Commercial judgement
Connects scope, quantity, rate, contract, programme, risk, evidence, and forecast.
Reports a number without explaining entitlement or assumptions.
Construction & Engineering
Quantity Surveyor Job Description
A Quantity Surveyor manages construction cost and contract evidence from estimate through procurement, valuation, change, forecasting, and final account.
Define project, contract form, pre- or post-contract focus, authority, site travel, professional requirements, and reporting line.
Candidate-facing template
Edit the description for your organisation
Replace bracketed details, remove anything that is not genuinely required, and obtain the appropriate internal approval before advertising.
Ready-to-edit job description
Copying excludes all recruiter notes below.
Quantity Surveyor
- Location
- [Location or working arrangement]
- Employment type
- [Full-time, fixed-term, or contract]
- Reports to
- [Commercial Manager, Project Director, or Cost Director]
About the role
[Company name] is seeking a Quantity Surveyor for [project or portfolio]. You will prepare cost and procurement information, measure work, administer commercial records, assess valuations and change, forecast outcomes, and support an evidence-based final account.
What you will be responsible for
- Prepare estimates, cost plans, quantities, tender documents, comparisons, recommendations, and procurement records.
- Assess applications, valuations, variations, notices, claims, payments, and commercial correspondence under the contract.
- Maintain committed cost, forecast, cash, risk, opportunity, subcontract, and final-account evidence.
What success looks like
- Commercial reports reconcile approved budget, commitment, paid value, forecast, risk, and change.
- Valuations and change decisions are supported by contract, measurement, instruction, and progress evidence.
Essential qualifications
- Quantity surveying or construction commercial experience on comparable projects and contracts.
- Strong measurement, cost, contract, negotiation, forecast, record, and stakeholder skills.
- Knowledge of applicable payment, notice, procurement, ethics, and professional requirements.
Preferred qualifications
- Relevant quantity surveying, construction economics, or professional qualification.
- Experience with [contract form, sector, project scale, digital measurement, or claims].
Tools and working knowledge
- Cost management, estimating, measurement, and ERP systems
- Contract, procurement, drawing, document, and field platforms
- Spreadsheet, programme, reporting, and collaboration tools
Compensation: [Add approved range or day rate, currency, bonus, travel, project duration, professional support, and benefits.]
[Company name] will discuss reasonable adjustments for site visits, measurement, assessment, travel, and work.
How to apply
Apply through [method] with a commercial issue showing your evidence, authority, negotiation, and outcome.
Performance expectations
What good performance looks like
Use these outcomes to replace vague activity lists with the evidence the hiring manager expects to see after the person joins.
Forecast changes appear when evidence changes rather than at reporting deadline.
Subcontract and client records preserve entitlement, obligation, approval, and timing.
Hiring-manager intake
Questions to settle before advertising
Record specific answers so sourcing, screening, and interview decisions use the same definition of the role.
- 1
Which project, contract, package, stage, value, locations, and parties are in scope?
- 2
Is the role pre-contract, post-contract, claims, cost consulting, or a defined blend?
- 3
What valuation, instruction, negotiation, payment, and settlement authority is delegated?
Evaluation criteria
Evidence to use in a Quantity Surveyor scorecard
Agree the criteria before interviews begin, then score examples against the same evidence standard.
Change control
Identifies instruction, notice, measurement, time, cost, approval, and record requirements.
Allows informal site direction to become untracked commercial exposure.
Structured interview
Quantity Surveyor interview questions and strong signals
Ask the same core questions in the same order, then use follow-ups to understand the candidate’s individual contribution.
1
Tell me about a forecast that worsened after you joined a project.
Strong answer signal
Surfaces evidence candidly, explains cause and range, and drives accountable action.
2
Describe a variation whose value or entitlement was disputed.
Strong answer signal
Uses contract, instruction, records, measurement, programme, negotiation, and approval.
Related titles
Check the scope behind the title
Cost Manager — common consultancy title with cost-planning and client-advisory emphasis.
Commercial Manager — usually carries wider team, contract, risk, and negotiation authority.
Common hiring mistakes
Problems to remove before publishing
Using one contract vocabulary internationally without explaining the actual form.
Hiding extensive site travel, payment deadlines, project duration, and claim workload.
Continue the hiring workflow
Related roles and recruiter resources
Related job descriptions
Helpful recruiter resources
Source and review notes
How this template was prepared
- Language
- International English
- Prepared by
- ATZ CRM Editorial Team
- Review
- ATZ CRM Recruitment Editorial Review
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-05
O*NET: Cost Estimators
Reference for occupation tasks, knowledge, skills, abilities, and work activities.
ESCO: occupations and skills
Reference for internationally recognised occupation and skills terminology.
Qualifications, compensation, licences, working conditions, and equal-opportunity wording must be checked for the role and location before use.
Recruiter questions
Quantity Surveyor job description FAQs
What should a Quantity Surveyor job description include?
State project, contract, stage, packages, authority, measurement, valuations, change, forecast, site travel, systems, and professional requirements.
Is a Quantity Surveyor the same as a Cost Estimator?
Estimators focus on forecast cost before award. Quantity Surveyors commonly manage cost and contracts throughout delivery, though roles overlap.