Market Update 2017Q4: Midlands & East Anglia Construction Consultancy Growing

Maxim Recruitment have invested some time into thoroughly researching the Midlands and East Anglian construction consultancy market over the course of the last month, to find that Quantity Surveying, Estimating and Project Management jobs at consultancies are plentiful in certain Midlands and East Anglia areas. As well as being able to easily research stats showing the level of construction growth in these areas, Maxim Recruitment have been speaking to firms one on one who are in need of quality technical construction staff in a variety of sectors and locations across the Midlands and East Anglia.

Which Construction Sector – Infrastructure or Build?

We have found that opportunities are available with both our building sector and infrastructure sector clients in the construction consultancy market. Two of our larger, more well known clients are winning and retaining work on infrastructure schemes in sectors such as rail, utilities, highways, environmental, and power. Whether it is prestigious rail projects or long term frameworks in the water sector, infrastructure jobs seem to be constantly available and consultancies are in need of quality technical staff to support the progress of projects. Jobs are also plentiful in the built environment in the region – whether it is to work on larger one off mixed use or commercial projects across various locations or national frameworks in the education or retail sector based from a Midlands office.

Job Type – QS, Estimator or PM?

Maxim Recruitment is a specialist recruitment firm in commercial and cost management, project management, and claims and disputes jobs. With the Construction disputes opportunities being predominantly focussed in London, the jobs we are being asked to find skilled professionals for in the Midlands and East Anglia areas are Quantity Surveying, Estimating and Project Management jobs in the sectors mentioned above.

Where are the Jobs?

The locations of the current opportunities we have vary between Birmingham, Nottingham, Leicester, Cambridge, and Peterborough. We are recruiting Quantity Surveyors, Estimators and Project Managers across these regions in various sectors.  

Which Levels of Seniority are in Demand?

Staff seniority is very variable, from the Assistant QS/PM level up to Commercial Manager and Associate Director level. The majority of the opportunities seem to be at the following levels:

Quantity Surveying:
Quantity Surveyor
Senior Quantity Surveyor

Project Management:
Project Manager
Senior Project Manager

Estimating:
Estimator
Senior Estimator

In short, we are mainly seeking quality mid-range staff that are “do-ers” as opposed to senior leaders or assistants at this time, however more senior and junior opportunities are still available depending where you look.

Which Type of Company Backgrounds are Considered for Midlands/East Anglia Consultancies?

Despite this article being focussed on consultancy jobs, we are still reviewing applicants who are from a Main Contracting background if they are clearly motivated to work within a consultancy environment. Most PQS firms in the built environment tend to want at least some consultancy experience however there are those that will consider applicants without. In the civils and infrastructure sector, we are finding consultancies to be more flexible in applicant’s background regarding company type (i.e. Main Contractor or Consultancy background). In short, if you like the look of an opportunity but you’re worried that your background won’t match – apply anyway and see what happens as it might be just the right fit!

Salaries Available

Salaries are wide ranging depending on specific company and type of projects, however it remains possible to give a vague guide. We are finding that jobs in infrastructure tend to be paying slightly more than those jobs in the built environment in the norm, however we have also found some anomalies where candidates in build sector jobs are being paid above the usual market rate.  Read our recent Salary Report to learn more details such as demand in London.

I will discuss salary level at the mid level of seniority as this is the most common level of role we are being asked to fill (QS/SQS/PM/SPM), in build and then infrastructure.

Build

We are finding that Senior Quantity Surveyors in the built environment in the midlands are being paid somewhere between £40k-£50k as an all in package at consultancies, and most firms who have vacancies at this level give us this as a guide for a Senior QS level candidate. Intermediate/Quantity Surveyors are being paid anywhere between £33k-£40k as the norm however we have seen them being paid more in some cases when Chartered. The salaries are similar for Senior Project Managers and Project Managers in this sector.

Infrastructure

We are seeing Senior QS role available up to around £55k in the Midlands areas in civils and infrastructure. The higher end candidates will likely be chartered otherwise they might struggle to attain this salary. Intermediate/Quantity Surveyor roles range from around £35k -£45k as an all in package in infrastructure – of course, with some outliers suggesting differently! We are being told that Senior Project Managers are being paid up to around £54 (potentially more for exceptional suitability) in infrastructure, and Project Managers anything up to £45k in most cases with some slight variations here.

Summary

If you are a qualified, experienced Quantity Surveyor, Estimator or Project Manager in the Midlands area, and interested to find out more about the roles available and potentially be put forward, I would be very keen to hear from you. These are roles for excellent companies, who require excellent candidates at a variety of levels. If you feel as though your salary doesn’t fit in with my suggested salary bands at your level, I would also be glad to hear from you to discuss the reasons why and see if we can provide any useful advice.

If you are interested in our jobs, please send us your most recent CV and if it’s potentially suitable for anything we currently have in the construction consultancy market, I will be in touch for a further conversation.

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Adam Cadwaladr
Recruitment Consultant