Preconstruction and Estimating Manager, Senior (Hybrid - Travel - Arlington, VA)

The Work:

As a Senior Preconstruction and Estimating Manager , you will lead estimating, pricing, and preconstruction strategy for complex, high-value pursuits, partnering with technical teams, operations, and executive leadership to develop competitive, profitable solutions and support informed pursuit decisions. You will bring senior-level judgment to pricing, risk, commercial strategy, and estimate quality while leading development and implementation of programs, processes and capabilities needed to pursue large, complex and multidisciplinary opportunities.

In this role you will work a Hybrid schedule that includes regular in-office attendance at our Arlington, VA HQ, working from home, and frequent travel to client sites in the D.C. Metro Area. This position will also involve up to 10% travel to client sites outside the region.

Citizenship / Clearance Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a Secret security clearance based on customer and project requirements.

Key Responsibilities:

• Partner with leadership to evaluate, qualify, and prioritize opportunities based on strategic fit, revenue potential, competitive environment, risk, and profitability.
• Provide pricing and technical-commercial insight during capture planning to influence pursuit strategy before and throughout the solicitation process.
• Develop price-to-win recommendations, competitive positioning, and pricing approaches that balance probability of award with targeted profitability.
• Attend client meetings, industry days, site visits, pre-proposal conferences, negotiations, and other customer-facing activities in the pursuit of new work.
• Ensure the maintenance of an up-to-date centralized CRM or other approved business development log that provides visibility into active opportunities, pursuit status, key milestones, estimated value, customer activity, next steps, ownership, risks, and significant developments.
• Lead estimating and pricing activities for complex Design-Build, O&M, Controls, Energy, Commissioning, and facility support pursuits.
• Establish estimating program to include pricing methodologies, labor models, productivity assumptions, escalation, contingencies, risk allowances, indirect costs, subcontractor strategies, and target margins.
• Develop and oversee detailed estimates, ensuring technical scope, execution strategy, contractual requirements, and pricing are fully aligned.
• Analyze historical costs, market conditions, labor and material trends, subcontractor capacity, and competitive intelligence to inform pricing decisions.
• Develop RFPs for subcontracted work; review subcontractor proposals evaluating scope, schedule and pricing assumptions; evaluate alternative solutions as required to improve competitiveness, reduce cost, and manage execution risk.
• Present estimates, pricing recommendations, risks, alternatives, and financial implications to leadership and participate in bid/no-bid and final pricing decisions.
• Advise leadership on revenue, cost, gross margin, contractual exposure, execution risk, and other factors affecting pursuit and pricing decisions.
• Support managers with their contract negotiations, scope clarification, commercial strategy, and change-order strategy when estimating or pricing expertise is required.
• Lead post-award estimate reviews and incorporate estimate-to-actual performance and lessons learned into future pricing strategies.
• Lead development of basis-of-estimate narratives, scope narratives, assumptions, exclusions, clarifications, staffing rationales, and other pricing-related proposal content.
• Ensure estimates, technical solutions, staffing plans, schedules, and proposal narratives are integrated and commercially viable.
• Lead estimating-to-operations turnover for awarded work, ensuring critical assumptions, risks, allowances, and commercial commitments are clearly communicated.
• Establish and continuously improve estimating standards, processes, templates, cost models, historical databases, quality controls, and governance practices.
• Review strategic estimates for accuracy, completeness, consistency, commercial reasonableness, and alignment with established standards.
• Lead, mentor, and develop estimating and preconstruction personnel and other staff while building scalable capabilities that support larger and more complex pursuits.
• Establish and monitor estimating performance measures, including estimate accuracy, estimate-to-actual variance, awarded revenue, margin performance, and pursuit results.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's Degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Business, or a related discipline.
• At least 10 years of progressive experience in estimating, preconstruction, pricing, construction, facilities, capture, or related disciplines.
• At least 5 years of experience managing, mentoring, or developing professional staff.
• Demonstrated experience leading estimates and pricing strategy for complex, high-value pursuits, including opportunities valued at $25M or greater within MEP, Commissioning, Controls or similar facility systems projects.
• Demonstrated experience influencing pursuit strategy, pricing decisions, and executive-level bid decisions.
• Strong working knowledge of FAR/DFARS and federal acquisition and contracting requirements, where applicable.
• Strong functional, technical, and operational understanding of facility systems including HVAC, lighting, building automation and controls, power distribution, generation, power monitoring and controls, UPS, emergency power, and related infrastructure.
• Strong understanding of construction economics, gross margin, pricing risk, contingencies, escalation, commercial risk, and estimate-to-actual performance.
• Demonstrated experience developing basis-of-estimate narratives, proposal assumptions, clarifications, exclusions, staffing rationales, and other pricing-related proposal content.
• Ability to interpret technical specifications, drawings, statements of work, performance work statements, contract requirements, and other complex solicitation documents.
• Strong analytical skills and business judgment, with the ability to synthesize technical, financial, operational, and commercial information into clear recommendations.
• Experience developing or managing estimating databases, cost models, historical pricing systems, or enterprise estimating standards utilizing industry standard applications such as RSMeans.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including Excel, Word, Outlook, MS Project, and PowerPoint.
• Must be willing to adapt to changing project requirements and travel schedules.
• Requires a valid state-issued driver's license and the ability to travel to various work sites, client locations, and business engagements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• An Active Secret or higher Security Clearance.
• Professional certification such as Certified Professional Estimator (CPE), Certified Cost Professional (CCP), Project Management Professional (PMP), or equivalent.
• Experience with opportunities valued at $50M, $100M, or greater.
• Experience developing estimates for medical, educational or other commercial clients.

Physical Considerations:

• Must be able to walk construction sites with uneven surfaces, carry up to 25 lbs., climb stairs and ladders, and work both indoors and outdoors in severe weather conditions, confined spaces, and dust-generating environments.
• Must be able to maintain spatial awareness and comply with safety standards while working near mechanical and electrical building equipment and systems.
• Must be able to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) where required.

Annual Salary, Dependent Upon Qualifications and Experience: $140,000 - $190,000

Who is Chinook?

Chinook Systems, Inc. is a leader in delivering lifecycle energy security solutions to mission critical government and commercial facility Owners. We specialize in the engineering, construction, commissioning, and operations of intelligent, cyber secure, code compliant, and energy efficient building systems. Our solutions save millions of dollars in utility costs, reduce harmful emissions to the environment, and mitigate cyber‐attacks on facilities. Chinook provides motivated employees with the opportunity to advance in a fast‐growing, innovative, entrepreneurial, and collaborative work environment.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Chinook Systems Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate against anyone because of their differences, such as age, disability, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation.

Chinook is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our service men and women.