Expression of Interest - Senior Quantity Surveyor

Location/s: Warrington, Whitehaven UK
Recruiter contact: Aoife Cullen

Mott MacDonald is a global engineering, management, and development consultancy with over 20,000 employees across more than 50 countries and 140+ offices.

We work across incredible global industries, delivering exciting work that is defining our future and making an important societal impact in the communities we serve. Our people power our performance – we succeed when they do. With countless opportunities to collaborate, learn, and grow, the possibilities for excellence are as varied as every individual.

Whether you want to grow as a subject matter expert or broaden your experience with roles across our international community, you’re surrounded by global specialists who want to combine their expertise and champion you to be your best. As a proudly employee-owned business, we benefit our clients, our communities, and each other, investing in creating the right space for everyone to feel empowered, included, and valued. Whatever your ambition, Mott MacDonald is where people come to be brilliant.

About the business unit

Mott MacDonald’s Advisory and Programme Delivery (APD) unit delivers both project, programme and commercial management (PPCM) services and advisory solutions across the built environment, energy, water, environmental, transportation, health and care sectors.

We deliver tailored solutions that directly address our clients’ key challenges, combining our world leading project expertise with strong programme delivery capabilities and advisory services. APD delivers services to projects ranging in scale and complexity up to £20bn, through the technical disciplines of programme management, project management, project controls, scheduling, cost management, estimating, infrastructure finance, management consulting, digital consulting and education, health and care management.

Energy – Civil Nuclear & Decommissioning

Mott MacDonald is a leading delivery partner in the global energy sector, with a strong and growing presence in civil nuclear and nuclear decommissioning.

We support major nuclear clients including site licence companies, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), and Tier 1 contractors, providing commercial and programme delivery expertise across the full lifecycle of nuclear assets. Our work spans decommissioning strategy, waste management, site remediation, major infrastructure upgrades, and long-term programme delivery.

Our teams are actively engaged in some of the UK’s most complex and high-hazard environments, including programmes in and around West Cumbria, where we are helping deliver safe, compliant, and cost-effective decommissioning solutions that underpin the UK’s net zero ambitions.

Overview of the role

Due to continued growth in our civil nuclear and decommissioning portfolio, we are seeking an experienced Senior Quantity Surveyor to join our team in Whitehaven and Warrington.

This is a key leadership role within our commercial function, offering the opportunity to work on some of the UK’s most complex and high-value nuclear decommissioning programmes. You will take a senior position in delivering robust commercial strategies, managing risk in highly regulated environments, and ensuring value for money across long-term programmes of work.

As a Senior Quantity Surveyor, you will not only lead on cost and contract management, but also act as a trusted advisor to clients, mentor junior team members, and contribute to the continuous improvement of commercial delivery across programmes.

Candidate Specification

The Senior Quantity Surveyor will play a pivotal role in the successful delivery of major client programmes within the nuclear sector, with a strong emphasis on decommissioning.

The role focuses on strategic cost management, NEC contract leadership, and commercial governance within a highly regulated environment. You will be responsible for driving commercial performance, ensuring compliance, and influencing key project and programme decisions.

Key responsibilities and duties include:

• Lead the management and administration of NEC3/NEC4 contracts in line with project and programme governance requirements
• Provide senior commercial leadership across nuclear decommissioning projects, ensuring robust cost control and risk management
• Oversee and approve contract variations, ensuring timely, compliant, and value-driven outcomes
• Own and manage cost forecasting, budgeting, and financial reporting at project and programme level
• Lead the valuation of construction and decommissioning works, ensuring accuracy and transparency
• Act as a trusted advisor to clients, supporting strategic decision-making and commercial assurance
• Drive value engineering and demonstrate value for money across contractor proposals and delivery models
• Manage and mentor junior commercial staff, supporting capability development within the team
• Collaborate with multidisciplinary teams to deliver programme objectives, KPIs, and performance outcomes
• Ensure compliance with nuclear industry regulations, governance processes, and safety-led commercial practices

Candidate Specification

Essential:

• Degree qualified (or equivalent) in a relevant discipline
• Significant experience in quantity surveying/commercial management roles within major infrastructure or energy projects
• NEC ECC accreditation with strong, practical experience administering NEC3 and/or NEC4 contracts in a senior capacity
• Chartered status (MRICS) or actively working towards with substantial progress
• Demonstrable experience delivering commercial management on complex, high-value programmes within highly regulated environments (e.g. nuclear, utilities, energy)
• Proven ability to manage contract cashflow, governance, change control, and commercial risk at scale
• Strong experience in cost control, forecasting, and valuation of works across full project lifecycles
• Experience using CEMAR for contract administration
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to influence clients, contractors, and senior project leaders
• Competent in Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, Teams, and PowerPoint
• Practical, hands-on experience administering NEC ECC and/or PSC contracts

Desirable:

• Experience working within civil nuclear or nuclear decommissioning environments (e.g. NDA estate, Sellafield or similar)
• Demonstrable experience administering contracts using Thinkproject Contracts
• NEC Project Manager Accreditation
• Experience providing commercial input at programme or portfolio level
• Experience managing or mentoring junior team members

Please be advised that offers for this role are conditional upon obtaining the appropriate level of Security Clearance.

UK Immigration

Mott MacDonald Ltd. are not currently offering sponsorship to candidates under the Skilled Worker visa route in the UK. This decision is as a consequence of the changes made to the Skilled Worker route by the UK Government in April 2024. We continue to welcome applications from candidates who are eligible for alternative immigration routes in the UK, that do not require sponsorship as a Skilled Worker now or in future.

Agile working  

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team, and personal commitments. We offer a hybrid working policy that embraces your well-being, flexibility, and trust.

Equality, diversity, and inclusion 

We put equality, diversity, and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they can contribute.

Accessibility

We want you to perform your best at every stage in the recruitment process. If you are disabled or need any support to enable you to apply or attend an interview, please contact us at reasonable.adjustments@mottmac.com and we will talk to you about how we can support you.

We offer some fantastic benefits including:

Financial wellbeing

• We match employee pension contributions between 4.5% and 7%.
• Life assurance equal up to 4 x your basic salary, with an option to increase the level of cover to 6 x your salary.
• Our income protection scheme provides a financial benefit, as well as absence and return to work support due to long-term illness or injury.
• Flexible benefits, including increased life assurance cover, critical illness insurance, payroll saving and will writing.
• As an independently owned business we share the financial success of the business with all our colleagues in various ways including annual bonus schemes.

Employee Ownership

• Our employee ownership model means no external investors, just us, creating a culture of shared success.
• Our employees have a stake and a voice in our business, giving them a direct connection to our success through our personal and group performance bonuses.
• As your career grows, so does your stake, recognising your long-term impact and contribution.
• Your voice matters, with the opportunity to connect directly with senior leadership through formal channels to help shape our future.
• For our senior roles you will have a direct pathway towards ownership from day one.

Health and wellbeing

• Private medical insurance for all UK colleagues.
• Health cash plan to support you with every day health costs and treatments.
• Access to Peppy, providing free support from menopause experts for all UK colleagues.
• A variety of wellbeing support is available through our comprehensive wellbeing program, including access for you and your family.
• Ability to flex your salary to opt into a wide range of health benefits, many of which can be extended to your family too.

Lifestyle

• A minimum of 33-35 days holiday each year, inclusive of public holidays and dependent on level, with the ability to buy or sell leave through our flexible benefits programme.
• Holiday entitlement increased to a minimum of 35 days after 5 years’ service.
• Variety of employee saving schemes and discounts from high-street retailers.

 Enhanced family and carers leave

• Enhanced family leave policies, including 26 weeks paid maternity and adoption leave, and two weeks paid paternity/partner leave.
• Our shared parental leave matches maternity leave meaning we pay up to 24 weeks at full pay.
• Up to five additional days leave are provided for those with significant caring responsibilities, two of which are paid.

Learning and development

• Primary annual professional institution subscription.
• A broad range of opportunities to enhance both technical and soft skills through mentoring, formal training, and self-development options.

Networks, communities, and social outcomes

• Join a wide range of groups including our Advanced Employee Networks which support our LGBTQ+, gender, race and ethnicity, disability, and parents/carers communities.
• Make a difference within our communities through our social outcomes.

Apply now, or for more information about our application process, click here.