Graduate Estimator

Advance your career, join our Graduate Programme - Be The Future! 

Being a graduate at Avove isn’t just a job, it’s the start of a great career!  We have an ambitious and exciting future ahead so join our thriving graduate community and take your next steps to being the future of our business! 

About our Graduate Programme 

We want you to be the best you can be, so we are proud to offer a two-year graduate programme that offers you the opportunity not only to learn your graduate role but take part in fantastic development to help you reach your full potential.  You will get the chance to learn from our talented colleagues, be mentored, take part in masterclasses, Insights, development days, an induction week and bespoke graduate training.  We want you to love what you do, learn quickly, broaden your horizons and get hands-on experience. Making a difference from day one is key to what we offer so keep reading about this graduate opportunity and apply today! 

About the role… 

We are looking for a Graduate Estimator with an interest in the water industry to help us develop and deliver an exciting and ambitious strategy over the next 5 years.  We have a strong pipeline of future opportunities, and we want to add graduate talent to further strengthen our team. 

Being a Graduate Estimator means you will split your time between working in our Derby/Coventry office, working on allocated sites and working from home.  You will work on a range of key civil engineering and MEICA (Mechanical, Electrical, Instrumentation, Control and Automation), and design & build projects.  Working with our experienced team, you will learn the day-to-day activities of an estimator, applying your knowledge and developing your career. 

This role is a September 2025 start.  

What a typical day could look like… 

• Learn how to assist in the bid process from PQQ to tender submission. 
• Understand our approvals process and assist to ensure that all bids have the necessary approvals in accordance with company procedures.
• Develop your ability to support with detailed analytical tenders and estimates from first principles within defined timescales.
• Learn the process for ensuring that estimating procedures are followed in the production of tenders.
• Work with other members of the Estimating and Operational teams to deliver high quality estimates and tender submissions.
• Understand how to maintain and update records of tenders, including change control.
• Assist in preparing comprehensive briefing packs for the Operational Project Teams on all successful tenders.
• Learn how to identify and communicate programme and risk related issues.
• Develop the ability to communicate complicated financial and contractual issues to senior management.

About you…   

We want our graduates to challenge the status quo, encourage different points of view and drive creativity as well as bring insights from your education and life experiences to the role; you will be empowered to make a difference. You should be agile, resilient and ready to take on real industry challenges.  

We would like you to be graduating in 2025 or have recently graduated and hold at least a 2:2-degree qualification in Civil Engineering. You will be computer literate, have good written and oral communication skills and the ability to work individually and as part of a team.  We would also like you to be organised, self-driven and have good attention to detail with a desire to keep on developing.  

A degree in either Civil Engineering or Quantity Surveying or a degree which has strong analytical/data elements would benefit this role.

What’s in it for you… 

We offer a rewarding salary that is tailored to your skills and experience. But that’s not all! We celebrate hard work and give recognition to our colleagues. In addition to this, we understand that one size doesn’t fit all so everyone has access to a variety of flexible benefits that work for you.   

• 24 days holiday plus bank holidays
• Company pension scheme
• Life assurance
• Private GP Helpline & Health Cash Plan
• Avove Discount Scheme
• Family friendly policies
• A selection of lifestyle benefit options
• Financial wellbeing programme
• Employee assistance program for health and wellbeing and onsite mental health first aiders to support our colleagues
• We love to give back so we offer you volunteering days in your community and charity matched giving where we will boost your fundraising.

About us… 

We design, build and maintain the UK’s utilities infrastructure to help transform local communities for the better. We provide cutting-edge and sustainable engineering solutions and play a critical role in helping to keep the water running, the lights on and people connected. 

We are an expert, responsible and agile partner, providing vital services to water, power and telecommunications sectors. We work closely with our clients to help protect and improve their assets, enhance customer experience and protect the natural environment. Everything we do is designed to drive continual improvement and move life forward.  

We are proud to work in partnership with leading utility providers, including Severn Trent, United Utilities, Yorkshire Water, Northern PowerGrid, Northumbrian Water Group, Scottish Power Energy Networks and Scottish Water.  

We are an equal opportunities employer... 

We welcome applications from candidates of all races, genders, disabilities, religions, ages and sexual orientations. We know that having a diverse workforce encourages new perspectives, inspires creativity and creates an engaging workplace and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all colleagues can thrive. When it comes to inclusion, we’re making sure we keep up the progress with our Communities of Practice, who help us do just that. 

What next... 

We encourage you to apply for this role as soon as you can. We recognise talent waits for no one, so we progress candidates individually through all stages of recruitment process.  

If you have any questions, please reach out for an informal discussion early.careers@avove.co.uk   

If you need any support with CV or interview skills, or to learn more about our early career’s programs, please visit the early careers pages of our website.