- Quantity Surveying & Cost Take-off
Location: Nairobi, Kenya (office-based)
Reports to: Senior Estimator (Ireland)
Contract: Full-time, permanent
About Galetech Group
Galetech Group is an Irish-owned integrated renewable energy and sustainability services organisation employing approximately 150 people. We develop, build, operate and maintain wind and solar assets, deliver affordable and social housing through Galetech Sustainable Living, and provide construction, planning and measurement services across the Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain. Our Nairobi office is a permanent part of the group.
The Role
We are expanding our estimating function and are looking for a technically strong Quantity Surveyor or Estimator to join our Nairobi team.
You will work directly with our Senior Estimator in Ireland, who has over fifteen years' experience across residential, renewable energy and offsite construction. You will produce the measured, quantified foundation of every tender we submit: take-offs, bills of quantities, bills of materials, comparison schedules and tender documentation. The Senior Estimator then rates it, prices for risk and signs it off.
You will own your own workstreams. The quality of your measurement determines the quality of the number we put in front of a client.
What You Will Be Doing
Preparing detailed quantity take-offs from architectural, structural, civil and electrical drawings
Producing and maintaining bills of quantities to NRM or SMM-based measurement conventions
Assembling bills of materials for solar PV and electrical packages, working from specifications and equipment datasheets
Building subcontractor and supplier comparison schedules, levelling quotations onto a common scope
Maintaining and updating our internal cost and rate libraries
Compiling tender documentation packs and supporting submission deadlines
Carrying out quantity checks and value engineering exercises on shortlisted options
Flagging drawing discrepancies, scope gaps and specification conflicts early
You will be working on Irish and UK projects across three streams: residential housing schemes, solar PV and battery storage installations, and modular and offsite construction.
Essential
What We Are Looking For
Degree in Quantity Surveying, Building Economics, Construction Management or a closely related discipline
Four to eight years' post-qualification experience in estimating or quantity surveying with a contractor or cost consultancy
Demonstrable ability to produce a complete, defensible bill of quantities from drawings without supervision
Confident reading and interpreting technical drawings and specifications across disciplines
Excellent written English and clear, structured documentation habits
Software
We measure digitally, model our costs in structured workbooks and are building automation into our estimating process. Strong tooling ability is central to how this job is done.
Advanced Excel: structured cost models, lookup and reference functions, pivot tables, data validation, and the discipline to build a workbook another person can audit
Digital take-off software: CostX, Bluebeam Revu, Cubicost, PlanSwift or equivalent
CAD literacy: AutoCAD or similar, sufficient to navigate, measure from and interrogate drawing sets
Advantageous: Power Query or Power BI, model-based measurement from Revit or Navisworks, SQL or Python for cost data work, and familiarity with AI-assisted document and drawing review tools
Tell us in your application which tools you have used and what you have built with them.
Highly desirable
Experience on European projects, or with European clients, standards or supply chains
Familiarity with UK or Irish measurement conventions and contract forms
BORAQS registration, or eligibility to register
Experience pricing electrical, M&E or renewable energy packages
Experience with modular, precast or offsite construction
How You Work
Our Senior Estimator is available on a part-time basis, so the person in this role needs to be self-directed. You should be comfortable working from a written brief, batching your questions rather than escalating one at a time, documenting your assumptions clearly, and managing your own workload against fixed tender deadlines. If you need close daily supervision to be effective, this role will frustrate you.
Nairobi is two to three hours ahead of Ireland, so you will have a full overlapping working day with the Irish team.
What We Offer
Direct mentorship from a senior estimator with fifteen-plus years of European construction experience
Exposure to Irish and UK measurement practice, contract forms and renewable energy cost structures
Periodic travel to Ireland for training, project familiarisation and time embedded with the Irish commercial team. We cover travel, accommodation and visa costs
A clearly defined progression path as the Nairobi estimating function grows
Statutory benefits, medical cover and annual leave
A permanent role within an established international group, not a project-length contract
On longer-term opportunities in Europe
Galetech has operations in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Great Britain, meaning future European internal transfers can happen. Because quantity surveying is on the Critical Skills Occupations List a relocation path may develop over time, though it is not guaranteed
Galetech Group is an equal opportunity employer. We welcome applications from all qualified candidates.