Chief Estimator

Job Description

Job Description

Director - Estimator

Location: Remote – Nationwide
Travel: Up to 25%

Our client, a nationally recognized infrastructure and government services organization, is seeking an experienced Chief Estimator to support critical federal infrastructure and facility projects across the United States.

This is a high-impact leadership opportunity for an estimating professional who can both lead and build a best-in-class estimating function while remaining hands-on in the development of complex, high-value estimates. The ideal candidate brings deep federal construction estimating experience, strong leadership capability, and the ability to support a growing pipeline of EPC, design-build, and construction services opportunities.

Position Overview

The Director - Estimator will own the estimating function and help transform it into a strategic advantage for the business. This is a player-coach role, responsible for producing accurate, competitive estimates while also mentoring and developing the estimating team, improving systems and processes, and driving consistency across pursuits.

This position will report to the Director of Pre-Construction Operations and work closely with capture, pre-construction, proposal, and project delivery teams from pursuit through contract handoff.

The Chief Estimator will also lead estimating strategy, standards, and technology, including platforms such as InEight Estimate, in support of federal opportunities across DOE/NNSA, DoD, USACE, and NAVFAC.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the estimating function end-to-end, including processes, tools, standards, and overall quality of deliverables
• Develop detailed cost estimates for fixed-price, T&M, and labor-hour federal construction projects, ranging from small task orders to multi-million-dollar design-build and EPC pursuits
• Mentor, train, and develop existing estimating staff into multi-discipline, full-scope estimators
• Build and scale the estimating team as project volume grows
• Establish and maintain estimating standards, templates, and cost databases aligned with federal construction markets
• Drive continuous improvement in estimate accuracy, turnaround time, and bid-hit rate
• Apply Davis-Bacon wage determinations accurately across geographies and labor classifications
• Price projects involving electrical infrastructure, mechanical systems, civil/site work, and specialty construction in secure, regulated, and mission-critical federal environments
• Support proposal development from kickoff through submission, including pricing strategy, gold team reviews, and final pricing approvals
• Contribute to price-to-win analysis and overall competitive positioning
• Partner with project delivery teams during handoff to ensure estimates are executable and assumptions are clearly understood
• Translate design intent into complete, constructible, and well-scoped estimates
• Coordinate with operating company partners on self-perform pricing across electrical, power delivery, civil, and mechanical disciplines
• Support pre-construction risk scoring and constructability reviews
• Travel as needed for site visits, proposal efforts, and client engagements

Required Qualifications

• 10+ years of construction estimating experience
• Demonstrated experience leading, mentoring, and developing estimating teams
• Strong experience preparing estimates for federal construction projects
• Proficiency with estimating platforms such as InEight Estimate, Bluebeam, HCSS, Sage Estimating, On-Screen Takeoff, RSMeans, or similar tools
• Strong knowledge of federal project delivery, estimating practices, and cost development
• Ability to work cross-functionally with capture, proposal, engineering, and operations teams

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting DOE/NNSA site construction, nuclear infrastructure, or high-security facility projects
• Background in EPC and/or design-build delivery models
• Experience implementing, optimizing, or managing InEight Estimate or similar enterprise estimating systems
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience will be considered
• Active DOE Q, DoD Secret, or other federal security clearance preferred
• Ability to obtain a DOE or DoD security clearance

Leadership Responsibilities

• Provide direct oversight of estimating staff
• Manage workload allocation and estimating priorities
• Support professional development and long-term team growth
• Help build a scalable estimating organization that supports business expansion

Travel Requirements

• Up to 25% travel
• Overnight travel as needed for site visits, proposal support, and client meetings