Senior Estimator

BUILD IT; Mississauga, Calgary; On-site; CAD 75,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

Career development opportunities

Safety‑first culture

Monthly team events

Employee discounts

Job summary

BUILD IT By Design is seeking an experienced Construction Estimator to own bid closes end-to-end for projects typically ranging from $1M to $15M. You will select trades, chase pricing, and price risks to produce defendable numbers for management and clients.

You will be part of the Estimating team at our Mississauga office, supporting project managers and reporting to the Estimating lead. Proficiency with PlanSwift/Bluebeam/On-Screen Takeoff/Procore and strong Excel are required.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of construction estimating experience with bid-close ownership on the general-contractor side
• Fluency with real takeoff tools (PlanSwift, Bluebeam, On-Screen Takeoff, Procore) and strong Excel
• Ability to read drawings and specifications independently and identify issues
• Knowledge of GTA subcontractor base, Ontario pricing and CCDC contract forms
• Ground-up estimating experience alongside fit-out and renovation work

Responsibilities

• Own full bid closes: tender review, trade solicitation, quote levelling and final number
• Provide detailed estimates for material, labour, equipment, subcontracts and facilities
• Analyze tender drawings and specs for issues, risks and cost-saving opportunities
• Maintain Master Tender List and ensure coverage where thin
• Lead pre-bid meetings, tender walks and site visits
• Develop and review subcontractor scopes and quotes for best value
• Present cost estimates to management with contingencies and conditions
• Post-bid analysis to improve future bids and learnings

Skills

Takeoff tools

Bid-close ownership

Excel proficiency

Reading drawings/specs

Ground-up estimating

Education

CIQS designation (PQS or CEC)

Gold Seal estimating certification

OACETT CET

Tools

PlanSwift

Bluebeam

On-Screen Takeoff

Procore

Job description

Company Description

BUILD IT By Design is a full-service general contractor with offices in Mississauga, ON and Calgary, AB. We build brand environments — retail and franchise rollouts, hospitality, workspace, landlord work, health & wellness fit-outs, and ground-up projects. Our clients range from global franchises to first-location concepts, and the job is always the same: make the built space match the brand, exactly.

Take a look at our website www.buildit.ca to know more about us.

This posting is for an existing vacancy.

The Role

This is a full-time, on-site role based in Mississauga. You own bid closes end to end. A tender set lands on your desk and you decide which trades to invite, chase and level their pricing, find the scopes nobody covered, price the risk, and put a number on the table you can defend to management and to the client.

You’ll work across our full project mix — typically $1M to $15M — closing 50+ bids a year as part of our estimating team, with full support behind you. You’ll report to our Estimating lead and work closely with the project managers who build what you price.

What You’ll Own

• Full bid closes: tender review, trade solicitation, quote levelling, scope-gap resolution, final number
• Detailed, accurate estimates for material, labour, equipment, subcontracts and construction facilities
• Tender drawing and specification analysis — flagging design issues, buildability problems, schedule risk and cost-saving opportunities before they become change orders
• The Master Tender List: keeping trade information current and actively adding coverage where we’re thin
• Pre-bid meetings, tender walks and site visits
• Subcontractor scope development and review; analysing contractor quotes for best value
• Bid status reporting and presenting cost estimates to management, with general and extraordinary conditions accounted for
• Quotes and design proposals for service calls and new projects
• Post-bid analysis — comparing estimate to actual and feeding what you learn back into the next one

What We Need

• 5+ years of construction estimating experience, with bid-close ownership on the general-contractor side. You’ve issued invitations to tender, levelled competing trade quotes, found the gaps, and submitted the price yourself.
• Fluency with a real takeoff tool — PlanSwift, Bluebeam, On-Screen Takeoff, Procore or equivalent — and strong Excel.
• You read drawings and specifications independently and can tell us what’s wrong with a set.
• Working knowledge of the GTA subcontractor base, Ontario pricing and CCDC contract forms — you know who to call and roughly what things cost here.
• Ground-up estimating experience alongside fit-out and renovation work.

Nice to Have

• A CIQS designation (PQS or CEC), Gold Seal estimating certification, or OACETT C.E.T.
• Retail, franchise or hospitality fit-out experience
• A degree or diploma in Civil Engineering, Construction Management or a related field
• Project management or construction supervision background

What We Offer

• Compensation of $75,000 – $100,000, plus a performance-based incentive tied to bid hit rate and company performance
• Access to family-friendly health and medical programs
• A work environment where safety is always the number one priority
• Career development opportunities
• Monthly employee appreciation events and exclusive employee discounts
• A vibrant corporate culture

What We Value

• We admire constructive thinkers.
• We value trust and transparency.
• We believe it’s the little details that make for an exceptional customer experience.
• We establish a successful culture from the inside out.

How We Hire

Four steps: a 20-minute call with our recruiter, a 45-minute conversation with the hiring manager, a 90-minute on-site session where you work through a real (redacted) bid package with our team, and a short final conversation. We’ll tell you where you stand at each stage.

Our organization may use automated tools, including artificial intelligence (AI) or algorithm-assisted systems, to support the initial review of applications. These tools are used only to assist our recruiters and hiring managers; all hiring decisions include meaningful human involvement and final review.

BUILD IT is an equal opportunity employer. We actively encourage applicants from all backgrounds, including those with disabilities. We evaluate all candidates on job-related criteria. Accommodations will be provided upon request for candidates participating in all phases of the hiring process.