Mears Group
Head of Estimating
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Lead Head of Estimating – Permanent Full-Time – Remote (Homebased) – Up to £106,000 + £6,900 Car Allowance
The Opportunity
Mears Group seeks a strategic, experienced Head of Estimating to lead a commercial pivot: shaping how we price, win, and mobilise major contracts across the organisation.
Key Attributes We’re Looking For:
- Commercially astute with strong senior-level influence
- Passionate about driving excellence in tendering and value generation
- Proven ability to lead high-performing teams and deliver sustainable growth
If you thrive in a dynamic, socially-conscious environment where innovation, collaboration, and impact define success, this role offers real strategic influence over the future direction of Mears’ estimating function.
About the Role
As Head of Estimating, your work will be central to Mears’ success by:
- Developing robust, competitive bids across diverse sectors: Repairs & Maintenance (M&E, Planned Works), Central Government housing/HS2, Decarbonisation & Net Zero, and Department of Levelling Up (DLO) support projects.
- Leading commercial strategy within each workstream, ensuring pricing excellence, risk transparency, and strategic value engineering.
- Collaborating with Business Development, Operations, and Legal teams to shape bids that drive margin protection, margin growth, and operational readiness.
- Elevating governance, methodologies, and performance to establish commercial best practices.
In short: ownership over estimating excellence from bid strategy to mobilisation, always ensuring our proposals serve long-term commercial resilience.
Key Responsibilities
1. Commercial Leadership
- Lead high-quality commercial proposals, tailored per opportunity, ensuring alignment with strategic goals.
- Cost model development and pricing strategy to meet margin targets.
- Drive value engineering solutions, balancing affordability with profitability.
- Advise senior leadership with clear, data-backed commercial analysis—risks, assumptions, and pricing recommendations.
2. Tender Governance & Risk Management
- Ensure bid compliance through robust documentation, making submissions airtight for negotiations.
- Tackle clarifications, Requests For Information (RFI’s), RFQs, and competitive forums with precision.
- Review contracts and legal documentation for commercial integrity.
- Enhance estimating tools, templates, and templates to exceed current standards.
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3. Stakeholder Engagement & Strategy
- Present commercial rationale to directors and senior stakeholders.
- Embed estimating assumptions into mobilisation and operations for seamless transition after success.
- Engage with the supply chain to secure competitive pricing.
- Actively engage upcoming bidders with amassed knowledge from past projects.
4. Mobilisation & Continuous Improvement
- Champion post-tender disputes, issue definition, and cost-monitoring to safeguard profitability.
- Analyze performance vs. estimate and translate insights for future bids.
- Transform bidding knowledge into actionable commercial libraries.
5. People Leadership
- Lead, mentor, and grow the estimating team, fostering cultural ownership and performance.
- Identify capability gaps and champion learning programs, systems improvement, and talent development.
Experience & Qualifications
Essential Criteria
- 10+ years’ expertise in social housing estimating, ideally using the BHG NHF Schedule of Rates framework.
- Proven ability to drive bids at multiple award-winning organisations, with strategic insight into complex tenders and contract outcomes.
- Hands-on end-to-end tender lifecycle experience, from pricing through mobilisation/jobset-up.
- Practical post-tender negotiation experience.
Experience Advantage
- Senior estimating management (e.g., Head of/T Commoditivation Leader within contracting or housing organisations).
- Experience working with sector-standard estimating software and M&E tools (e.g., Unite 보기, Enspire).
- Expectations for demonstrating expertise in contract formats: ICE, NEC, NEC Shell, JCT, or equivalent.
Business Acumen Skills
- Quantitative thinking – adept at numerical analysis, benchmarking, and mathematical risk-informed probings.
- Translating technical economics to Senior Leadership/Clients without jargon.
- Stakeholder management – aligned across multiple teams (Legal, Finance, OPS, BD).
Competencies Sought
- Ability to simplify complexity in an environment that thrives on intricate planning.
- Proactive problem-solver with a no-nonsense approach to setbacks.
- Eagerness to collaborate while driving standards—balanced by agile methodology adoption.
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Benefits & Perks
- £106,000 per annum base salary, plus a generous £6,900 car allowance.
- 25 days annual leave, plus bank holidays.
- Family-friendly policies (extended maternity/paternity leave, etc.).
- Enhanced private medical and life assurance.
- Pension scheme and generous fantastic sick pay policies.
- Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) offering confidential support.
- Crowning Commercial Goods – discounts from high-street retailers and providers.
- Monthly appreciation schemes including perks like surprise bonuses or recognition awards.
- Access to professional development training and career growth.
- A commitment to sustainability and community impact (e.g., 2 days annual volunteering leave).
- Organised team events, including Fun Days at major attractions (e.g., Alton Towers, Drayton Manor).
Candidate Requirement
- Mandatory UK residency for work eligibility (cannot sponsor work visas).
- Conditions to drive a company car: over 21 years old, licensed for over 3 months, with less than 9 License Penalty Points.
All roles undergo relevant security/background checks.
Who We Are
Mears Group’s vision is simple: to make long-term improvements to communities through affordable, quality accommodation and efficient service delivery. We value collaboration, development, and a culture rooted in responsibility and innovation.
Beyond numbers and assets, we look for people with shared values—those who believe in progress through purpose and who thrive in an organisation committed to social impact, diversity, and continuous growth.
Our Proud Commitments
- A Disability Confident Employer – we value individual strengths and prioritise inclusion.
- Armed Forces Covenant – designated as a Defence Gold Employer Recognition Scheme partner.
- Career Transition Partnership holder for veterans transitioning to industry.
- Promoters of social mobility – we encourage open dialogue about background during applications to reframe opportunities equitably.
If this role inspires you, apply today—we’re just as excited to hear how you’ll shape the future of estimating at Mears.
[Apply now][Contact HERE: Laura Crosby – laura.crosby@mearsgroup.co.uk]_
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