Senior Quantity Surveyor

Senior Quantity Surveyor

Recruiter

Swift Human Resources

Job Ref

CEN001341/LK

Date posted

Friday, June 26, 2026

Location

Cape Town, South Africa

SUMMARY

● Job Title: Senior Quantity Surveyor

● Department: Commercial Division

● Reports To: Managing Director

● Location: Cape Town, (with site travel)

● Employment Type: Full-time, Permanent

Role Purpose

This dual-focused position requires an experienced, commercially sharp professional to act as a Senior Quantity Surveyor while structurally leading and managing clients expanding Commercial Department. The successful candidate will oversee the department's three core units: Estimating, Controlling, and Supply Chain. Operating under a philosophy of shared equal responsibility, this leader will work hand-in-hand with site construction management to protect project margins, streamline procurement systems, and manage contractual risks to guarantee company profitability.

Candidate Profile: Qualifications & Experience

Must-Have Criteria

• Experience: 8+ years of total quantity surveying experience in the residential or commercial building construction sectors, with a minimum of 2–3 years in a commercial management or supervisory leadership capacity managing other QS personnel.
• Software Mastery: Professional, hands-on proficiency in Candy (CCS) (Estimating, Valuations, QTO) is a non-negotiable requirement.
• System Capabilities: Practical experience working with modern cloud-based financial workflows, particularly Xero and ApprovalMax.
• Contractual Expertise: Deep operational mastery of the JBCC contract framework, including its legal clauses and mechanisms for amendments.
• Education: BTech / BSc / National Diploma in Quantity Surveying or Construction Management.

Preferred Competencies

• Active registration with the South African Council for the Quantity Surveying Profession (SACQSP) or equivalent professional body.
• Strong mentorship-oriented leadership approach focused on knowledge-sharing and team development over aggressive enforcement.

Key Responsibilities

Departmental Leadership & Team Governance

• Division Leadership: Direct and mentor intermediate, site, and junior Quantity Surveyors alongside the internal procurement/buying team.
• Shared Site Responsibility: Enforce the company policy that the Site Manager and the Quantity Surveyor function as a unified leadership unit on projects with equal importance, ensuring no cost-impacting operational decisions are made in isolation.
• Continuous Improvement: Lead bi-monthly internal commercial meetings to actively address budget trends, alleviate cross-departmental friction, and continuously update the combined Citra Construction Manual.

Advanced Estimating, Tendering & Value Engineering

• Multi-Stage Estimating: Supervise the multi-stage estimating process—from generating comprehensive Bills of Quantities (BoQs) using SMM rules to full analytical rate breakdowns (labor, plant, material, and subcontractors).
• Executive Approvals: Finalize and present detailed cost BoQs to senior leadership for margin and risk assessments 1–2 days prior to formal client submission.
• Pre-Contract Handovers: Lead formal Stage 5 handover packs and contractual alignment meetings bridging Estimating, Construction Managers, Site Agents, and Site QS teams.
• Value Engineering (VE): Identify critical, code-compliant areas during tender and design phases to drive down construction costs and time frames.

Financial Controlling & Cashflow Management

• Post-Tender Budgets: Assist site quantity surveyors in compiling rigorous post-tender budgets using original tender allowables as strict reference baselines.
• Subcontractor & Supplier Control: Oversee the formal appointment of all domestic and labor-only subcontractors via formalized agreements linked directly to automated purchase orders.
• Month-End Valutions & Progress Certificates: Review and approve monthly client progress certificates and verify subcontractor payment claims.
• Project Controlling: Conduct meticulous material-on-site (MOS) stocktakes on the 30th/31st of every month to generate the monthly Project Controlling Dashboard by the 10th.

Supply Chain & Vendor Performance Management

• Strategic Procurement: Work with the procurement team to secure fixed-price bulk material orders to lock in costs and protect margins against market fluctuations.
• Upfront Vendor Evaluation: Maintain a standardized, risk-sorted database of approved/preferred suppliers, tracking up-to-date compliance records (VAT, insurance, and company registrations).
• Performance Quality Audits: Monitor subcontractor adherence to health, safety, quality, and project timelines, implementing swift conflict resolution strategies when vendor delivery slips.

Contract Administration (JBCC Focus)

• Contractual Safeguards: Provide expert operational administration of JBCC contracts across South African residential and commercial portfolios.
• Risk & Liability Mitigation: Evaluate penalty triggers, retention terms, and clauses to manage exposure to project delays and unapproved variation orders.

POSITION INFO

Kindly apply if you meet the minimum requirements. Should you not hear back from us within 2 weeks consider your application as unsuccessful.