Lead Quantity Surveyor

The UNOPS Africa Regional Office, based in Nairobi, Kenya, oversees the delivery of over 250 projects across 40 countries, with a focus on fragile and conflict-affected settings. Supported by more than 1,000 personnel across five multi-country offices—spanning North, West, Central, Eastern and Southern Africa, and the Horn of Africa—the office advances national priorities through strategic initiatives in Climate Action, Health, Infrastructure, Peace and Security, Middle-Income Country Support, and Small Island Developing States (SIDS). The Regional Office provides strategic leadership, operational support, and oversight in key areas including Partnerships, Communications, Management and Oversight, Infrastructure and Project Management, Health and Safety, and Security. By promoting excellence in project delivery, fostering knowledge sharing, and driving continuous improvement, the office contributes to sustainable infrastructure, transparent resource management, and a better quality of life for communities across the continent.

Based in Addis Ababa, the Horn of Africa Multi-Country Office (HAMCO) delivers project management, procurement, and infrastructure services across Djibouti, Ethiopia, South Sudan, and Sudan, with a primary focus on health, agriculture, and economic development. Established in 2009, HAMCO partners with governments and development stakeholders to implement impactful, results-driven initiatives that contribute to sustainable development. Since 2024, new projects have been aimed at expanding access to healthcare, education, energy, and livelihoods, particularly in underserved and conflict-affected regions. HAMCO also provides human resource management services, supporting the effective implementation of development initiatives. Key efforts include equipping research facilities, strengthening education and health systems, building vaccine research capacity, and enhancing resilience in communities affected by crisis. Through these interventions, HAMCO contributes to inclusive growth, regional stability, and the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) across the Horn of Africa.

The Lead Quantity Surveyor manages the comprehensive quantity surveying and cost management processes for civil engineering projects, providing authoritative advice and adapting established methodologies to ensure accurate cost estimation, procurement support, and financial control. This role is critical for the successful and efficient delivery of infrastructure initiatives, ensuring integrity, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness.

The Lead Quantity Surveyor manages the comprehensive quantity surveying and cost management processes for civil engineering projects, providing authoritative advice and adapting established methodologies to ensure accurate cost estimation, procurement support, and financial control. This role is critical for the successful and efficient delivery of infrastructure initiatives, ensuring integrity, timeliness, and cost-effectiveness.

1. Site Assessment and Data Review

• Undertake complex/multi-site technical assessments and establish approaches/methodologies.
• Provide senior technical advice on the interpretation of drawings, surveys, specifications, geotechnical information, and other technical data to inform project design and cost decisions. 
• Establish appropriate methodologies and approaches for quantity assessment, measurement, and cost estimation for complex infrastructure projects.
• Identify and proactively address technical, constructability, and cost risks, recommending mitigation measures and alternative solutions.
• Actively participate in multidisciplinary technical coordination and resolve complex technical issues.

2. Engineering Estimates and Cost Planning and Analysis

• Lead and validate complex, high-value estimates and provide authoritative cost advice..
• Provide authoritative technical advice to project management and senior stakeholders on quantities, cost estimates, technical specifications, pricing assumptions, and Bills of Quantities. 
• Develop cost breakdowns using current market prices, labor rates, and material costs.
• Review and challenge estimates prepared by project teams or consultants, ensuring technical integrity, consistency, competitiveness, and value for money.

3. Bills of Quantities (BoQ) Preparation

• Establish and promote standardized measurement methodologies, item descriptions, units, and quantity take-off approaches across projects.
• Ensure consistency and technical integrity between drawings, specifications, design changes, BoQs, and cost estimates.
• Provide technical leadership in resolving complex discrepancies between design documentation, specifications, quantities, and cost estimates.
• Develop guidance and quality-control mechanisms to improve the accuracy, consistency, and reliability of BoQs and quantity assessments.

4. Procurement Support

• Provide authoritative technical advice to tender documents, including BoQs and specifications throughout procurement and bid evaluation . 
•  Advise on responses to bidder queries during the procurement process. 
• Advise project and procurement stakeholders on cost competitiveness, technical compliance, risks, and value-for-money considerations.
• Review proposed contractual rates and commercial assumptions and advise on their technical and financial implications.

5. Site Measurement and As-Built Quantification

• Advise on cost variation analysis, contractors’ claims analysis and new rate review during implementation, including advice on possible resolution 
• Review and validate proposed new rates and cost adjustments, ensuring consistency with contractual provisions, market conditions, and established pricing methodologies.
• Provide senior technical recommendations on disputed quantities, variations, claims, and cost adjustments to support management decision-making.
• Lead the preparation and validation of as-built quantity assessments and ensure alignment with approved designs, site measurements, and contractor submissions.
• Provide technical advice supporting the certification and acceptance of completed work

6. Documentation and Reporting

• Establish and oversee technical quality-control mechanisms for engineering estimates, BoQs, quantity measurements, cost data, and related documentation.
• Develop and maintain technical standards, procedures, guidance, templates, and tools for quantity surveying and engineering cost management.
• Establish and maintain reliable cost databases, benchmarks, historical pricing information, and lessons learned to support future infrastructure projects.
• Prepare high-level cost analysis and management reports, highlighting trends, risks, variances, and implications for project delivery.
• Provide senior management with advice and recommendations on project cost, commercial risks, and technical matters.
• Promote knowledge sharing and provide technical guidance and mentoring to project teams and less experienced personnel in engineering estimating, quantity surveying, measurement, and cost control.

Required

• An Advanced University Degree (Master’s degree or equivalent) in Civil Engineering, Construction Technology and Management , or a related field, with a minimum of 5 years of relevant experience, is required. 

• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent in Civil Engineering, Construction Technology and Management , or a related field, combined with a minimum of 7 years of relevant experience, may be accepted in lieu of the advanced university degree.

Desired

• Additional relevant professional qualifications or certifications in quantity surveying, cost estimation, or construction management are desirable.

Required

• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in civil engineering, quantity surveying, cost estimation, and/or construction project support is required. 
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in preparing engineering cost estimates, Bills of Quantities (BoQs), quantity take-offs and cost analyses is required. 
• A minimum of 5 years of relevant experience in site measurement, as-built quantity assessment and verification of executed works is required. 
• A valid practicing professional Construction Management license is required. 

Desired

• Experience in construction projects, including knowledge of construction materials, methods, local market prices, labour rates, material costs and supplier/service costs, is desirable.

• UNOPS does not accept unsolicited resumes. 
• UNOPS will at no stage of the recruitment process request candidates to make payments of any kind.
• Applications to vacancies must be received before midnight Copenhagen time (CET) on the closing date of the announcement. Applications received after the closing date will not be considered. 
• Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted and invited to proceed to the next stage of the selection process, which may include various assessments. 
• UNOPS embraces diversity and is committed to equal employment opportunity. Our workforce consists of a wide range of nationalities, cultures, languages, races, gender identities, sexual orientations, and abilities. We strive to sustain and strengthen this diversity, fostering an inclusive working environment where all personnel are treated with respect and have equal access to opportunities.
• UNOPS evaluates all applications based on the skills, qualifications and experience outlined in the vacancy announcement. We are committed to a fair and transparent selection process and welcome diverse perspectives, including those of women, indigenous and racialized communities, individuals of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations, and persons with disabilities.
• We are committed to enabling all candidates to perform at their best during the assessment process. If you are shortlisted and require support or reasonable accommodation to complete any assessment, please inform our human resources team upon receiving your invitation.
• UNOPS has zero tolerance for sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA), sexual harassment, and other forms of abusive conduct, including discrimination, abuse of authority, and harassment. To uphold these standards, background checks are conducted for all final candidates to help ensure that individuals with a history of such conduct are not hired. By applying for a position with UNOPS, candidates acknowledge and consent to these verification processes.
  

• For staff positions only, UNOPS reserves the right to appoint a candidate at a lower level than the advertised level of the post. 
• For retainer contracts, you must complete a few mandatory courses (they take around 4 hours to complete) in your own time, before providing services to UNOPS. Refreshers or new mandatory courses may be required during your contract. Please note that you will not receive any compensation for taking courses and refreshers. For more information on a retainer contract here. 
• For more details about the contract types, please click here.
• All UNOPS personnel are responsible for performing their duties in accordance with the UN Charter and UNOPS Policies and Instructions, as well as other relevant accountability frameworks. In addition, all personnel must demonstrate an understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in a manner consistent with UN core values and the UN Common Agenda. 
• It is the policy of UNOPS to conduct background checks on all potential personnel. Recruitment in UNOPS is contingent on the results of such checks.