Construction Estimator

AppleOne Employment Services; Downers Grove (IL); On-site; USD 80,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

AppleOne Employment Services is recruiting an experienced Construction Estimator for a well-established mechanical contractor in the Westmont/Downers Grove, IL area. You will prepare detailed estimates for mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire protection projects, perform quantity take-offs, and develop labor and material costs.

Collaborate with project managers, vendors, subcontractors, and customers to produce competitive bids, support value engineering, and ensure accuracy on high-profile

Qualifications

• Prepare competitive commercial construction estimates for mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, or fire protection projects.
• Perform detailed quantity take-offs from plans, specs, and bid documents.
• Develop labor, material, and subcontractor pricing for accurate bids.
• Support bidding through scope reviews, risk identification, and collaboration with stakeholders.
• Manage multiple bids and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Responsibilities

• Prepare detailed estimates for commercial mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire protection projects.
• Review drawings, specs, bid documents, and scopes to identify requirements, exclusions, and risks.
• Perform quantity take-offs and develop labor, material, equipment, and project cost estimates.
• Obtain, review, and compare vendor and subcontractor pricing to support bids.
• Collaborate with project managers, vendors, subcontractors, and customers throughout estimating and bidding.
• Support value engineering and organized estimating documentation for current and future bids.

Skills

Estimating accuracy

Take-offs

Budgeting

Communication

Detail-oriented

Deadline management

Job description

Job Summary

A well-established, family-owned mechanical contractor is seeking an experienced Construction Estimator to join its growing commercial construction team in the Westmont and Downers Grove, IL area. This is a direct hire opportunity with a respected organization that has more than 80 years of stability, strong employee tenure, and a solid reputation throughout the Chicagoland market. This role is ideal for an estimator with subcontractor or trade-side experience in mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, or fire protection projects. The company is expanding its presence in high-demand sectors including data centers, healthcare, entertainment venues, and large-scale commercial projects. Candidates can expect a collaborative team environment, supportive leadership, long-term career stability, and the opportunity to contribute to complex, high-profile construction projects. This is a strong fit for someone who takes pride in accurate estimating, detailed take-offs, and building competitive bids that help drive successful project outcomes.

Key Responsibilities

• Prepare detailed estimates for commercial mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, and fire protection construction projects.
• Review construction drawings, specifications, bid documents, and project scopes to identify requirements, exclusions, and risks.
• Perform detailed quantity take-offs and develop accurate labor, material, equipment, and project cost estimates.
• Obtain, review, and compare vendor and subcontractor pricing to support competitive bid preparation.
• Collaborate with project managers, vendors, subcontractors, and customers throughout the estimating and bidding process.
• Support value engineering, alternate solutions, and organized estimating documentation for current and future bids.

Compensation and Benefits

• Salary range: $80,000 to $140,000 per year, based on experience.
• Employment type: Full-time, direct hire.
• Location: Westmont and Downers Grove, IL area.

Required Qualifications and Skills

• Prepare competitive commercial construction estimates for mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, or fire protection projects.
• Perform detailed take-offs using construction plans, specifications, and bid documents.
• Develop labor, material, vendor, and subcontractor pricing for accurate project bids.
• Support the bidding process through scope review, documentation, risk identification, and collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.
• 3 to 5 years of relevant construction estimating experience preferred.
• Experience estimating commercial construction projects.
• Strong preference for subcontractor or trade-side estimating experience.
• Experience with mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, or fire protection scopes.
• Strong understanding of construction plans, specifications, and bid documentation.
• Ability to perform detailed quantity take-offs and labor and material pricing.
• Strong mathematical, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to manage multiple bids, priorities, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
• High attention to detail, organization, accuracy, and follow-through.
• Strong communication skills for working with project managers, vendors, subcontractors, and customers.

Preferred Qualifications

• Prior estimating experience with a mechanical contractor, plumbing contractor, HVAC contractor, or fire protection contractor.
• Experience supporting bids for data centers, healthcare facilities, entertainment venues, or other large-scale commercial projects.
• Familiarity with value engineering, alternate pricing, and trade-specific estimating methodologies.
• Background working in the Chicagoland commercial construction market.

Equal Opportunity Employer / Disabled / Protected Veterans

The Know Your Rights poster is available here: https://www.eeoc.gov/sites/default/files/2023-06/22-088_EEOC_KnowYourRights6.12.pdf

The pay transparency policy is available here: https://www.dol.gov/sites/dolgov/files/ofccp/pdf/pay-transp_%20English_formattedESQA508c.pdf

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation for any part of the employment process, please contact your staffing representative who will reach out to our HR team.

We also consider for employment qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements, including, if applicable, the City of Los Angeles' Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance. Pursuant to applicable state and municipal Fair Chance Laws and Ordinances, we will consider for employment-qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records, including, if applicable, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance. For Los Angeles, CA applicants: Qualified applications with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act.