WJ UK
Senior Quantity Surveyor (SZC)
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Location: Sizewell C, Suffolk — 5 days/week on site + 1–2 days/month at Kings Langley head office
Own the commercial account on Britain’s biggest construction site. WJ has £20M+ of secured works on Sizewell C and a further £40M+ in negotiation — dewatering, water treatment, surface water management, abstraction wells, pumping tests and monitoring across the largest nuclear new-build in Europe. It is our most important account, and we’re hiring one Senior Quantity Surveyor to own it commercially, end to end.
This is not a cog-in-the-machine posting. You hold the commercial position on the major packages — the change register, the CVRs, the applications, the negotiations and the final accounts — reporting straight to our Managing Quantity Surveyor and sharing accountability with the SZC Project Lead. When the £40M pipeline converts, you build the commercial team that runs it.
The deal
- £65,000–£75,000 basic + company car + private healthcare + gym + performance bonus.
- A genuine route up: you deputise for the Managing Quantity Surveyor on SZC matters from day one, with a clear line of sight to Managing QS level as the account grows.
What you’ll actually do
- Run NEC3/4 contract administration (Options A, C and E) across the Tier 1, 2 and 3 positions WJ holds on site — early warnings, compensation events, quotations and re-measures, inside the time bars, every time.
- Own cost, value, margin and cash on a £20M+ portfolio: CVRs, cashflow forecasts, monthly applications and the negotiations that follow.
- Sit across the table from SZC Ltd and the Civil Works Alliance as WJ’s commercial lead — protecting our entitlement while keeping the relationships that win the next package.
- Feed commercial intelligence into bids and pricing as we convert the £40M+ pipeline.
Who thrives in this role
- A degree in Quantity Surveying or Commercial Management (mandatory) and a minimum of 5 years’ NEC post-qualification experience, with at least 3 years at Senior QS level.
- Someone who has owned the commercial position on a significant account — not just contributed to one — and can evidence the CEs, CVRs and final accounts to prove it.
- Confident with MS Excel; CEMAR, Oracle Unifier or FastDraft a bonus. Eligible for SZC security clearance (BPSS/SC) with a full UK driving licence.
- Nuclear new-build or comparable major programme experience (HPC, HS2, Tideway) and RICS/ICES progression are both valued, not required.
About WJ
WJ is the UK’s leading water management specialist — the partner and contractor of choice for major construction and infrastructure programmes. Over 45 years and 4,500+ projects worldwide, including the Channel Tunnel Rail Link, the London Olympic Park, Crossrail, Tideway, HS2 and currently Sizewell C. Our values — Confidence, Pride, Clarity & Integrity, and Independence — guide every decision we make. Apply via LinkedIn Easy Apply, or get in touch for a conversation in confidence.
Detailed Job Description:
Key areas of responsibility
SZC Commercial Ownership
- Act as the lead commercial point of accountability for WJ’s key SZC accounts, owning the commercial position from award to final account.
- Own cost, value, margin and cash performance across the secured £20M+ SZC portfolio, and report performance with clarity and evidence.
- Set and maintain the commercial standard across the whole SZC account, including the minor accounts administered by the SZC Quantity Surveyor.
- Deputise for the Managing Quantity Surveyor on SZC commercial matters and represent WJ commercially at senior client and alliance forums.
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Contract & Commercial Management
- Lead the administration of WJ’s key SZC packages under NEC3/4 and project-specific nuclear framework requirements, including Options A, C and E.
- Ensure contractual notices, early warnings, programme-impact information and communications are issued correctly, in the right form and within contractual time bars.
- Provide authoritative commercial and contractual advice to the SZC Project Lead, Project Managers and site teams on rights, obligations, risk and entitlement.
- Manage the differing contractual interfaces and reporting lines arising from WJ operating at Tier 1, Tier 2 and Tier 3 contractor levels across the site.
- Lead extension of time submissions, compensation events, variations, re-measures and the resolution of commercial disputes on the key accounts.
Financial Control, Forecasting & Cash
- Prepare, own and maintain live cost plans, CVRs and cashflow forecasts for the key SZC accounts, aligned to SZC reporting cycles and WJ month-end.
- Validate and track costs across well drilling and installation, pumping systems and energy usage, pipework and discharge arrangements, water treatment plant, monitoring instrumentation, subcontractors and specialist plant.
- Prepare, submit and negotiate monthly valuations and applications for payment, driving strong and timely cash recovery.
- Identify commercial risk and opportunity early, quantify it, and escalate to the Managing Quantity Surveyor and SZC Project Lead with a recommended course of action.
- Ensure all commercial inputs align with WJ’s financial controls, IMS requirements and audit expectations.
Change Control & Compensation Event Management
- Own the change management process across the key SZC accounts, ensuring every change is identified, notified, priced, agreed and recorded.
- Prepare and agree compensation events, quotations and re-measures arising from unforeseen ground conditions, additional pumping requirements, productivity variations, layout changes, extended durations or drilling changes.
- Maintain accurate, contemporaneous records to substantiate entitlement and to defend WJ against disallowed or non-recoverable costs.
- Support the preparation and agreement of interim and final accounts.
Oversight & Development of the SZC Quantity Surveyors
- Build and lead an expanded SZC commercial team as the £40M+ opportunity pipeline converts.
Client & Stakeholder Management
- Act as the lead commercial interface with SZC Ltd, the Civil Works Alliance (CWA), their stakeholders and subcontractors on the key accounts.
- Maintain a regular, visible presence on site to verify progress, measure completed works and retain real-time commercial visibility of site activity.
- Attend SZC progress meetings, commercial reviews and contract negotiations on behalf of WJ.
- Protect WJ’s commercial entitlement while sustaining collaborative, transparent behaviours that build WJ’s reputation and support repeat work.
Support to Operations & Pipeline Growth
- Work in partnership with the SZC Project Lead and Project Managers so that operational decisions on site are taken with full sight of their commercial consequences.
- Ensure procurement of specialist drilling equipment, plant, subcontractors and water management systems is commercially sound and contractually compliant.
- Support the Head of Business Development and Sales team in converting the £40M+ SZC pipeline, providing commercial input to bids, pricing, risk allowances and negotiations.
- Support pre-qualification, tender submissions and client presentations for new SZC packages.
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Reporting, Governance & Records
- Produce accurate monthly commercial reports for the Managing Quantity Surveyor, Operations Manager and Finance Manager, presenting CVR outcomes and explaining budget movements, risks, overruns and margin variances.
- Ensure robust, auditable commercial data that satisfies nuclear-sector governance, SZC/CWA assurance processes and SZC reporting requirements.
- Maintain complete commercial records, including correspondence, notices, site diaries, measurements and cost evidence.
- Ensure all commercial activity complies with WJ’s IMS, QMS and SHEQ requirements and with SZC project governance, including security and documentation requirements.
Qualifications & Experience
Essential
- Degree in Quantity Surveying, Commercial Management or a related discipline (mandatory — equivalent experience will not be accepted in lieu of a degree).
- Minimum 5–8 years’ quantity surveying experience within construction, civil engineering, geotechnical or specialist subcontracting, with a proven track record on major infrastructure programmes.
- A minimum of 5 years’ post-qualification experience administering NEC3/4 contracts (including Options A/B/C/E) and at least 3 years operating at Senior Quantity Surveyor level, with confidence operating across multiple contractor tiers.
- Experience owning the commercial position on a significant account or portfolio, including CVRs, forecasts, valuations, compensation events and final accounts.
- Strong negotiation skills and the credibility to deal with clients, principal contractors and alliance partners at a senior level.
- Experience providing commercial direction, review or mentoring to more junior commercial staff.
- Strong analytical and financial reporting capability, with high attention to detail and excellent record-keeping discipline.
- Excellent communication, report-writing and interpersonal skills.
- Eligibility to obtain and maintain security clearance for the SZC site (e.g. BPSS/SC).
- Full UK Driving Licence and willingness to travel routinely to a major infrastructure site.
- Strong IT skills including MS Excel; experience of contract management systems such as CEMAR, Oracle Unifier or FastDraft an advantage.
Desirable
- Experience on nuclear new-build or comparable major programmes (Hinkley Point C, HS2, Thames Tideway or similar).
- Experience of JCT and bespoke contract frameworks alongside NEC.
- Professional membership or working towards chartership (e.g. RICS, ICES).
- CSCS card and site safety training appropriate to regular site attendance.
Working Conditions
Site-based at/near the Sizewell C project, Suffolk, with a minimum of five days per week on site, and 1–2 days per month at WJ’
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