Estimating Team Lead

Overview

Washington, DC Remote — Full-time — Reports directly to the CEO

Stony Creek Homes

Top-producing real estate investment company — we buy, renovate, and flip houses in Washington, DC — is looking for an Estimating Team Lead with REAL construction estimating experience to take over a capable team of 5 and give it what it is missing: vision, structure, and accountability.

My name is TJ. I started Stony Creek Homes from scratch almost 20 years ago. We are a team of 26, currently flipping 40–50 houses a year with a target of 175 within two years. We have 5 smart, capable estimators. The talent is there. What is not there is the leadership — nobody setting the standard, building the system, or closing the loop between what we estimate and what it actually costs.

That is the job. Not more estimating horsepower. Leadership. And I need someone who has done this before — not someone who thinks they can. Everything is harder, more expensive, and longer than you think. I need proof, not aspiration.

What Your First Year Looks Like

1. Months 1–3: Estimate alongside the team. Learn the deal types. Assess each estimator. Identify where estimates miss and why. Build trust by doing the work with them, not above them.
2. Months 3–6: Set the vision. Define standards. Build the QC process. Establish the estimate-to-actual feedback loop. Create the accountability rhythm.
3. Months 6–12: Drive performance. Coach. Run deal autopsies. Measure accuracy by estimator and deal type. Scale the team for 175 deals.

So who is this role right for?

• You have REAL construction estimating experience. You have built detailed cost estimates for residential renovation, general contracting, or construction projects. You understand material takeoffs, labor pricing, subcontractor scoping, and how to estimate work you cannot fully see until the walls come down. This is non-negotiable.
• You know the difference between an estimate and a guess. Your numbers hold up in the field. When there is a variance, you know why — and you adjust the system so it does not happen the same way twice.
• You have ALREADY taken a team and given it direction. Not in theory. Not "I think I could." You have done it. You can point to the team, the system, and the results.
• You are a self-starter who does not require micro-management. You see a gap in the data, a pattern in the variances, a training need on the team — and you move on it without waiting to be told.
• You think in systems. You do not just produce good estimates — you build the process that makes everyone’s estimates good.
• You can manage up. When the CEO or a PM pushes for a lower number, you push back with data. The estimate is the truth. You protect it.

So who should NOT apply?

I hope being honest does not offend you. But this role exists because we have already experienced what happens when the estimating function has talent but no leadership. I would rather be upfront now than repeat that experience.

• No aspirational leaders. If you have never actually led an estimating team — or any team — and you think this could be your first shot at leadership, this is not the role to learn on. We need someone who has done it. Everything is harder, more expensive, and longer than you think. We need someone who already knows that from experience.
• No passive people. If you are smart but you wait for someone to tell you what to build, when to build it, and how to hold people to it — you are describing the problem we already have, not the solution.
• No people without construction estimating experience. General project management does not count. You need to have priced real construction work with real materials, real labor, and real subcontractor bids.
• No people who are technically excellent but organizationally weak. We already have technical talent. What we do not have is someone who can turn that talent into a system that performs consistently.
• No people who avoid accountability conversations. You will need to sit across from an estimator whose numbers are consistently off and have a direct, constructive conversation about why — and what is going to change.

Logistics

• Location: Remote — Egypt, Mexico, Colombia, Philippines, Pakistan, or South Africa
• Hours: Full-time. 40+ hours a week. Minimum 6 hours overlap with US Eastern time — hard requirement regardless of your time zone.
• Compensation: USD, competitive for the region and seniority
• Reports to: The CEO. Directly. No layers.

We have the talent. We have the deal flow. We have the growth plan. What we need is the leader who gives this team a vision, builds the system, and holds everyone — including themselves — accountable to a standard.

If that is who you are, we should talk.