Claims and Disputes Job Opportunities in Australia
Posted by Specialist Claims and Dispute Team, Maxim Recruitment on Monday, January 24, 2022
I had an interesting meeting with the Owner and Director of an Australian based claims and disputes consultancy recently, who highlighted the real struggle in finding good construction quantum and delay claims and disputes staff recently.
He is the owner of a Sydney based, small boutique claims, disputes and advisory business predominantly covering the Australian and New Zealand markets. Despite his best efforts to find good quantum and delay professionals in he’s finding a real shortage of talent in the region.
Australia is an emerging construction arbitration hub and, in his opinion the demand from candidates to move into specialist quantum and delay roles from traditional quantity surveyors, project managers, contract administrators, planners and project controls managers is just not keeping up with the demand from growing specialist consultancies in this niche area.
It’s no surprise to hear this is the case on the delay side, where there seems to be a global shortage of good delay analysts. However, it’s slightly more surprising to hear this about entry level quantum roles as here in the UK, there is a consistent supply of good quantity surveyors wanting to transition into specialist quantum claims and disputes roles.
Quantum and Delay Claims and Dispute Job Opportunities
The bottom line is, there are job opportunities for British and other international quantum and delay claims and disputes professionals in Australia.
Whilst you may not see Delay Analyst, Claims Consultant or Quantum Consultant on any immigration occupation list, I have first-hand experience of how hard claims and disputes consultancies are finding it to get good staff and visas can be granted in the right circumstances.
Opportunities for experienced professionals are available to all nationalities with the right skillset and experience, so, if you are a quantum or delay, claims and disputes professional who is looking for an opportunity in a vibrant country with lots of opportunity and an enviable climate, then Australia could be worth consideration.
The Market
As I mentioned earlier, Australia is an emerging arbitration hub and I’ve seen a number of specialist claims consultancies with British roots, grow their numbers in the country significantly over the last few years.
There are many of the global specialist claims and disputes consultancies operating in Australia, as well as numerous smaller boutique consultancies. So there really is something for everyone, whether you like working for the larger corporate clients or prefer a smaller business where you can really feel like you’re making an impact.
With growth comes opportunities. For new offices, new clients, new promotions and new markets! So for those with ambitions to progress into lead expert roles there are certainly possibilities to achieve this.
Salaries & Cost of Living
If you are wondering what the salaries are like in Australia, then here is a rough salary guide based on the common levels of seniority within these organisations.
Seniority Level |
Min Salary (AUS $ pa) |
Max Salary (AUS $ pa) |
|
Consultant |
$100,000 |
$130,000 |
|
Senior Consultant |
$130,000 |
$180,000 |
|
Associate Director |
$180,000 |
$230,000 |
|
Director |
$230,000 |
$300,000 |
The ranges provided above, factor in the differentials for level of experience within the relevant bandings as well as the fact that much like the UK, salaries in certain cities will be higher than others due to cost of living.
Typically, Sydney is the most expensive city to live in, in Australia. Followed by Melbourne, then Perth and Brisbane, and lastly Adelaide is widely regarded as one of the cheaper major cities to live in.
What quantum and delay construction jobs am I working on currently?
I am currently working with consultancies in the Sydney area who are predominantly interested in speaking with quantum and delay professionals who are seriously interested in moving to Sydney in the next 3-6 months.
Ideally the client is looking for candidates who have either worked for reputable, specialist claims consultancies in Australia or other parts of the World such as the UK, Middle East, Asia and the Americas.
However, there may also be possibilities for candidates who have had regular exposure to formal dispute proceedings such as adjudication, arbitration and/or litigation. Particularly if you have evidence of strong report writing skills and have assisted legal teams.
I would be open to hearing from any candidates with a strong desire to move to Sydney in the near future and have the skills listed above. So, feel free to reach out to me via email, LinkedIn, phone or the Maxim Recruitment website.
Our specialist recruitment team are experts at sourcing staff for both Quantum and Delay jobs, from Consultant up to Director level. We work with Claims and Expert Witness consultancies who pay competitive salaries and lucrative bonuses, who are able to provide exposure to an exciting variety of construction disputes. We recruit for professionals in London, across the UK and in selected international locations.