Commercial Assistant

Colas Ltd are a UK subsidiary of the global Colas Group, which operates in over 50 countries worldwide and employs over 55,000 people including over 1500 in the UK across multiple sites. We are specialists in highways construction and have been involved in large scale UK and international construction projects within the highways, airfields and marine sectors as well as offering highways maintenance services and manufacturing our own innovative surfacing products. We hold a ‘Gold Investor in People’ award for continuously developing and rewarding our employees, offering excellent career potential.

Purpose of the role  At Colas Ltd. we have great opportunities for Commercial Assistants to join the team based at Guilden Sutton, Chester (CH2 4EX). Reporting to the Managing Quantity Surveyor, you will be supporting the Commercial Team on a variety of different projects and on multiple workstreams. 

Main Responsibilities  

As a Commercial Assistant you will take the lead with contract administration, this includes record keeping, assisting with the inputting of site measures and costings onto in-house software systems and assisting with month end reporting. You will create Purchase Order requests. You will support with the backlog and understand the various uses of Bills of Quantities, Schedules of Rates, their preparation in accordance with standard methods of measurement and specification. You will be required to lead on Task Order register and the process of Task Order receipt. You will be assisting Quantity Surveyors with subcontract application process and validations. You may be required to visit sites and liaise with site teams to gather information. You will support the Commercial Team with general administrative tasks, with a great focus on Microsoft Excel usage, producing and maintaining data tables / trackers, as well as data analysis and cost value reconciliations (CVR's). Raising subcontract Task Orders and maintaining Task Order tracking system. Assistance in validation of Applications for Payments and invoices in accordance with timetables. You will ensure compliance with Colas’ governance, policies and procedures.

Ideal Candidate  

The successful candidates will have a minimum A-C in Maths/English or equivalent. You will have suitable administration experience and/or training course attendance. An NVQ in Business Administration and Highways knowledge is desirable but not essential. 

 This role of Commercial Assistant is great for you if you can demonstrate a good understanding of Microsoft Excel at an intermediate level (Pivot Tables, lookup formula, SUMIF). You will have excellent communications skill both verbal and written, be able to prioritise and schedule workload and have a flexible approach.

Package Description  Here at Colas, we offer a great total compensation package, including:

A salary between 23,300 and 24,000 
Our Colas Pension Scheme has combined contributions of up to 10%
Life Assurance Scheme which is x4 basic salary
25 days annual leave per year + Public Holidays 
Holiday Purchase & Selling Scheme
Hybrid Working Scheme (dependent on the role)
Opportunities to study towards a fully funded Professional Qualification
Ongoing personal / professional development
Discounts on car leasing, holidays, cinema tickets, restaurants and much more through our online employee benefits portal