Estimator & Quantity Surveyor Lead — Retail Fit Out

Cityscape Recruitment
Our client is seeking an experienced Senior Estimator / Commercial Pricing Lead to play a pivotal role in shaping and enhancing its commercial pricing capability. This is an exciting opportunity to join a specialist fit-out business delivering high-quality projects for premium retail and commercial brands.
The successful candidate will be responsible not only for producing accurate and commercially competitive estimates but also for driving continuous improvement in pricing processes, supplier performance and future pricing technology. The role offers the opportunity to influence business strategy by transforming estimating into a data-driven, scalable function supported by emerging AI technologies.

The Role Reporting into the senior leadership team, the successful candidate will take ownership of the estimating function, ensuring tenders are competitively priced while protecting project profitability.
Working closely with operational teams, business development and the supply chain, the role combines traditional estimating responsibilities with strategic commercial thinking and continuous process improvement.
Key Responsibilities

• Prepare accurate and commercially competitive cost estimates for retail fit-out and refurbishment projects.
• Review drawings, specifications and project documentation to develop comprehensive pricing submissions.
• Balance competitiveness with commercial risk and margin objectives.
• Develop, maintain and improve pricing models, estimating templates and benchmarking systems.
• Standardise pricing methodologies to improve consistency and forecasting accuracy.
• Support commercial decision-making by producing alternative pricing scenarios and risk assessments.
• Build and maintain strong supplier and subcontractor relationships while continuously reviewing cost competitiveness and performance.
• Analyse completed projects to compare estimated versus actual costs, identifying trends and opportunities for continuous improvement.
• Contribute to the development of AI-enabled estimating tools and data-driven pricing systems to improve speed, consistency and commercial performance.

Key Performance Indicators Success within the role will be measured through:

• Tender conversion rates
• Margin accuracy between estimate and final project outcome
• Overall project profitability
• Estimating turnaround times
• Continuous development and adoption of standardised pricing systems and commercial best practice

Candidate Profile The ideal candidate will have:

• Significant experience as an Estimator or Quantity Surveyor within the retail fit-out, interiors or construction sectors.
• A proven track record of producing successful competitive tenders while maintaining strong commercial margins.
• Experience working closely with subcontractors and supply chain partners to achieve best-value procurement.
• Strong commercial awareness and the ability to assess risk alongside cost.
• Advanced Excel and estimating software skills.
• An interest in data analysis, process improvement and emerging AI technologies within commercial functions.

Personal Attributes The successful individual will demonstrate:

• Strong commercial judgement and attention to detail.
• A systems-focused approach, with the ability to improve processes rather than simply complete tasks.
• Confidence to challenge assumptions and identify opportunities to improve value.
• Analytical, data-driven decision-making.
• Excellent organisational and communication skills.
• A collaborative approach with the ability to build trusted relationships across operational, commercial and leadership teams.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced estimator looking to progress into a strategically influential role within a growing specialist contractor, where they can help shape the future of commercial pricing while working on prestigious fit-out projects across the UK.