‘You can run a family and be a quantity surveyor’

Billie Kelleher’s career in quantity surveying has not followed the traditional route.

Currently a project surveyor at Ashe Construction, she has 13 years of experience in the construction industry.

However, instead of pursuing formal education immediately after leaving school, she gained practical experience in the sector. She later achieved an NVQ level 6 in construction with her previous employer, before it unexpectedly went into administration. 

She joined Ashe in June last year and has not looked back since.

“I was on maternity leave when my old company asked me to go back early,” she says. “After just three months, the company ceased trading, but luckily, I found my job at Ashe. 

“I love it at Ashe. The team is so friendly and everyone’s got your back. They’re lovely people to work with.”

She adds that the company has played a pivotal role in supporting her personal career development. 

“Ashe is supportive and very happy to help you achieve your career targets,” she says. “I’m currently working on my Chartered Institute of Building review. There are three sections, and I’ve completed the first one towards my full membership already.

"[Ashe is] so supportive in career development, which is very important to someone like me.”

Before starting her career, Kelleher considered going to college to get further qualifications, but she says "starting a family got in the way”.  

Now with three young daughters, Kelleher and her husband juggle the demands of childcare and full-time work. 

“But Ashe is very family-friendly, and really good if you need to attend an event at school,” she says. “I love Christmas, because in our industry, we get a whole fortnight off, and this gives me quality time with the family.” 

Kelleher is also helping to inspire the next generation, showing her daughters, aged three, six and nine, that construction careers are not just for men.

“The girls love it when I get back from work and tell them that I’ve been working with big diggers,” she says. “They’re very impressed and love all the photos and videos I take. 

“It also shows them that you can do anything you want for your job. I hope I’m a good role model.”

Kelleher acknowledges that while her career journey has been hard work, she has proved that “you can be a woman, run a family, work full-time, have a job like being a quantity surveyor, and be good at it”.

Discussing her day-to-day responsibilities, Kelleher’s fast-paced role involves controlling the finances across projects. 

“I look after the project’s budget, from subcontractor packages to client accounts,” she explains. “I basically deal with all aspects of cost control for the project.

“Yes, I wear boots, a hi-vis jacket, a hard hat and gloves. Sometimes I’m still wearing my hi-vis by the time I get home.

"But working on site is good because you can address issues quickly. You build lovely working relationships with site managers, subcontractors and their operatives, from the decorators to brickies to carpenters. You meet people from all walks of life.”

Kelleher’s time is spent working at different sites, then sometimes in the office or working from home. “The best thing about my job is that every day is different,” she says.

While Kelleher’s passion for the job is clear, she’s also pragmatic about some of the challenges facing women in construction. 

“Things are changing, but there can be times when I’m sitting in the site office, and a male operative will address other male employees rather than myself,” she says. “It doesn’t help that my name is unisex, which can also make people assume I’m male. 

“Quantity surveyors are renowned for being a bit serious and quiet but I’m quite bubbly, so if there’s an issue, I’ll get up from my desk and deal with things practically. We’ll go and look at the problem together and deal with it.”

Showcasing the achievements of women in construction will help to attract the next generation of female talent, she concludes – just as she’s doing with her own daughters.