Lead Quantity Surveyor and Cost Estimation Specialist

Lead – Quantity Surveying (QS) & Estimation

Responsibilities

The role is responsible for managing Quantity Surveying (QS) and Project Cost Estimation of NMIAL’s capital projects. This role oversees robust cost management, budgeting & estimation, and proactive risk mitigation. 

The Lead will be monitoring and controlling project costs, validating budgets, and assisting value engineering (VE) exercises throughout various project stages.

Key Responsibilities

1. Estimation & Value Engineering

• Cost Validation: Review and validate all internal and consultant-led cost estimates for internal and external compliance. Correct any discrepancies in the data provided by cost consultants or the internal team and ensure technical accuracy.
• Design-Stage Optimization: Assist in Value Engineering exercises during Concept (CD), Schematic (SD), and Detailed Design (DD) phases for cost optimization.
• Market Intelligence: Leverage deep knowledge of local market dynamics (labor, material trends) and historical project data to perform rigorous rate analysis and quantity take-offs.
• Risk & Provisioning: Identify cost-related risks and provide a summary of estimation & budget assumptions, specifications, and appropriate provisions for escalation and contingencies

2. Budgeting, Monitoring & Financial Reporting

• CAPEX Management: Develop annual CAPEX budgets and financial forecasts. Monitors spend against the Annual Budget Plan to ensure strict adherence to financial targets.
• Cash Flow Strategy: Validate cash flow projections and expenditure reports aligned with project milestones. Analyze variances between actual vs. planned spend and execute corrective action plans.
• Analytics & MIS: Drive the preparation of Financial S-Curves and comprehensive MIS reports for executive stakeholders, providing transparency into project cost.

3. Cost Control & Change Management

• Lifecycle Monitoring: Review and validate quantity variances at the Good for Construction (GFC) stage and evaluate their cost impact.
• Cost-to-Complete (CTC): Oversee CTC reporting, benchmarking NMIAL’s performance against projects of similar scale and complexity.
• Change Governance: Provide cost inputs to Change Management process for change requests / notices. Track change orders, extra items, and claims, ensuring all variations remain within approved contingency thresholds.
• Standardization: Implement QS formats, templates, and estimation protocols across all sub-projects.

4. Stakeholder Engagement

• Internal: Collaborate with Design, Finance, and Project Management teams for project cost estimation, budgeting, capex planning.
• External: Provide required information, reports and clarifications tor Cost Consultants, Financial Institutions, Lenders, and Independent Engineers (CIDCO/Lenders).
• Regulatory: Manage reporting and compliance requirements for government bodies including MoCA, AERA, and CIDCO.

Qualifications

Qualifications & Experience

• Education: Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering or Quantity Surveying. Post-graduate qualifications in Construction Management or RICS certification are highly desirable.
• Experience: 18–20 years of core experience in QS and Estimation, with a significant track record in leading large-scale infrastructure or aviation projects.
• Technical Expertise:
  • Profound knowledge of CPWD and MoRTH estimation norms.
  • Expertise in rate analysis, contract administration, and budget tracking.
  • Proven ability to manage construction-stage cost control.
• Leadership: Demonstrated experience in managing teams and navigating multi-stakeholder environments.