Chief Estimator

Platinum Global Talent Solutions; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Platinum Global Talent Solutions partners with a leading Southern California construction firm to recruit a Chief Estimator. This role leads estimating for structural steel erection, wind energy construction, and large-scale heavy-lift projects, directing bid strategy, risk assessment, and commercial outcomes.

You will manage a team, set standards, leverage data analytics, and collaborate with operations and leadership to secure high-value opportunities and profitable backlog.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• Twenty (20)+ years of progressive construction estimating experience, including leadership responsibility for major bids and proposals, pursuit strategy, pricing, and evaluation for high-value projects.
• Experience across structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling, and large-scale heavy-lift.
• Experience leading and developing estimating teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead detailed cost estimates, bid packages, and proposals for complex structural steel erection, wind energy construction, and heavy-lift projects.
• Develop and execute estimating, pricing, and pursuit strategies aligned with growth and profitability goals.
• Lead opportunity evaluation and go/no-go discussions with senior leadership.
• Drive development and maintenance of a strategic project backlog.
• Lead pursuit strategy development, including pre-positioning and win themes.
• Establish estimating standards, templates, and cost databases across the estimating function.
• Oversee bid markup, contingencies, and commercial strategies balancing risk and return.
• Provide leadership in estimating technology, data analytics, and digital tools.
• Establish and monitor performance metrics for estimating and pursuit activities.
• Review opportunity documents, specifications, terms, and risk transfer provisions to identify scope and risk.
• Collaborate with operations, safety, legal, and executives to mitigate risks.
• Direct subcontractor and vendor engagement and commercial reviews.
• Manage multiple concurrent pursuits to maximize responsiveness and quality.
• Ensure timely, complete, and compliant proposals and bid packages.

Skills

Labor productivity

Unit-rate development

Equipment costing

Risk evaluation & pricing

Pursuit strategy

Estimating software

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering or related field

Tools

Estimating software

Takeoff tools

CPM scheduling tools

Microsoft Office

Job description

Platinum Global Talent Solutions is delighted to partner with a highly respected and well-known firm that has grown to be one of the largest integrated service companies in the construction industry.

Still a family-owned business after over seven decades, our client continues to grow across their companies today. Made up of business lines focused on various aspects of the construction industry, they have proven to be a leader in multiple areas and specialties including heavy equipment operation and transportation, hoisting and rigging, crane operations, construction and electrical safety.

With continual opportunities for collaboration across business lines, our client offers great career opportunities and paths for growth.

Position Summary

We are seeking a Chief Estimator in Southern California to lead the estimating function and drive the bid and proposal process across complex structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling and heavy-lift projects. This role leads the pursuit strategy and proposal development across complex structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling, and large-scale heavy-lift projects to develop and maintain a strategically aligned, high-quality backlog by identifying, prioritizing, and securing opportunities that advance the growth strategy and align with its capabilities, risk tolerance, and profitability objectives. The position collaborates closely with operations, safety, legal, and executive leadership to evaluate opportunities, manage risk, and develop accurate, competitive, and well-supported proposals that contribute to a strategically aligned and profitable backlog, reporting directly to the Vice President of Construction.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Estimating & Opportunity Leadership

• Lead the preparation of detailed cost estimates, bid packages, and proposals for complex structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling, and large-scale heavy-lift projects.
• Develop and execute estimating, pricing, and pursuit strategies that align with growth objectives, risk tolerance, competitive positioning, and profitability goals.
• Lead opportunity evaluation and go/no-go discussions with senior leadership, providing clear, risk-adjusted recommendations.
• Drive the development and maintenance of a strategically aligned, high-quality project backlog.
• Lead pursuit strategy development, including pre-positioning, customer value propositions, win themes, competitive positioning, and pursuit planning.
• Establish and maintain estimating standards, templates, historical cost databases, productivity benchmarks, unit rates, and quality review procedures across the estimating function.
• Oversee the development of bid markups, contingencies, escalation assumptions, and commercial strategies to appropriately balance risk, competitiveness, and return.
• Provide leadership in the selection, implementation, and continuous improvement of estimating technology, data analytics, and digital tools.
• Establish, monitor, and continuously improve performance metrics for estimating and pursuit activities.
• Lead the review of opportunity documents, technical specifications, commercial terms, and contract requirements to identify scope, execution risks, schedule constraints, and key commercial considerations.
• Review and evaluate customer contract terms, bid conditions, and risk transfer provisions, recommending clarifications, exceptions, negotiation strategies, and commercial positions that appropriately balance risk and opportunity.
• Partner with operations, legal, safety, and executive leadership to identify, evaluate, and mitigate contractual, commercial, financial, operational, and execution risks.
• Direct subcontractor, supplier, and vendor engagement efforts, including solicitation, scope alignment, quote evaluation, and commercial review.
• Oversee a portfolio of concurrent pursuits, establishing priorities and allocating estimating resources to maximize responsiveness, proposal quality, resource utilization, and strategic value.
• Ensure proposals and bid packages are complete, accurate, commercially sound, and fully compliant with client requirements, contract documents, and internal review standards prior to submission.
• Manage proposal development and submission processes, including pricing reviews, risk assessments, executive approvals, and final proposal assembly to ensure timely, high-quality deliverables.
• Partner with operations teams, engineering, and field leadership to validate means and methods, labor assumptions, productivity factors, equipment selection, logistics plans, and execution strategies.
• Apply expert knowledge of labor productivity, unit-rate development, equipment costing, indirect costs, escalation factors, and market conditions to develop accurate and commercially sound estimates.
• Lead the identification, evaluation, and quantification of project risks.
• Analyze historical cost, production, and project performance data to strengthen estimating accuracy, improve forecasting capabilities, and support data-driven decision-making across the organization.
• Conduct estimate reconciliations, post-project reviews, and lessons-learned analyses.

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Collaborate across operations, safety, legal, engineering, business development, project controls, and executive leadership teams throughout the pursuit and proposal process.
• Serve as a strategic liaison between estimating and operations, ensuring estimating considerations are effectively communicated and aligned throughout the pursuit lifecycle.
• Partner with business development on client relationships, market intelligence, strategic account planning, and pipeline planning.
• Facilitate effective bid-to-build handoff, ensuring the operations team inherits a clear, well-documented basis of estimate, key assumptions, identified risks, pricing qualifications, and commercial considerations.
• Support change order pricing, claims development, dispute resolution efforts, and other commercial support activities on awarded projects.

Client & Industry Engagement

• Participate in and support customer engagement during pursuits, including pre-bid meetings, clarifications, proposal presentations, and other customer-facing pursuit activities.
• Support the identification and development of strategic customer relationships and market opportunities that align with the capabilities, competitive advantages, and long-term strategic objectives.
• Represent the company in industry forums, client meetings, and pre-bid conferences.
• Maintain awareness of market trends, competitor positioning, industry pricing benchmarks, customer needs, and emerging market opportunities to keep estimating practices current and support strategic decision-making.
• Mentor and develop estimating staff, building a strong pipeline and bench of estimating talent across the organization.
• Promote the professional development of estimating personnel through training, mentoring, cross-functional exposure, and knowledge-sharing initiatives.
• Set clear performance expectations and provide regular, constructive feedback to support individual and team growth.
• Assess the estimating team’s structure, capacity, and capabilities to ensure the organization is appropriately resourced to meet current and future pursuit volume, market opportunities, and project complexity.
• Foster a collaborative, high-standards estimating culture that is responsive to the needs of the broader business and committed to accuracy, accountability, continuous improvement, and customer service.

Qualifications

Required Skills/Abilities:

• Expert knowledge of labor productivity, unit-rate development, equipment costing, indirect costs, risk evaluation and pricing, opportunity evaluation, pursuit strategy, competitive positioning, and commercial and contract risk allocation.
• Strong understanding of complex structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling, large-scale heavy-lift, and related industrial/construction sectors.
• Strong understanding of construction contracts, risk transfer provisions, and project delivery methodologies applicable to structural steel erection, wind energy construction, specialty rigging/equipment handling, and large-scale heavy-lift projects.
• Proficiency with estimating software, takeoff tools, CPM scheduling tools, and Microsoft Office, as well as data analytics and reporting tools used to support estimating, forecasting, and business decision-making.
• Strong written and verbal communication, organizational, analytical, and leadership skills, with the ability to effectively communicate complex technical, commercial, and risk-related concepts to clients, project teams, and executive leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to apply estimating, commercial, and business acumen to identify, prioritize, and secure opportunities that advance growth, profitability, and long-term strategic objectives.

Education and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field preferred; equivalent experience considered.
• Twenty (20)+ years of progressive construction estimating experience, including leadership responsibility for major bids and proposals, pursuit strategy, pricing, and commercial evaluation efforts for complex, high-value projects, with at least five (5) years in an estimating leadership position.
• Demonstrated experience across multiple of the following areas: complex structural steel erection, specialty rigging/equipment handling, large-scale heavy-lift, heavy industrial construction, and/or wind energy construction.
• Experience leading and developing estimating teams.