Vertical Recruitment is working with a leading global consultancy in the built environment, supporting the appointment of a Senior Quantity Surveyor to join their Manchester cost management team.

This is a senior hire within a busy, high-performing and genuinely collaborative team. You’ll be taking ownership of complex, high-value projects across a really varied portfolio, with plenty of exposure across different sectors and the chance to work closely with long-standing, trusted clients.

Although the organisation operates globally, they’ve got a strong regional presence in the UK. They combine technical strength with a modern, flexible approach to delivery, focusing on improving outcomes across the full lifecycle of the built environment through cost consultancy, project management and advisory services.

Culturally, they’re known for being open, trusting and high-performing. People are given real autonomy and encouraged to take ownership of their work, lead client relationships and have a direct impact on project and commercial outcomes. There’s also a strong focus on supporting and developing junior team members and contributing to a positive team culture.

The Role

As a Senior / Lead Quantity Surveyor, you’ll be responsible for delivering full cost management services across a diverse range of projects.

You’ll act as a key client-facing lead, managing both pre- and post-contract services and making sure projects are commercially controlled from start to finish. It’s a hands-on role where you’ll need to balance technical delivery with commercial judgement, while managing multiple stakeholders and priorities at once.

Alongside project delivery, you’ll also play an important role in supporting and mentoring junior team members, sharing knowledge and helping to continuously improve how the team works.

Project Exposure

You’ll work across a broad mix of projects in both the public and private sector, including:

• Retail and high street projects, including new builds, refurbishments and rollout programmes for well-known national and international operators
• Healthcare schemes, including live hospital environments, upgrades and phased refurbishments
• Commercial developments, such as office buildings, mixed-use schemes and regeneration projects
• Residential projects, from high-density urban schemes through to larger housing developments
• Public sector and civic projects, including education, community and local authority developments



The work varies in scale, complexity and procurement route, so you’ll get real variety and the chance to build strong cross-sector experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead cost management delivery across multiple complex projects
• Take ownership of cost planning, estimating, procurement strategy and contract administration
• Manage valuations, variations, payment applications and monthly reporting
• Monitor commercial performance and proactively manage risk and opportunity
• Provide clear contractual and commercial advice, including resolving issues and avoiding disputes
• Maintain accurate cost data and reporting in line with internal systems and processes
• Act as a key point of contact for clients, building and maintaining strong relationships
• Work closely with wider project teams and disciplines to support successful delivery
• Ensure compliance with commercial governance, risk and quality standards
• Support bids, benchmarking and continuous improvement activities
• Mentor and support junior members of the team

About You

• Strong background in a consultancy or client-side Quantity Surveying role
• Experience operating at Senior QS level across a range of built environment sectors
• Confident managing both pre- and post-contract duties
• Strong experience in cost planning, procurement, contract administration and financial control
• Comfortable working directly with senior clients and stakeholders
• Experience mentoring or supporting junior team members
• Ideally MRICS qualified (or well progressed towards chartership)
• Experience acting as Employer’s Agent is an advantage
• Strong commercial awareness with good problem-solving ability
• Comfortable working across multiple projects in a fast-paced environment
• Collaborative, proactive and detail-focused approach

What’s on Offer

This is a great opportunity to join a forward-thinking consultancy where you’ll be trusted with real responsibility, exposed to a wide variety of sectors and supported in your ongoing development.

You’ll be part of a culture that genuinely values collaboration, curiosity and accountability, where people are encouraged to take ownership, share ideas and make a real impact on both projects and client relationships.