Estimating and Preconstruction Manager

Schamber Company is a $50M residential and multifamily electrical contracting company based in Corona, California. We perform approximately 4,000 homes annually across Southern California for major builders including Lennar, DR Horton, and Meritage Homes, as well as multifamily developers like Western National Construction. Our business operates in a high-volume, builder-driven environment where estimating discipline, pricing accuracy, value engineering (VE), and clean handoffs directly impact margin, builder trust, field execution, and revenue realization. Errors or gaps in preconstruction do not stay in preconstruction - they affect Operations, job cost integrity, purchasing, scheduling, and profitability. We operate with discipline across six KPI categories: Quality & Service This role sits at the front end of that system. The Preconstruction Manager protects margin before work is awarded, turns builder opportunities into complete and supportable proposal packages, and ensures Operations receives the scope, assumptions, pricing, VE decisions, and documentation needed to execute without avoidable confusion. Who You Are to Us This is not a basic estimating role . You are responsible for making sure Schamber Company pursues, prices, clarifies, and hands off builder opportunities with discipline — without margin leakage, scope confusion, or avoidable operational risk . You serve as the control point between builder opportunities, estimating execution, value engineering, pricing governance, and Operations readiness . You operate in a high-volume, builder-specific preconstruction environment that requires strict scope discipline, accurate takeoffs, current pricing, documented assumptions, clean VE presentation, and persistent follow-through from bid intake through award handoff. You do not control awarded-job execution — you control the quality, accuracy, and completeness of what Operations receives before execution begins . Core Role Outcomes All active bids have aligned estimating resources before work begins Single-family estimates are complete, accurate, and supported by scope, assumptions, takeoffs, VE options, and pricing documentation Bid clarifications are answered within 24 hours Pricing standards, margin floors, and exception escalation rules are enforced Vendor pricing terms are negotiated, documented, and kept current Value engineering packages are builder-ready, clearly presented, and supported by documented decisions Awarded jobs are handed off to Operations with complete estimating packages and PM receipt confirmation No margin is lost due to missed scope, outdated pricing, poor documentation, or handoff breakdowns What You’ll Do 1. Estimating Leadership and Bid Coordination Ensure estimating resources are aligned to active bid opportunities on a per-bid basis. Direct the bid preparation workflow so estimating work is timely, complete, and focused on current priorities. Work with the SF Estimator where specifically assigned for estimating, VE, and handoff execution support. Escalate resource conflicts, pricing exceptions, margin concerns, or quality issues to the President. 2. Proposal Development, Takeoffs, and Scope Clarity Execute complete single-family bid preparation, including takeoff and estimate development. Develop VE alternatives for bid opportunities when supported by the scope. Respond to bid clarifications within 24 hours. Document scope, assumptions, pricing basis, and clarifications so the proposal package is builder-ready and internally usable. Ensure single-family estimates are complete, accurate, and clearly supported before submission or handoff. 3. Pricing, Margin, and Vendor Cost Governance Own standards and enforcement for margin discipline across all bids. Ensure pricing standards and margin floors are met before bid submission. Escalate pricing, margin, and exception issues to the President. Maintain current estimating templates and pricing tables in SharePoint with version control. Negotiate vendor pricing and document terms in the vendor pricing terms repository quarterly and as needed. Review options, assemblies, and sales office pricing annually and whenever significant cost changes occur. Ensure all pricing reflects current costs and margin requirements. Document annual pricing audits for options, assemblies, and sales office pricing. 4. Value Engineering Standards and Builder Presentation Own standards and enforcement for value engineering consistency, delivery quality, and client-ready presentation. Review builder plans for value engineering opportunities. Prepare marked-up plans, VE notes pages, and client packages. Present VE packages to builders. Document builder decisions and VE outcomes. Audit VE delivery quality per project and during quarterly reviews. Escalate VE quality or exception issues to the President. 5. Sales-to-Operations Handoff and Award Documentation Coordinate handoff of awarded jobs from Sales to Operations. Deliver the estimating package to the Project Manager upon single-family tract award. Ensure the handoff includes the estimate, plans, scope clarifications, assumptions, VE decisions, and relevant pricing documentation. Obtain PM confirmation that the estimating package was received. Make sure awarded jobs move into Operations with complete documentation and no avoidable scope confusion. 6. Preconstruction Process Control, Documentation, and Escalation Keep current templates, pricing tables, and estimating standards organized and version controlled in SharePoint. Maintain documented VE standards and enforce consistent deliverable quality. Document vendor pricing terms and keep the pricing repository current. Use Piece Prices, pricing tables, estimating templates, marked-up plans, VE notes pages, client packages, builder plans, bid clarifications, and scope/assumptions documentation as supported by the preconstruction workflow. Escalate exceptions involving pricing, margin, VE quality, cost changes, or handoff completeness to the President. Review pricing and margin governance quarterly and maintain ongoing compliance. What You Do NOT Do To be discussed Skills & Requirements Required Strong estimating, pricing, and construction preconstruction discipline. Ability to coordinate estimating resources across active bid opportunities. Ability to prepare or manage complete single-family bid packages, including takeoffs, estimates, VE options, bid clarifications, scope, and assumptions. Strong margin discipline and ability to enforce pricing standards. Ability to communicate clearly with builders, internal sales/preconstruction resources, Project Managers, and the President. Experience using or managing estimating tools, pricing tables, templates, and version-controlled documentation. Strong documentation habits and follow-through. Ability to elevate exceptions clearly with facts, risk, and proposed direction. Preferred Experience with single-family tract estimating and builder proposal packages. Experience with value engineering presentation packages, marked-up plans, VE notes, and builder-facing recommendations. Experience with SharePoint-based estimating templates, pricing tables, and version control. Experience using Excel, Accubid, or similar estimating/pricing systems. Experience negotiating vendor pricing and documenting cost terms. Culture Requirements — Non-Negotiable No-excuse ownership: you identify pricing, scope, margin, VE, and handoff issues early, resolve what you own, and escalate clearly when needed Direct communicator: clear, timely, fact-based communication with builders, estimating resources, Project Managers, and leadership Working Genius profile: assessment required as part of hiring process High accountability standard — you treat estimating accuracy, margin protection, documentation quality, and handoff completeness as personal responsibilities Process discipline: templates, pricing tables, SharePoint version control, VE standards, and documented assumptions are mandatory KPIs for the Role To be discussed. Base salary range: $65,000-$95,000, depending on experience, estimating ability, construction knowledge, and ability to own the combined Preconstruction Manager / SF Estimator responsibilities at launch Paid time off Dental and vision insurance Company phone or phone allowance Mileage reimbursement or vehicle allowance for approved business travel, if applicable Performance bonus eligibility Growth Path This role is designed as the management foundation for Schamber Company’s preconstruction function. As the company grows, adds estimating capacity, or opens new divisions and geographic markets, this role can expand from Preconstruction Manager into Director of Preconstruction and ultimately VP of Preconstruction. The growth path is tied to building and leading the preconstruction team, standardizing estimating and value engineering (VE) across divisions, improving bid discipline, protecting margin before work is awarded, and creating clean handoffs into Operations. We promote from within when the track record is there. This is how you build it. #J-18808-Ljbffr