Construction Estimator - Commercial & Public Works

Job Description

Job Description

Construction Estimator – Drive Commercial and Public Works Bidding for Vortex Construction

Job Overview

• Company: Vortex Construction
• Location: Bakersfield, California
• Employment Type: Full-Time
• Compensation:  90,000–110,000+ annually, based on experience
• Work Environment: Primarily office-based with regular local/regional site visits
• Travel: Occasional travel throughout Bakersfield, Kern County, Santa Barbara, and surrounding project markets

The Opportunity

Vortex Construction is seeking an experienced Construction Estimator to support continued growth across commercial, multifamily, public works, government, and federal construction.

This role is ideal for an estimator who understands the full construction process and can accurately price complex projects involving multiple trades, subcontractors, and self-performed work.

You will work on projects ranging from ground-up construction to rehabilitation and modernization, including public housing and other prevailing-wage projects. Current bid opportunities may range into the 10M–15M+ project size.

The Estimator will primarily work from Vortex Construction's Bakersfield office and will periodically visit prospective project sites to verify existing conditions, quantities, and scope before bid submission.

What You Will Do

• Prepare detailed construction estimates covering labor, materials, equipment, subcontractors, and self-performed work.
• Review drawings, specifications, bid documents, addenda, and project requirements to develop complete project budgets.
• Estimate commercial, multifamily, public works, government, and federal construction projects.
• Evaluate both ground-up construction and rehabilitation/renovation scopes.
• Coordinate pricing across multiple trades and subcontractors; some projects may involve 20 or more subcontractor scopes.
• Account for California prevailing-wage requirements, labor rates, fringe benefits, and other public-works cost considerations.
• Use Gordian, RS Means, or comparable estimating tools to develop detailed line-item pricing.
• Conduct site visits to evaluate existing conditions and identify discrepancies between field conditions and bid documents.
• Solicit and evaluate subcontractor and supplier pricing.
• Identify scope gaps, exclusions, constructability concerns, and bid risks before submission.
• Maintain current cost information for labor, materials, equipment, and trade production.
• Collaborate with company leadership, project management, subcontractors, architects, and engineers during the estimating process.
• Complete estimating handoff to the project-management team after award and continue focusing primarily on estimating new work.

Required Qualifications

• Proven construction estimating experience in general construction.
• Experience estimating commercial, public works, government, multifamily, or similarly complex projects.
• Strong understanding of construction methods, sequencing, trade scopes, labor productivity, and material costs.
• Experience estimating work performed through both subcontractors and internal field crews.
• Working knowledge of prevailing-wage construction and California public-works requirements.
• Ability to read and interpret plans, specifications, bid documents, and addenda.
• Demonstrated ability to develop accurate estimates across multiple construction trades.
• Strong judgment around bid risk, missing information, scope gaps, and existing-condition uncertainty.
• Ability to work primarily from the Bakersfield office.
• Ability to travel to project sites as needed.

Strongly Preferred

• Approximately 5+ years of dedicated construction estimating experience.
• Experience successfully estimating large projects, including projects in the 10M–15M+ range.
• Experience with California DIR requirements, prevailing-wage calculations, or certified payroll considerations.
• Experience with Gordian, Job Order Contracting (JOC), RS Means, or similar line-item estimating systems.
• Experience with Bluebeam, Procore, or other construction estimating/project-management platforms.
• Knowledge of multifamily housing, housing-authority work, rehabilitation projects, and ground-up construction.
• Track record of preparing competitive bids that have resulted in awarded projects.

Compensation & Benefits

• 90,000–110,000+ starting salary based on experience and demonstrated capability.
• Compensation flexibility may be considered for highly experienced estimators with a strong record of successful large-project bidding.
• Weekly pay.
• Medical insurance options, including HSA availability.
• Paid holidays, vacation, and sick time.
• Per diem or travel compensation where applicable.
• Company-provided safety equipment.
• Access to company-supported safety and technical training.
• Company vehicle available for qualifying project/site travel.

What Success Looks Like

The successful candidate will be able to independently evaluate complex projects, understand where estimating risk exists, coordinate numerous trade scopes, and produce complete and competitive bids without sacrificing accuracy.

Vortex is specifically looking for demonstrated estimating capability—not simply estimating exposure. Candidates should be prepared to discuss projects they personally estimated, project values, their role in the bid, and the results of their estimating work.

About Vortex Construction

Vortex Construction performs commercial, public works, government, federal, multifamily, ground-up, and rehabilitation construction throughout California. The company combines the hands-on environment of a close-knit contractor with the project complexity and workload of a larger construction operation.

Vortex takes on challenging projects that require broad construction knowledge, strong coordination, and disciplined execution.

Learn more at

Vortex Construction is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender expression, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or any other status protected by law or regulations. It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors.