Quantity Surveyor Job Description Templates
Quantity surveyor job description templates, plus the US cost estimator equivalent, senior, graduate, and small-contractor versions. Download as DOCX.
Quantity Surveyor Job Description Templates
6 templates covering the international QS title and its US cost estimator equivalent, with the title, salary, and FLSA guidance generic templates skip. Download as DOCX or copy-paste.
Hiring a quantity surveyor starts with a title problem most templates ignore. Quantity surveyor is a British and Commonwealth job title, standard across the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, but rare in the United States, where the same work is almost always called cost estimator or construction estimator. Post the wrong title for your market and you reach the wrong candidates, so the first job of a good description is to get the title right and the duties clear.
At FirstHR, we build hiring and onboarding tools for small businesses, including small construction firms where the owner writes the posting directly and needs someone to price the work and win bids. The six templates below cover both sides of the title: the international quantity surveyor and its US cost estimator equivalent, across general, senior, graduate, consultancy, and small-contractor versions. Each is ready to use, with the salary and FLSA guidance generic templates leave out. For the fundamentals behind any posting, the guide to writing a job description is a useful companion.
What a Quantity Surveyor Does
A quantity surveyor manages the cost and commercial side of construction, from the first estimate to the final account. The core work is preparing cost estimates and bills of quantities, taking off quantities from drawings, pricing the work, valuing completed work, managing variations and claims, controlling the budget, and protecting margin. On larger projects the role extends into commercial strategy, contract administration, and risk management. It is, in short, the person who owns the numbers on a construction project.
The title itself is the thing to understand before you post. Quantity surveyor is a British and Commonwealth profession, with formal designations such as the chartered surveyor route through RICS in the UK. In the United States the same function is carried out under a different title, which is the single most important distinction for a US employer writing this posting. The next section covers that equivalence directly.
The US Equivalent: Cost Estimator
In the United States, the quantity surveyor role is almost always titled cost estimator or construction estimator. The federal occupation is Cost Estimators (SOC 13-1051), defined as preparing cost estimates for construction, manufacturing, or services to support bidding and pricing. The duties overlap almost entirely; the main differences are the title and some terminology, such as bills of quantities in the UK versus takeoffs and bids in the US.
Where the literal quantity surveyor title does appear in the US, it is overwhelmingly at large international cost-consulting firms working on data centers, infrastructure, and major capital projects, not at typical contractors. So for a US firm, the practical rule is simple: post a cost estimator or construction estimator role to reach US candidates, and reserve the quantity surveyor title for international hiring or candidates trained in Commonwealth markets. The templates here give you both, plus a small-contractor estimator version. If a US estimator is squarely what you need, the estimator job description templates go deeper on that title.
Which Template Should You Use?
Pick the template by market and title first, then by level and setting. The core structure is the same across all six, but each one carries the duties, seniority, and terminology that fit a specific version of the role. Use this guide to choose.
6 Quantity Surveyor and Estimator Job Description Templates
Download all six as a single Word document or copy individual templates. Each follows the same structure: company and job summary, key responsibilities, qualifications, classification and pay, and how to apply, with an EEO statement. Fill in the brackets before you post.
Template 1: Quantity Surveyor
The standard version using the British and Commonwealth title: cost estimates, bills of quantities, valuations, variations, and final accounts. Use it where the quantity surveyor title is expected.
Template 2: Construction Cost Estimator (US Equivalent)
The US-native equivalent and the title most US firms post: plan review, takeoffs, pricing, bid assembly, and margin. Start here if you are hiring in the US market.
Template 3: Senior Quantity Surveyor
For an experienced surveyor leading commercial management on large or complex projects, owning margin and negotiations, and mentoring junior surveyors and estimators.
Template 4: Assistant / Graduate Quantity Surveyor
For a first commercial hire or graduate: supports takeoffs, cost data, and valuations under guidance while learning measurement, estimating, and contract administration. Hire for numeracy and detail.
Template 5: Cost Manager / Cost Consultant
The consultancy form of the role, common on large US data-center and infrastructure programs: independent cost advice, benchmarking, and client-facing commercial management across a project or program.
Template 6: Construction Estimator (Small Contractor)
Written for a small US contractor: plans, takeoffs, pricing, supplier and subcontractor quotes, and bids, working directly with the owner and the field. The practical, owner-led version.
Quantity Surveyor Duties and Responsibilities
Whether titled quantity surveyor or cost estimator, the duties cluster into four categories: measurement and takeoff, estimating and pricing, cost control and reporting, and contract and commercial work. A good job description picks the specific duties from each category that match the level and setting rather than listing every possible task.
For a small-contractor estimator, the measurement and pricing categories dominate. For a senior surveyor or cost manager, the contract and commercial work expands into negotiation, risk, and final accounts. To scope the role before you write the posting, the guide to defining job responsibilities walks through a simple process.
What to Include in the Job Description
Every strong version of this job description includes the same core sections, but the most important move is choosing the right title for your market. After that, specificity in the duties separates a posting that attracts qualified candidates from one that does not.
| Weak bullet | Strong bullet |
|---|---|
| Handle costs | Prepare cost estimates and bills of quantities for assigned projects |
| Do takeoffs | Take off quantities from drawings and price labor, materials, and subcontracts |
| Manage the budget | Track costs against budget, value completed work, and report on margin |
| Deal with contracts | Manage variations and claims and agree the final account at close |
| Have QS experience | Degree in quantity surveying or construction management with estimating software skills |
Specific, measurable duties attract people who can do the work and signal a firm that understands the role. Keep the language neutral and inclusive too, since the EEOC prohibits job advertisements that show a preference based on protected characteristics, and the SHRM job description tools cover the standard sections of a job description.
FLSA: Is the Role Exempt or Non-Exempt?
A cost estimator or quantity surveyor is generally exempt under the federal administrative exemption, because the primary duty is analytical, cost-advisory office work that supports bidding and pricing decisions. Getting the classification right keeps pay administration clean and avoids wage-and-hour risk.
The practical rule for a small contractor: treat the estimator role as exempt once it clears the salary and duties tests, and keep field-worker classification entirely separate. For the underlying rules, the exempt versus non-exempt guide and the Fair Labor Standards Act overview explain how the tests work, and the Department of Labor FLSA page is the primary source.
Qualifications and Credentials
Qualifications differ sharply by market, which is the other place the international-versus-US split matters. List the core skills as required and the credentials as preferred, scaled to where you are hiring.
In Commonwealth markets, professional status carries real weight: chartered status through RICS in the UK, certified status through AIQS in Australia, and protected professional titles elsewhere. These are often expected for senior international roles. In the United States there is no equivalent license for cost estimators; the relevant signals are a construction management or engineering degree, estimating credentials such as those from AACE International, and demonstrated estimating ability, with many strong US estimators coming up through the trades. For a posting, list chartered or professional status as preferred when hiring internationally, and weight US estimator roles toward construction knowledge and estimating skill rather than a specific certificate.
Quantity Surveyor and Cost Estimator Salary
Pay varies by title, seniority, sector, and market, so anchor your range to the specific role. For the US, government data on cost estimators is the reliable reference point.
US roles that carry the quantity surveyor title specifically, mostly at large consultancies, report averages around $89,000 to $112,000, above the general cost-estimator median. Entry-level estimators start in the high $40,000s to mid $50,000s, while senior surveyors and cost managers exceed $100,000. Set your range to the seniority, sector, and market you are hiring in, and publish it where required.
Hiring at a Small Construction Firm
A large international consultancy hires quantity surveyors into established commercial teams with recruiting support. A small US contractor has neither, and the owner or a general manager runs the search, usually needing an estimator rather than a consultancy cost manager, and usually better served posting the US title. That reality shapes both the title you choose and how you write the posting. As the firm grows and adds project roles, the same pattern applies, which is why hiring a construction manager or a construction estimator follows a similar path.
From Hiring to Onboarding
The job description is step one. Once a candidate accepts, the same document becomes the basis for the offer and a structured onboarding. An estimator or surveyor needs careful onboarding because they have to learn your pricing, your vendors, your project types, and your bidding process before their numbers can be trusted on a real bid.
Confirm the offer in writing, collect the new hire paperwork, and build a first-weeks plan that walks the new hire through your cost data, vendor relationships, estimating tools, and a few past bids. Once your offer is ready, the offer letter template handles the next step, and an onboarding template gives the new hire a structured start. FirstHR connects the offer, paperwork, e-signatures, and onboarding workflow in one place, so a small contractor can manage the full process even when the owner is running it directly. Applicant tracking is coming soon.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does a quantity surveyor do?
A quantity surveyor manages the cost and commercial side of construction projects from the first estimate to the final account. Core duties include preparing cost estimates and bills of quantities, taking off quantities from drawings, pricing work and analyzing tenders, valuing completed work, managing variations and claims, controlling budgets, and protecting project margin. The role combines measurement, cost control, and contract administration, and on larger projects extends into commercial strategy and risk management. Quantity surveyor is the standard title in the UK, Australia, India, and other Commonwealth markets. In the United States the same work is almost always titled cost estimator, construction estimator, or cost manager, so the role description here applies under either name depending on your market.
What is the US equivalent of a quantity surveyor?
In the United States, the quantity surveyor role is almost always called a cost estimator or construction estimator. The federal occupation is Cost Estimators (SOC 13-1051), defined as preparing cost estimates for construction projects, manufacturing, or services to support bidding and pricing decisions. Quantity surveyor is a British and Commonwealth title that is rare in the US, where it appears mainly at large international cost-consulting firms working on data centers, infrastructure, and major capital projects. For a typical US construction firm, the right title to post is cost estimator or construction estimator, because that is what US candidates search for and recognize. The duties are largely the same; only the title and some terminology, such as bills of quantities versus takeoffs, differ between the two markets.
What is the difference between a quantity surveyor and a cost estimator?
They are largely the same role under different names in different markets. Quantity surveyor is the British and Commonwealth title, used in the UK, Australia, India, and South Africa, and typically spans the full commercial lifecycle of a project: estimating, measurement, valuations, variations, and final accounts, often with a professional designation such as RICS chartership. Cost estimator is the US title, focused on preparing accurate cost estimates and bids, though in practice US estimators at smaller firms also handle buyout, change orders, and cost tracking. The biggest practical difference is recognition: post a quantity surveyor role in the US and many local candidates will not recognize the title, while a cost estimator or construction estimator posting reaches the US talent pool directly. Match the title to the market you are hiring in.
What should a quantity surveyor or cost estimator job description include?
A strong description starts by choosing the right title for your market: quantity surveyor for international or Commonwealth-trained candidates, cost estimator or construction estimator for the US. From there, include a short company summary, a job summary, and 8 to 10 specific responsibilities grouped by measurement and takeoff, estimating and pricing, cost control and reporting, and contract and commercial work. State the required qualifications, the reporting line, the FLSA classification, and a realistic salary range. The most valuable additions that generic templates skip are the title disambiguation for US versus international hiring, the FLSA administrative-exempt guidance, a US salary band anchored to government data, and the right credential signals (RICS or AIQS internationally, estimating credentials in the US). Close with an equal opportunity statement and clear apply instructions. This is general information, not legal advice.
How much does a quantity surveyor or cost estimator make in the US?
For the US occupation, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that cost estimators earned a median annual wage of $77,070 in May 2024, with the 10th percentile at $46,330 and the 90th at $128,640, and a mean of $83,160. Pay is higher in the construction sub-industries that most resemble quantity surveying: the median was about $81,490 in building construction and $98,220 in heavy and civil engineering construction. US roles that actually carry the quantity surveyor title, typically at large consulting firms, report averages around $89,000 to $112,000. Entry-level estimators start lower, often in the high $40,000s to mid $50,000s, while senior roles exceed $100,000. Set your range to the specific seniority, sector, and market, and note that the occupation is projected to decline slightly through 2034. This is general information, not legal advice.
Is a quantity surveyor or cost estimator exempt or non-exempt under the FLSA?
Cost estimators and quantity surveyors are generally exempt under the federal administrative exemption, because their primary duty is analytical, cost-advisory office work that supports business decisions like bidding and pricing. The Department of Labor explicitly lists the cost estimator as an example of administrative-exempt work. To qualify, the employee must be paid on a salary basis at or above the federal threshold and perform qualifying administrative duties. Most full-time estimators meet this. The exemption is duties-dependent, not title-dependent, so confirm it against the actual work rather than assuming. Importantly, the exemption applies to the estimating role itself; the non-management field and trade workers on your projects remain non-exempt and entitled to overtime regardless of pay. This is general information, not legal advice.
Do US small construction firms hire quantity surveyors?
By that title, rarely. US small construction firms hire estimators, construction estimators, or project estimators rather than quantity surveyors, which is a Commonwealth title. Where the quantity surveyor title appears in the US, it is overwhelmingly at large international cost-consulting firms staffing mega-projects, not at small contractors. So if you are a small US contractor, the practical move is to post a construction estimator role using the small-contractor template here, which is written for an owner-led firm that needs someone to price work and win bids, working directly with the field. Reserve the quantity surveyor title for international hiring or for candidates trained in markets where the title is standard. Matching the title to your market is the single biggest factor in reaching the right candidates.
Does a quantity surveyor need a license or chartership?
It depends on the market. In Commonwealth countries, professional status carries real weight: a chartered surveyor through RICS in the UK, a certified quantity surveyor through AIQS in Australia, and protected professional-quantity-surveyor titles in several other countries. These credentials signal a verified standard and are often expected for senior roles. In the United States there is no equivalent licensing requirement for cost estimators; relevant signals instead include a construction management or engineering degree and estimating credentials such as those from AACE International, though many strong US estimators come up through the trades and field experience. For a job posting, list chartered or professional status as preferred where you are hiring internationally, and weight US estimator roles toward demonstrated estimating ability and construction knowledge. This is general information, not legal advice.