Who We Are
Hadingham Kirk is an Oxford-based family business with a simple founding belief: do exceptional work, and the rest follows. Every project we have won to date has come through recommendation - and that is entirely down to our team. We are a close-knit group of people who genuinely care about what we create, from the first design sketch through to the final planted border.
Based at Northfield Farm in Kidlington, we work across Oxfordshire and the wider UK delivering bespoke garden design and construction, soft landscaping, garden rooms, bespoke joinery, and ongoing maintenance. We love a challenge, we push for the extraordinary, and we are quietly proud of what we do.
The Opportunity
As we continue to grow, we need someone to take full ownership of our estimating, tendering, and commercial function. Right now, this work sits alongside our garden design and project management responsibilities - and frankly, it deserves dedicated, expert attention.
This is a senior, standalone role with real influence. You will be the person who ensures every project we pursue is underpinned by accurate, well-considered costings - protecting our commercial position while giving our design and delivery teams the confidence to do their best work. If you have a sharp eye for detail, a solid grasp of construction costs, and a genuine appreciation for quality landscaping, we would love to hear from you.
What You Will Do
Estimating & Costing
- Produce accurate estimates, budgets, and bills of quantities for landscaping projects of all scales — from intimate residential gardens to larger commercial schemes
- Assess project drawings and specifications to generate thorough material and labour takeoffs
- Build and maintain a library of unit rates, material prices, plant costs, and subcontractor rates
- Identify and clearly communicate cost assumptions, risks, and exclusions during the pre-construction phase
Tendering
- Lead the full tender process end-to-end - from reviewing incoming enquiries through to preparing and submitting competitive bids
- Contribute to bid/no-bid decisions, weighing project fit, capacity, and the realistic chance of winning before we commit time to a tender
- Review tender documentation, drawings, and client briefs carefully to ensure submissions are accurate, complete, and reflect our standards
- Obtain, evaluate, and compare quotations from suppliers and subcontractors
- Prepare tender submissions that are clear, professional, and genuinely represent the quality of Hadingham Kirk
- Price subcontract tenders for main contractors and developers - working with priced bills of quantities, main contractor discount, and recognised measurement formats such as NRM2 where required
Pre-Construction Management
- Support a smooth handover from tender award to project start, making sure cost plans and scope are clearly understood by the delivery team
- Assist with procurement planning, programme input, and pre-construction reporting
- Contribute to value engineering exercises - finding smarter ways of working without ever compromising on quality
- Keep clear records of tender outcomes, pricing data, and lessons learned to inform future bids
Commercial Management
- Produce monthly valuations of work in progress on live projects - measuring work completed against the contract sum, so interim invoices go out on time and cashflow stays healthy
- Price and administer variations as projects change on site, keeping scope and budget under control
- Prepare final accounts at completion - reconciling the contract sum, agreed variations, and interim payments
- After a project finishes, reconcile actual costs against the original estimate to sharpen the rates we price with next time
What We Are Looking For
Essential
- Proven experience (5+ years) in estimating and tendering within landscaping, horticulture, civil engineering, or a closely related construction discipline
- Demonstrated pre-construction management experience, with a good understanding of how costs translate into programmes and procurement
- Commercial management experience across the full project life, including valuations, variations, and final accounts
- Confident reading and interpreting design drawings using CAD software
- Advanced Excel skills - you will live in spreadsheets, and they should feel natural to you
- A solid working knowledge of landscaping materials, plants, and construction methods - you need to understand what you are pricing
- Meticulous numerical accuracy, and a natural instinct for spotting when something does not add up
- The ability to manage several tenders at once without letting standards slip
Desirable
- Experience with estimating or QS software (e.g. Buildsoft, Bluebeam, or similar)
- HNC, HND, degree, or professional qualification in Quantity Surveying, Horticulture, Landscape Architecture, or a related field
- Familiarity with recognised measurement methodology such as NRM or SMM7
- A genuine appreciation for great garden design - you do not need to be a designer, but understanding what makes a landscape special will help you cost it properly
The Kind of Person You Are
We are a team of people who take real pride in their work and genuinely enjoy what they do. We are not looking for someone who just processes numbers - we want someone who cares about getting it right, communicates clearly, and fits naturally into a close-knit, collaborative environment.
- Highly organised, self-motivated, and comfortable managing your own workload
- A clear and straightforward communicator - you can explain a cost plan to a designer or a director with equal clarity
- Commercially sharp, with a proactive approach to identifying risks and opportunities
- Thorough and methodical, without ever losing sight of the bigger picture
What We Offer
- A senior role with real autonomy - you will own this function and have a genuine impact on the business
- A warm, friendly, and supportive team where people are valued and trusted
- Competitive salary commensurate with your experience
- The chance to work on beautiful, varied projects - the kind you will actually want to tell people about
- A base at Northfield Farm, Kidlington - a genuinely lovely place to work
How to Apply
Please send your CV and a covering letter to Cath Parkinson at [email protected]. We would love to hear a little about your background and what draws you to Hadingham Kirk. If you have any questions before applying, please feel free to email us.
We look forward to hearing from you.
Pay: £48,553.98-£98,007.20 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Company events
- Company pension
- Cycle to work scheme
- Financial planning services
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
