Chief Estimator

About the job Chief Estimator

Position Summary

We are seeking a Chief Estimator, for our Long Beach, CA client, to lead their estimating function and drive the bid and proposal process across complex structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling and heavy-lift projects. This role leads the pursuit strategy and proposal development across complex structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling, and large-scale heavy-lift projects to develop and maintain a strategically aligned, high-quality backlog by identifying, prioritizing, and securing opportunities that advance the growth strategy and align with its capabilities, risk tolerance, and profitability objectives. The position collaborates closely with operations, safety, legal, and executive leadership to evaluate opportunities, manage risk, and develop accurate, competitive, and well-supported proposals that contribute to a strategically aligned and profitable backlog, reporting directly to the Vice President of Construction.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Estimating & Opportunity Leadership

• Lead the preparation of detailed cost estimates, bid packages, and proposals for complex structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling, and large-scale heavy-lift projects.
• Develop and execute estimating, pricing, and pursuit strategies that align with growth objectives, risk tolerance, competitive positioning, and profitability goals.
• Lead opportunity evaluation and go/no-go discussions with senior leadership, providing clear, risk-adjusted recommendations regarding customer selection, project fit, commercial terms, and resource commitments.
• Drive the development and maintenance of a strategically aligned, high-quality backlog by identifying, prioritizing, and pursuing opportunities that capitalize on the capabilities, market position, and competitive advantages to advance its long-term growth, profitability, and strategic objectives.
• Lead pursuit strategy development, including pre-positioning, customer value propositions, win themes, competitive positioning, and pursuit planning, to maximize the probability of securing strategically aligned opportunities that capitalize on the capabilities and competitive advantages.
• Establish and maintain estimating standards, templates, historical cost databases, productivity benchmarks, unit rates, and quality review procedures across the estimating function.
• Oversee the development of bid markups, contingencies, escalation assumptions, and commercial strategies to appropriately balance risk, competitiveness, and return.
• Provide leadership in the selection, implementation, and continuous improvement of estimating technology, data analytics, and digital tools, including the evaluation of software investments and process improvements to enhance estimating accuracy, efficiency, scalability, and decision-making.
• Establish, monitor, and continuously improve performance metrics for estimating and pursuit activities, including opportunity conversion rates, backlog quality, estimate accuracy, margin performance, and other key indicators that support strategic decision-making, resource allocation, and profitable growth.

Pursuit & Proposal Management

• Lead the review of opportunity documents, technical specifications, commercial terms, and contract requirements to identify scope, execution risks, schedule constraints, and key commercial considerations.
• Review and evaluate customer contract terms, bid conditions, and risk transfer provisions, recommending clarifications, exceptions, negotiation strategies, and commercial positions that appropriately balance risk and opportunity.
• Partner with operations, legal, safety, and executive leadership to identify, evaluate, and mitigate contractual, commercial, financial, operational, and execution risks during the pursuit and proposal process.
• Direct subcontractor, supplier, and vendor engagement efforts, including solicitation, scope alignment, quote evaluation, and commercial review, to support accurate, competitive, and commercially sound proposals.
• Oversee a portfolio of concurrent pursuits, establishing priorities and allocating estimating resources to maximize responsiveness, proposal quality, resource utilization, and strategic value.
• Ensure proposals and bid packages are complete, accurate, commercially sound, and fully compliant with client requirements, contract documents, and internal review standards prior to submission.
• Manage proposal development and submission processes, including pricing reviews, risk assessments, executive approvals, and final proposal assembly to ensure timely, high-quality deliverables.

Cost & Risk Analysis

• Partner with operations teams, engineering, and field leadership to validate means and methods, labor assumptions, productivity factors, equipment selection, logistics plans, and execution strategies.
• Apply expert knowledge of labor productivity, unit-rate development, equipment costing, indirect costs, escalation factors, and market conditions to develop accurate and commercially sound estimates.
• Lead the identification, evaluation, and quantification of project risks — including project requirements, schedule requirements, schedule constraints, site conditions, labor availability, market volatility, transportation and logistics requirements, and execution complexity — and incorporate appropriate pricing approaches, contingencies, and risk mitigation measures into estimates and commercial strategies.
• Analyze historical cost, production, and project performance data to strengthen estimating accuracy, improve forecasting capabilities, and support data-driven decision-making across the organization.
• Conduct estimate reconciliations, post-project reviews, and lessons-learned analyses comparing bid assumptions, productivity factors, and risk assessments to actual project performance and incorporate findings into future estimates and pursuit strategies.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate across operations, safety, legal, engineering, business development, project controls, and executive leadership teams throughout the pursuit and proposal process.
• Serve as a strategic liaison between estimating and operations, ensuring estimating assumptions, execution strategies, resource requirements, project risks, and commercial considerations are effectively communicated and aligned throughout the pursuit lifecycle.
• Partner with business development on client relationships, market intelligence, strategic account planning, and pipeline planning.
• Facilitate effective bid-to-build handoff, ensuring the operations team inherits a clear, well-documented basis of estimate, key assumptions, identified risks, pricing qualifications, and commercial considerations.
• Support change order pricing, claims development, dispute resolution efforts, and other commercial support activities on awarded projects.

Client & Industry Engagement

• Participate in and support customer engagement during pursuits, including pre-bid meetings, clarifications, proposal presentations, and other customer-facing pursuit activities.
• Support the identification and development of strategic customer relationships and market opportunities that align with the capabilities, competitive advantages, and long-term strategic objectives.
• Represent the company in industry forums, client meetings, and pre-bid conferences, building the company’s reputation for technical expertise, estimating rigor, execution excellence, and commercial reliability.
• Maintain awareness of market trends, competitor positioning, industry pricing benchmarks, customer needs, and emerging market opportunities to keep estimating practices current and support strategic decision-making.

Team Leadership & Development

• Mentor and develop estimating staff, building a strong pipeline and bench of estimating talent across the organization.
• Promote the professional development of estimating personnel through training, mentoring, cross-functional exposure, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Set clear performance expectations and provide regular, constructive feedback to support individual and team growth.
• Assess the estimating team’s structure, capacity, and capabilities to ensure the organization is appropriately resourced to meet current and future pursuit volume, market opportunities, and project complexity while fostering cross-functional capabilities and collaboration that enhance organizational flexibility and enable estimating, project management, and operations personnel to effectively support changing business needs.
• Foster a collaborative, high-standards estimating culture that is responsive to the needs of the broader business and committed to accuracy, accountability, continuous improvement, and customer service.

Qualifications

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Expert knowledge of labor productivity, unit-rate development, equipment costing, indirect costs, risk evaluation and pricing, opportunity evaluation, pursuit strategy, competitive positioning, and commercial and contract risk allocation.
• Strong understanding of the core markets, customers, competitors, delivery methods, and key market drivers, supported by comprehensive knowledge of complex structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling, large-scale heavy-lift, and related industrial/construction sectors, and the ability to translate market intelligence into opportunity evaluation, pursuit, pricing, and backlog development strategies that advance the long-term growth, profitability, and strategic objectives.
• Strong understanding of construction contracts, risk transfer provisions, and project delivery methodologies applicable to structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling, and large-scale heavy-lift projects.
• Proficiency with estimating software, takeoff tools, CPM scheduling tools, and Microsoft Office, as well as data analytics and reporting tools used to support estimating, forecasting, and business decision-making.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organizational, analytical, and leadership skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex technical, commercial, and risk-related concepts to clients, project teams, and executive leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to apply estimating, commercial, and business acumen to identify, prioritize, and secure opportunities that advance growth, profitability, and long‑term strategic objectives.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• Twenty (20) years of progressive construction estimating experience, including leadership responsibility for major bids and proposals, pursuit strategy, pricing, and commercial evaluation efforts for complex, high-value projects, with at least five (5) years in an estimating leadership position.
• Demonstrated experience across multiple of the following areas: complex structural steel erection, specialty rigging/equipment handling, large-scale heavy-lift, heavy industrial construction, and/or wind energy construction.
• Experience leading and developing estimating teams.
• AACE Certified Estimating Professional (CEP), AACE Certified Cost Professional (CCP), PMI Project Management Professional (PMP), or similar credentials preferred.
• OSHA 30 certification preferred. Experience working in union labor environments strongly preferred.

Physical Requirements:

• Primarily an office-based role with occasional jobsite visits.
• Must be able to drive and travel in a vehicle; must possess a valid driver’s license.
• Must be able to attend tours of job sites and traverse job sites unassisted.
• Comfortable working in a fast‑paced construction environment.

Relationships and Roles:

• Promotes and always embraces company Core Values.
• Collaborates across operations, safety, legal, and executive leadership teams in a professional manner at all times.
• Applicants must be a United States citizen or a lawful permanent United States resident authorized to work in the United States without the need for employer sponsorship now or in the future.

Platinum Global Talent Solutions is committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals. We refer candidates based on their qualifications and experience, without consideration of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age, disability, veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

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