Chief Estimator - Civil & Structural

Job Description

The Chief Estimator (Civil & Structural) leads the civil and structural estimating function for EPC / EPCC tenders for oil & gas, refinery, petrochemical and gas-processing projects across the Middle East and North Africa. The role is accountable for the accuracy, competitiveness and consistency of all civil, structural and building estimates, and for reviewing and signing them off before submission.

• Lead, allocate and review the work of the civil & structural estimating team across several tenders running at the same time; set priorities and internal deadlines.
• Review and sign off quantities, unit rates, productivity norms, subcontract prices and the basis-of-estimate before submission.
• Set the estimating strategy for each tender with Construction and Planning – self-perform vs. subcontract, prefabrication / modularisation and construction methodology.
• Oversee estimates for:
  • Site preparation, earthworks, grading, dewatering and soil improvement
  • Piling and foundations for equipment, pipe racks, tanks and buildings
  • Reinforced concrete – cast-in-situ and precast
  • Structural steel – pipe racks, shelters, platforms and pipe supports
  • Buildings – substations, control rooms, warehouses and workshops
  • Underground works, roads, paving, fencing and pipeline civil works
  • Marine and jetty structures, where in scope
• Own the civil & structural cost database, productivity norms and benchmarks; set estimating standards and templates for the team.
• Validate estimates against benchmarks, ratios and awarded-project data; challenge quantity and rate assumptions.
• Lead the civil & structural input to risk & opportunity, contingency, escalation and value-engineering alternatives.
• Present and defend estimates at tender review and management approval meetings; support negotiations and post-bid client clarifications.
• Develop strategic relationships with piling, precast, steel fabrication and building subcontractors across the GCC.
• Mentor and train estimators, assess performance and support recruitment; capture lessons learned from awarded projects.
• Delivering several large tenders at once with a limited team, without losing quality.
• Balancing competitiveness against risk when FEED is limited and quantities are uncertain.
• Volatile steel, rebar and cement prices and wide regional variation in rates.
• Geotechnical uncertainty and remote-site logistics.
• Keeping estimating standards consistent across estimators, clients and countries.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil or Structural Engineering (mandatory).
• 10–15 years of estimating experience in EPC Oil & Gas / Refinery / Petrochemical projects, with at least 5 years in the GCC.
• Proven track record of leading and signing off the civil & structural pricing of major NOC tenders (e.g. ADNOC, Saudi Aramco, QatarEnergy, PDO, KOC), including large lump-sum EPC bids.

Additional Information

Depending on the nature of the position and its associated compliance risk level, a background check on your profile may be carried out.