Job Description
Why Southwark?
Southwark is a large, ambitious and progressive council with a ‘can do’ attitude and enviable reputation. As a council, we are successful, passionate and forward-thinking. Southwark has a varied mix of cultural communities, where over 120 languages are spoken in the borough. We have all the challenges you'd find in any inner city area.
We are recruiting a highly skilled Senior Quantity Surveyor specialising in Mechanical Services to lead commercial management across Southwark Council’s major Individual and District Heating contracts, Water Hygiene and Building Energy Management Systems, managing over 8,000 jobs per month. This is a specialist, high-value, high-complexity role, central to the delivery of safe, compliant and resilient heating and water services for thousands of residents.
This position covers some of the Council’s largest contracts, where annual contract values exceed £20m and involve complex technical and statutory requirements. We're looking for someone who can confidently navigate major mechanical services contracts and bring rigorous commercial assurance to mission-critical infrastructure.
About the Contracts
You will be commercially responsible for:
• Heating & Water contract A (£7.9m)
• Heating & Water Contract B (£7.4m)
• District Heating improvement programmes (circa £8m)
• Building Energy Management Systems (circa £100k)
Works include:
• Gas landlord safety inspections
• Heating repairs, installations and maintenance (domestic & district systems)
• Water quality testing, treatment and installations
• Mechanical plant servicing (laundry, sewage, risers, energy systems)
• Building energy management systems
• 24/7 critical response services
What You'll Be Doing
This is a senior specialist QS role requiring deep mechanical services expertise.
You will:
• Lead commercial control of all heating & water contracts, ensuring accuracy, value for money and compliance
• Review contract documentation and support tendering of District Heating schemes
• Prepare budget forecasts and monthly financial reporting
• Undertake monthly valuations including verification of:
- Prime Cost (PC) sums
- Dayworks, manual orders and SOR compliance
• Monitor Planned Preventative Maintenance (PPM) costs
• Conduct post-inspection reviews and adjust contractor valuations accordingly
• Reconcile historic accounts and ensure audit-ready documentation
• Issue certificates, pay less notices and valuation reports on a strict monthly timetable
• Negotiate firmly and confidently with contractors, ensuring that valuations, variations and commercial positions are rigorously tested and stand up to scrutiny.
• Provide forensic QS support where required
• Contribute to staff development as part of the Council’s social value commitments
What We're Looking For
A seasoned QS who can operate confidently in highly technical M\&E environments, with:
• Strong understanding of mechanical services, district heating or complex M\&E systems
• Demonstrable experience managing high-value, multi-contract portfolios • Exceptional attention to detail and commercial rigour
• Ability to manage structured monthly valuation cycles with absolute accuracy
• Strong communication skills, working closely with engineers, technical teams and contractors
This is an opportunity to lead commercial assurance on some of the Council’s most specialist, high-impact contracts - critical to resident safety and service reliability.
Additional Information
Recruitment Timetable
Closing Date: 29th March 2026 at 23:59
Shortlisting Date: 3rd April 2026
Interview Date: 20th April 2026
Guaranteed Interview Scheme
As part of our commitment to inclusion, we offer guaranteed interviews for specific groups of people. To qualify, you'll need to meet the minimum requirements for the role, and identify with one of the below criteria:
* Members of the Armed Forces and veterans
* Are currently in care or have previously been in care.
* If you consider yourself to be disabled or if you have a long-term health condition.
Benefits
Working for Southwark Council – Southwark
Attachments
* Click here to view the Job Description and Person Specification