows, including eﬀective use of digital tools, cost data, and consistent documentation.

Success is measured through improved margin performance, forecasting accuracy, quality tender submissions, disciplined risk management, and strong stakeholder outcomes.

Role responsibilities

1. Estimating & Tendering Leadership (pre-contract)

Lead and/or support preparation of high-quality tenders, estimates, and cost plans from early design through to ﬁnal submission.

Complete accurate quantity take-oﬀs and develop ﬁrst-principles pricing across labour, materials, plant, preliminaries, and subcontractor scopes.

Structure tender submissions with clear inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, clariﬁcations, and risk allowances.

Engage suppliers and subcontractors to obtain competitive pricing, reconcile scope gaps, and negotiate commercial terms.

Contribute to bid strategy, pricing reviews, and client discussions as required.

Ensure estimating outputs are commercially robust, clearly documented, and suitable for clean handover into delivery.

2. Risk, Value Engineering & Commercial Assurance (pre-contract)

Lead disciplined tender-stage risk reviews covering scope, buildability, programme, procurement, commercial terms, and compliance.

Identify value-engineering opportunities and alternative methodologies that protect margin and improve deliverability.

Identify incomplete or inconsistent design information, raise RFIs, and protect the business through well-documented clariﬁcations.

Ensure commercial risks are appropriately priced, excluded, or contractually managed prior to commitment.

3. Commercial & Financial Leadership (post-contract)

Lead commercial management across complex projects, including budgets, cashﬂow, cost-to-complete, and margin control.

Administer contracts in line with New Zealand construction contracting practices (including NZS 3910 and subcontract terms where applicable).

Prepare and manage payment claims, payment schedules, variations, and supporting commercial correspondence.

Ensure full compliance with the Construction Contracts Act, including retentions management,

tracking, and timely release.

Monitor commercial performance against tender assumptions and escalate variances early.

Support dispute avoidance and, where required, adjudication or resolution processes with well-evidenced commercial records.

4. Forecasting, Reporting & Commercial Control (post-contract)

Maintain accurate cost-to-complete forecasting and margin tracking throughout project delivery.

Provide clear commercial reporting to senior leadership on cost movements, risks, opportunities, and cashﬂow.

Work closely with Project Managers to ensure commercial decisions align with programme, procurement, and delivery strategies.

Ensure commercial records are audit-ready, traceable, and defensible.

5. Digital Tools, Standardisation & Continuous Improvement

Drive consistent use of estimating and commercial systems, cost databases, and approved documentation standards.

Maintain and improve unit rate libraries, benchmarking data, cost build-ups, and lessons learned from won and lost work.

Support a “single source of truth” approach from estimate through to project handover.

Improve workﬂows to increase speed, accuracy, consistency, and commercial transparency.

6. Stakeholder Engagement & Leadership

Represent the business in senior commercial engagements with clients, consultants, suppliers, and subcontractors.

Build strong internal relationships across Project Management, Finance, Procurement, Design, and technical teams.

Mentor and support junior Quantity Surveyors and Estimators through coaching, peer review, and knowledge sharing.

Provide calm, solutions-focused leadership during bid deadlines and commercial pressure points.

7. Health, Safety & Compliance

Ensure commercial decisions appropriately allow for health and safety obligations and safe construction methodologies.

Maintain awareness of relevant legislation and ensure estimating and QS practices align with company policies and New Zealand regulatory requirements.

Key relationships

Internal

Commercial Director / Senior Management

National Commercial Manager / Commercial Lead

Project Managers and Delivery Teams

Finance Team

Procurement Team

Design / Technical Teams

Estimators / QS team members External

Clients / Client Representatives

Main Contractors

Suppliers and Subcontractors

Consultants (Architects, Engineers, QS consultants)

Qualiﬁcations, certiﬁcations and experience

Essential

Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) in Quantity Surveying, Construction, or related discipline.

Signiﬁcant senior experience across QS and estimating (typically 10+ years), with evidence of leading high-value tenders and/or complex project commercial delivery.

Demonstrated strength in ﬁrst principles estimating, cost planning, and commercial risk evaluation.

Strong knowledge of New Zealand construction contracts and legislation, including Construction Contracts Act requirements and retentions obligations.

Proven capability producing senior commercial reporting: forecasting, cost-to-complete, margin movement, and risk registers.

High capability with relevant software and digital tools (e.g., CostX/Cubit/Candy/Buildsoft/Procore or equivalent estimating and ﬁnancial management platforms).

Desirable

Membership/eligibility with NZIQS and/or RICS.

Experience with façade, reclad, rainscreen, glazing, or other specialist building envelope scopes.

Exposure to BI/reporting tools (e.g., Power BI) and/or structured estimating digitisation programmes.

Role Type

On-site • Permanent • Full-time • Mid-level Senior

Company Overview

Woods Glass is a recognised leader in commercial glazing and architectural glass supply in New Zealand. We’re an established company with some awesome projects under our belt, but our biggest achievement and one we’re all immensely proud of is the Street Lobby of the PWC tower at Commercial bay – a frameless glass facade with all structural components made entirely of glass! Our team at Woods Glass pride ourselves on the quality of work we deliver in the commercial and residential space. It’s a supportive and fun team environment that values the contributions of our teams and we celebrate our achievements.

Senior Quantity Surveyor / Estimator

Description

Role Type

Company Overview

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