Job Title: Quantity Surveyor – Building Construction – Ghana
Industry: Construction & Infrastructure
Location: Accra, Ghana (with regular travel to project sites)
Salary: Competitive Salary + Other Benefits
About the Opportunity
Antal International is recruiting an experienced and commercially astute Quantity Surveyor on behalf of an established construction company operating in Ghana.
The successful candidate will play a key role in managing project measurement, valuations, cost control, subcontractor payments and commercial reporting across multiple building construction projects.
This position offers an opportunity for a results-driven construction professional to contribute to the financial performance, commercial discipline and successful delivery of complex construction projects.
Role Purpose
The Quantity Surveyor will be responsible for ensuring that construction works are accurately measured, valued, certified and commercially accounted for throughout the project lifecycle.
Reporting to the Technical Office Manager, the successful candidate will oversee interim valuations, variations, subcontractor payments, cost-value reconciliation, project cash-flow forecasting and final accounts.
The role requires strong technical competence, commercial judgement and the ability to work effectively with project managers, engineers, subcontractors, consultants and finance teams.
Key Responsibilities
1. Project Commercial Planning and Set-Up
- Review contract Bills of Quantities (BOQs), pricing schedules, tender assumptions and contractual rates.
- Collaborate with the estimating team to establish project cost codes, budgets and commercial baselines.
- Agree measurement methodologies and valuation procedures with clients and consultants.
- Establish and maintain valuation registers, variation schedules and subcontractor payment records.
2. Measurement and Quantity Verification
- Undertake accurate measurement of construction works from drawings and site inspections.
- Prepare detailed quantity take-offs in accordance with applicable measurement standards.
- Verify quantities against approved BOQs, drawings and project specifications.
- Maintain comprehensive measurement records, joint measurement sheets and supporting documentation.
- Validate material quantities required for procurement and project execution.
3. Interim Valuations and Payment Applications
- Prepare and submit monthly interim payment applications covering completed works, materials on site, preliminaries and variations.
- Liaise with client quantity surveyors and consultants to secure timely certification.
- Monitor submitted valuations against certified amounts and identify under-certification.
- Support the finance team in monitoring payment collections and outstanding receivables.
- Maintain accurate records of project valuations and payment certificates.
4. Variations and Contractual Claims
- Identify, measure and value variations arising from design changes, site instructions and additional works.
- Prepare detailed rate analyses and supporting documentation for variation claims.
- Maintain accurate records of dayworks, labour, equipment and materials used for additional works.
- Coordinate with the Contract Manager to ensure variations are properly instructed, documented and submitted.
- Monitor variations through submission, negotiation, agreement and payment.
- Provide quantified supporting evidence for contractual claims and extensions of time.
5. Subcontractor and Supplier Valuations
- Measure and assess subcontractor works against contractual obligations and actual progress.
- Prepare subcontractor payment recommendations supported by verified measurements.
- Apply contractual retentions, advances, deductions and back-charges.
- Review subcontractor variation claims and final account submissions.
- Identify and prevent overpayments, unsupported claims and commercial discrepancies.
- Maintain reconciled subcontractor payment records.
6. Cost Control and Cost-Value Reconciliation
- Prepare monthly Cost-Value Reconciliation (CVR) reports showing earned value, incurred costs and project margins.
- Monitor actual expenditure against approved budgets and cost forecasts.
- Analyse labour, plant, materials and subcontractor costs to identify variances.
- Forecast project costs and commercial outcomes at completion.
- Identify potential cost overruns, margin erosion and other commercial risks.
- Recommend corrective actions to improve cost efficiency and protect project profitability.
7. Materials Reconciliation
- Reconcile materials purchased, delivered and consumed against approved BOQ quantities.
- Investigate excessive material usage, wastage, shortages and discrepancies.
- Work with procurement, stores and project teams to improve materials accountability.
- Monitor surplus materials and support efficient transfers between projects.
- Report material variances as part of monthly commercial reviews.
8. Project Cash Flow and Forecasting
- Prepare project cash-flow forecasts based on construction programmes, contractual milestones and payment terms.
- Update cash-flow projections using actual valuations, certifications and payment receipts.
- Identify potential cash-flow constraints arising from delayed certifications or payments.
- Provide commercial inputs into project budgets and financial forecasts.
9. Final Accounts and Project Close-Out
- Prepare, negotiate and reconcile project final accounts with clients and consultants.
- Ensure all approved variations, adjustments and contractual entitlements are captured.
- Review and close subcontractor final accounts.
- Monitor contractual retentions and support their timely release.
- Prepare final project cost reports and commercial close-out documentation.
- Provide historical cost and productivity data to support future tender estimates.
10. Commercial Reporting and Documentation
- Prepare accurate monthly project commercial reports covering valuations, certifications, payments, variations, cost performance and risks.
- Maintain comprehensive commercial records suitable for audit and dispute resolution.
- Provide timely commercial updates to the Technical Office Manager and relevant management teams.
- Maintain historical cost information and rates databases to support future projects.
11. Team Leadership and Continuous Improvement
- Supervise and develop the Quantity Surveying Officer.
- Allocate measurement, valuation and reporting assignments across projects.
- Provide technical guidance to site teams on measurement records, dayworks and materials documentation.
- Promote consistent commercial reporting standards and cost-control procedures.
- Identify opportunities to improve quantity surveying processes, reporting accuracy and operational efficiency.
Qualifications and Professional Experience
Education and Professional Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree or HND in Quantity Surveying, Building Economics, Construction Technology or a closely related discipline.
- Professional membership of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors (GhIS – Quantity Surveying Division) is highly desirable.
- Membership of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (MRICS) will be an advantage.
- Postgraduate qualification in Construction Management or Commercial Management is desirable.
- Additional training in standard methods of measurement and construction cost-control software will be advantageous.
Professional Experience
- Minimum of 7 years' post-qualification experience in quantity surveying within a building construction or civil engineering contracting environment.
- Demonstrable experience in interim valuations, variation management, subcontractor payments, cost-value reconciliation and final accounts.
- Proven experience working on substantial building construction projects, including hospitals, hotels, commercial offices, residential developments or similar projects.
- Practical understanding of mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) works and building finishes.
- Experience working with public-sector clients and international construction contractors in West Africa is highly desirable.
- Experience managing commercial activities across multiple construction projects will be an advantage.
Technical Skills and Knowledge
The ideal candidate should demonstrate:
- Strong proficiency in construction measurement, quantity take-offs and BOQ interpretation.
- Excellent understanding of construction cost estimation, rate analysis, valuations and commercial reporting.
- Working knowledge of standard methods of measurement, including SMM7, NRM2 and CESMM.
- Good understanding of FIDIC and Ghana Government conditions of contract, particularly payment and variation provisions.
- Strong knowledge of construction materials, building methodologies, MEP systems and prevailing construction cost structures in Ghana.
- Practical experience preparing cost-value reconciliations, cash-flow forecasts and project cost reports.
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
- Proficiency in CostX, Candy, Buildsoft or similar quantity take-off and construction cost-management software.
- Strong negotiation, analytical, numerical and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Personal Attributes and Competencies
- High standards of professional integrity, confidentiality and accountability.
- Exceptional attention to detail and numerical accuracy.
- Strong commercial awareness and sound professional judgement.
- Ability to manage multiple projects and competing deadlines.
- Confidence in challenging unsupported claims and defending valuations with factual evidence.
- Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to engage effectively with clients, consultants, subcontractors and project teams.
- Proactive, solutions-oriented approach to resolving commercial challenges.
- Ability to communicate complex commercial information clearly to technical and non-technical stakeholders.
- Commitment to continuous improvement, teamwork and professional development.
Key Performance Indicators
Performance will be assessed against:
- Timely preparation and submission of accurate interim payment applications.
- Achievement of timely certification and recovery of under-certified amounts.
- Accurate valuation, submission and agreement of project variations.
- Timely and accurate subcontractor payment recommendations, with prevention of overpayments.
- Quality and timeliness of monthly cost-value reconciliation reports.
- Accuracy of project cost forecasts and management of budget variances.
- Effective materials reconciliation and control of wastage.
- Timely agreement of client and subcontractor final accounts.
- Quality, accuracy and completeness of commercial reports and supporting documentation.
- Effective supervision and professional development of junior quantity surveying personnel.
Remuneration
Competitive Salary + Other Benefits
The successful candidate will receive a competitive remuneration package commensurate with qualifications, relevant experience and demonstrated technical and commercial capabilities.
Application Process
Interested and suitably qualified candidates are invited to apply by submitting an updated CV highlighting their relevant quantity surveying experience, major construction projects handled, professional qualifications and key commercial achievements.
Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for further discussions.
Recruitment Partner: Antal International
Antal International is committed to professional, confidential and merit-based recruitment practices.