Chief Estimator - Commercial Plumbing

LEGACY PLUMBING; O’Fallon (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Legacy Plumbing, a commercial plumbing contractor serving the greater St. Louis metro area, seeks a Chief Estimator to own the estimating function for projects from $25,000 to $3,000,000+. You will turn plans into winning bids, working directly with ownership and operations leadership to price, win, and set up jobs for success.

You will lead the estimating process, perform takeoffs, refine assemblies, and manage vendor quotes while tracking bid performance for future improvements.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of commercial plumbing estimating experience.
• Ability to read and interpret commercial plans and specifications.
• Proficiency with Excel and estimating tools.
• Experience developing bid strategies and risk assessment.

Responsibilities

• Own the estimating process from lead through bid-day submission for all projects.
• Perform quantity takeoffs and build estimates using Trimble AutoBid.
• Refine material and labor assemblies to reflect real costs.
• Manage the full bid calendar independently, meeting all deadlines.
• Solicit, evaluate, and negotiate vendor quotes.
• Review plans to identify scope gaps and value-engineering opportunities.
• Make go/no-go and pricing strategy decisions on bids.
• Handoff to project management after award and ensure smooth execution.

Skills

Independent work

Attention to detail

Analytical thinking

Communication skills

Tools

Excel

Trimble AutoBid

Job description

About Us

Legacy Plumbing is a commercial plumbing contractor serving the greater St. Louis metro area, handling projects ranging from $25,000 tenant finishes to $3M+ ground-up commercial builds. We're part of Kuesel Holding Company, giving our team the resources of a larger organization while keeping the culture of a hands-on, relationship-driven trade contractor.

The Role

Legacy Plumbing is hiring a Chief Estimator to own our entire estimating function. This is a highly visible, high-ownership role - you'll be the sole person responsible for turning plans into winning, accurate bids across every commercial project we pursue, from small tenant finishes to multi-million-dollar ground-up builds. You'll work directly with ownership and operations leadership, with real influence over how we price, win, and set up jobs for success.

What You'll Do

• Own the estimating process from lead through bid-day submission for all commercial projects, $25,000 to $3,000,000+
• Perform complete quantity takeoffs and build estimates using Trimble AutoBid
• Build, maintain, and continuously refine fixture, pipe, and labor assemblies to reflect real-world material and production costs
• Independently manage the full bid calendar - prioritizing, sequencing, and hitting every deadline with no one else to backstop you
• Solicit, evaluate, and negotiate vendor and supplier quotes
• Review plans and specifications to identify scope gaps, risk, and value-engineering opportunities before they become field problems
• Make the go/no-go and pricing-strategy calls on which jobs to pursue and how aggressively to bid them
• Own the handoff to project management and field leadership after award, ensuring scope and assumptions carry through cleanly to execution
• Track bid-vs-actual performance and use job cost feedback to sharpen future estimates

What You Bring

• 5+ years of commercial plumbing estimating experience
• Comfort owning a high-stakes function independently, without a team behind you
• Ability to read and interpret commercial construction plans and specifications
• Strong working knowledge of commercial plumbing systems, fixtures, and materials
• Sharp attention to detail under bid-deadline pressure
• Proficiency with Excel; ability to build and maintain your own estimating tools and structures

Equal Opportunity Employer, including disabled and veterans.