Senior Estimator - Industrial & Capital Projects

Job Description

Job Description

Senior Estimator – Industrial & Capital Projects

Location: St. Louis, MO
Job Type: Full-Time, Direct Hire
Schedule: Monday–Friday, On-Site
Compensation: Competitive and based on experience

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Estimator to join a growing proposals and estimating team supporting complex industrial and capital projects.

This position is intended for an experienced estimator whose background includes significant day-to-day responsibility for developing estimates, analyzing project requirements, obtaining vendor and subcontractor pricing, preparing proposals, and developing final project pricing .

Industry experience is transferable. While experience with industrial equipment, manufacturing, mechanical systems, construction, or engineered products is highly valuable, we are primarily interested in candidates who have built their careers around estimating and proposal development and can bring a disciplined estimating process to the organization.

The Senior Estimator will take ownership of opportunities from initial RFQ/RFP and scope review through cost development, proposal preparation, pricing recommendations, and project handoff.

Key Responsibilities

• Review RFQs, RFPs, specifications, drawings, customer requirements, and other project documentation.
• Develop detailed project estimates for complex capital and industrial projects.
• Prepare conceptual, budgetary, and firm-price estimates.
• Identify project scope, cost drivers, risks, assumptions, exclusions, and potential scope gaps.
• Perform or validate quantity takeoffs, labor requirements, material requirements, equipment costs, and subcontracted services.
• Solicit pricing from vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors.
• Evaluate and level competing quotations to ensure complete and accurate scope coverage.
• Develop labor, material, equipment, subcontractor, freight, contingency, and other project costs.
• Analyze project risk and incorporate appropriate contingencies into estimates.
• Prepare professional customer-facing proposals, scopes of work, clarifications, inclusions, and exclusions.
• Support pricing strategy and final proposal recommendations.
• Participate in customer and internal discussions regarding scope, pricing, and technical requirements.
• Maintain estimating documentation, historical cost information, vendor pricing, and estimating tools.
• Work closely with engineering, operations, procurement, project management, and leadership throughout the proposal process.
• Support project turnover after award and use actual project results to continuously improve future estimate accuracy.
• Help strengthen and standardize estimating and proposal processes as the department continues to grow.

Qualifications

• Significant professional experience in estimating, preconstruction, proposal development, or project cost estimating .
• Demonstrated experience personally developing estimates on a regular basis.
• Experience reviewing plans, specifications, scopes of work, RFQs, and/or RFPs.
• Strong understanding of labor, material, equipment, vendor, and subcontractor cost development.
• Experience obtaining and evaluating supplier or subcontractor quotations.
• Ability to identify scope gaps, project risks, assumptions, and cost exposure.
• Experience preparing customer proposals and supporting final pricing decisions.
• Strong analytical and mathematical skills with excellent attention to detail.
• Ability to read and interpret technical drawings, specifications, and project documentation.
• Strong Excel skills and experience with estimating, takeoff, construction, or project management software.
• Ability to communicate effectively with customers, vendors, engineers, project managers, and operations teams.

Preferred Background

Experience within one or more of the following is highly desirable:

• Industrial construction
• Mechanical or MEP systems
• Capital equipment
• Engineered-to-order equipment
• Manufacturing
• Process equipment or process systems
• Heavy industrial projects
• Commercial or industrial construction
• Preconstruction
• Design-build environments

Direct experience within a specific industry is not required for an otherwise accomplished estimator with strong transferable estimating and proposal experience.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is someone who genuinely enjoys estimating and understands that a successful estimate involves much more than developing a number.

You should be comfortable digging into project requirements, identifying missing information, evaluating risk, working with vendors and subcontractors, developing defensible costs, and producing a complete proposal that can successfully transition into project execution.

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced estimator who wants to take significant ownership of the estimating function and contribute to the continued development of a growing proposals department.

\nCompany Description

Join a team that values hard work, professional growth, and employee success. Our clients are established organizations that invest in their people, provide opportunities for advancement, and foster collaborative work environments.

Company Description

Join a team that values hard work, professional growth, and employee success. Our clients are established organizations that invest in their people, provide opportunities for advancement, and foster collaborative work environments.