CTM- Director of Estimating or Director of Preconstruction

Comfort Temp Company; Gainesville (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance

401(k) with up to 5% Employer Match

Paid Time Off and Holidays

Professional Development and Licensing

Training Programs and Comfort Academy

Job summary

Comfort Temp Company in Gainesville, FL seeks a Director of Estimating or Director of Preconstruction and Estimating to lead our commercial estimating function across mechanical disciplines. The role emphasizes people leadership, bid strategy, and cross-department alignment to protect margin and maximize profitability.

The selected leader will direct the estimating team, coordinate with operations, project management, and executives, and drive pipeline quality, market strategy, and opportunity

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive estimating experience in commercial HVAC, plumbing, mechanical contracting, or related construction environments.

Responsibilities

• Lead the estimating department's direction, structure, and day-to-day performance.
• Manage and develop estimators and bid coordination staff.
• Assign bids and prioritize workload based on deadlines, team capacity, and strategic value.
• Standardize estimating practices across offices.
• Partner with executive leadership on major pursuits and department planning.
• Direct and oversee the full bid lifecycle from invitation to turnover.
• Bridge estimating to operations, project management, and delivery.

Skills

Estimating leadership

Leadership experience

HVAC/plumbing knowledge

Bid strategy

Tools

Bluebeam

Microsoft Excel

QuoteSoft

Trimble AutoBid

Viewpoint

Job description

For our company, we believe that culture, cultivating opportunities and relationships is the true heart of our business. We’re looking for people who have family values and are dedicated to providing the highest quality of service to join our team.

Working at Comfort Temp has its Benefits

Every Employee is Offered:

• Medical, Dental and Vision Insurance
• Critical Illness and Accident Policy
• Employer Paid Life, STD, LTD and AD&D Insurance
• 401(k) with up to 5% Employer Match
• Tool Account
• Discounted HVAC Maintenance Plan
• Paid Professional Development and Licensing
• Creative + Supportive Culture
• Variety of Company Events, including the CTC Fishing Tournament
• Birthday, Employee and Holiday Gifts
• Casual Dress Policy and Refreshments
• Paid Time Off, Holiday Pay and Paid Time Off Cash Out

INVESTING IN OUR TEAM IS OUR PRIORITY.

Each year, we sponsor around 20 employees through the Santa Fe College HVAC Apprentice Program so they can earn a 4 year HVAC or Plumbing Apprenticeship Certificate. These Team members work full time for our company and make a commitment to the 4 year program by attending classes 2 days a week for 4 years.

Comfort Temp also houses many in-house training opportunities to support our team’s growth in the trade taught by senior staff or certified instructors with plans to launch our ownComfort Academy Training Program by the end of 2024! Our relationships with our wonderful vendors also enable Comfort Temp to house training programs brought in by various vendors to keep our team on the cutting edge of new technology or advancements in systems.

CT Mechanical was instrumental in launching a new Career Technical Education (CTE) Program in HVAC for the Alachua County School Board launching at Santa Fe High School in Alachua August 2024.

A Culture Built on Impactful Connections

We create a supportive work environment applying a “we hear you and we act on your behalf” attitude.

A Culture Built on Impactful Connections

A Culture Built on Impactful Connections

Put Your Career in Motion!
View Our Open Positions Below

To view all open positions, be sure to check out our Comfort Temp’s Indeed and LinkedIn job pages.

Position:CTM- Director of Estimating or Director of Preconstruction

Location: Gainesville, FL

Job Id:747

# of Openings:1

Director of Estimating or Director of Preconstruction and Estimating

About Us

CT Mechanical, a division of Comfort Temp Company, has been delivering exceptional commercial HVAC, plumbing, and mechanical contracting solutions across Florida since 2014. With offices in Gainesville, Jacksonville, Orlando, and Tampa, we serve commercial, industrial, and institutional clients with professionalism, precision, and integrity. Our work is guided by our core values: Do what you say. Do what it takes. Walk with purpose. Do the right thing.

Position Summary

CT Mechanical is conducting one search to fill one senior leadership position. Based on the selected candidate's demonstrated experience and leadership range, the final title will be either Director of Estimating or Director of Preconstruction and Estimating.

Both paths require expert commercial mechanical and plumbing estimating capability. The selected leader must understand and be able to direct the complete bid process, lead the estimating team, improve department performance, support major pursuits, protect margin, and strengthen the connection between Estimating, Operations, Project Management, and executive leadership.

The Director of Preconstruction and Estimating is the larger role. It includes every responsibility of the Director of Estimating position and adds direct leadership of the Business Development team, market strategy, customer development, opportunity qualification, pipeline accountability, and the complete front-end process. It is not a sales-only position and does not reduce or transfer estimating ownership.

How the Final Role Will Be Defined

Director of Estimating. This leader owns CT Mechanical's estimating function across commercial mechanical and plumbing disciplines, including people, workload, technical standards, bid strategy, quality control, pricing discipline, risk review, data, and project turnover.

Director of Preconstruction and Estimating. This leader owns and performs the complete Director of Estimating role described above and also directly leads Business Development, customer and market strategy, pipeline quality, pursuit planning, and the conversion of qualified relationships into profitable backlog.

What Success Looks Like

• Accurate, competitive, and timely estimates across all markets.
• Better consistency in pricing, labor approach, scope review, proposal quality, and risk identification.
• Stronger estimating department organization, accountability, capacity planning, and workload visibility.
• Improved quality control on major bids and strategic pursuits.
• Cleaner handoff from Estimating to Operations and Project Management.
• Strong vendor and subcontractor engagement that supports competitive, complete bids.
• Improved post-bid review, estimate-to-actual feedback, and data-driven refinement of pricing and pursuit strategy.
• Growth and development of the estimating team across offices and disciplines.
• A scalable estimating structure that supports continued company growth.
• For the broader Preconstruction scope, a unified process connecting Business Development, opportunity qualification, Estimating, preconstruction, and turnover.
• For the broader Preconstruction scope, a qualified pipeline built around strategic fit, customer quality, team capacity, win probability, and profitable backlog.

Key Responsibilities

Department Leadership and Estimating Strategy

• Lead the estimating department's direction, structure, and day-to-day performance.
• Manage and develop Estimators and Bid Coordination support staff.
• Assign bids and prioritize workload based on deadlines, team capacity, strategic fit, customer quality, opportunity value, and operational workload.
• Standardize estimating expectations, workflows, technical practices, and submission quality across all offices.
• Establish clear performance standards, workload visibility, accountability, and department reporting.
• Partner with executive leadership on major pursuits, staffing needs, department planning, and growth priorities.

Bid Oversight and Quality Control

• Oversee the full bid lifecycle from invitation review and bid/no-bid through takeoff, labor development, vendor and subcontractor coverage, scope review, pricing, proposal submission, clarification, award, and turnover.
• Review major estimates for scope completeness, labor strategy, productivity assumptions, equipment and material pricing, vendor coverage, exclusions, alternates, contractual risk, and expected margin.
• Support disciplined bid/no-bid decisions based on customer quality, strategic value, competition, workload, operational capacity, project risk, and likelihood of success.
• Improve quality-control measures that reduce misses, omissions, scope gaps, and preventable estimating errors.
• Ensure proposals and bid submissions are complete, professional, timely, and aligned with company standards.
• Serve as CT Mechanical's senior estimating authority on complex, high-risk, or strategically important pursuits.

Preconstruction and Operational Alignment

• Partner closely with Operations, Project Management, and field leadership so estimates reflect execution reality, labor availability, installation approach, procurement conditions, schedule demands, and field risk.
• Improve turnover standards so awarded work is transitioned clearly, accurately, and efficiently with documented scope, assumptions, exclusions, commitments, schedule considerations, and risks.
• Lead or support conceptual budgets, negotiated work, design-build pricing, constructability reviews, and value-engineering options.
• Participate in strategic pre-bid meetings, site walks, clarification discussions, turnover meetings, and key planning conversations.
• Help bridge the gap between what is priced, what is sold, and what must be delivered.

Market Intelligence and Continuous Improvement

• Maintain strong relationships with vendors, subcontractors, suppliers, and industry contacts.
• Strengthen labor assumptions, pricing references, historical cost data, estimating resources, and market intelligence.
• Lead post-bid reviews, win/loss analysis, and estimate-to-actual comparisons to sharpen future pricing and strategy.
• Identify and implement process improvements that improve speed, consistency, risk visibility, and estimating accuracy.
• Support modernization of QuoteSoft or comparable estimating software, Bluebeam, Excel, CRM, reporting, and estimating workflows over time.

Talent Development and Team Capability

• Recruit, onboard, coach, and develop strong estimating talent as the company grows.
• Establish technical training expectations, coaching structure, review standards, and clear performance measures within the department.
• Create role clarity, career paths, and succession depth for Estimators and support staff.
• Build a strong team culture rooted in accountability, responsiveness, technical discipline, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Additional Responsibilities for the Director of Preconstruction and Estimating

• Retain full responsibility for every Director of Estimating duty, standard, outcome, and technical decision listed in this posting.
• Directly lead the Business Development team alongside the Estimators and Bid Coordination support staff.
• Set market priorities, target customers, relationship plans, territories, activity expectations, pipeline standards, and accountability for Business Development team members.
• Build and maintain senior relationships with General Contractors, owners, designers, property stakeholders, and strategic partners.
• Lead opportunity qualification and pursuit planning so CT Mechanical invests estimating resources in work that fits its capabilities, capacity, risk profile, and margin expectations.
• Use CRM activity, pipeline conversion, customer quality, win/loss data, backlog needs, and profitability to coach the Business Development team and improve decisions.
• Create clear handoffs from Business Development to Estimating and from Estimating to Operations so customer expectations, strategy, scope, and risk remain aligned.
• Prevent low-value, poorly qualified, or non-strategic pursuits from consuming estimating and operational resources.

Key Performance Indicators

• Estimate accuracy and competitiveness.
• Bid turnaround time and on-time submission rate.
• Win rate and awarded-work trends.
• Quality and completeness of turnover documentation.
• Gross margin performance on awarded work relative to estimate.
• Department capacity and workload visibility.
• Estimator performance, development, and retention.
• Vendor engagement and pricing responsiveness.
• Consistency in process and submission quality across branches.
• Estimate-to-actual feedback and use of historical cost data.
• For the broader Preconstruction scope, qualified pipeline value and quality, customer development, pursuit conversion, Business Development accountability, and profitable backlog growth.

Requirements

• 8+ years of progressive estimating experience in commercial HVAC, plumbing, mechanical contracting, or closely related construction environments.
• 3+ years of leadership experience overseeing Estimators, estimating workflow, preconstruction professionals, or related technical teams.
• Expert knowledge of commercial mechanical and plumbing systems, bid strategy, takeoffs, labor drivers, vendor relationships, estimating methods, scope, and risk.
• Demonstrated ability to lead and personally evaluate the complete bid process, including drawings, specifications, addenda, labor, equipment, materials, vendor and subcontractor quotes, pricing, proposals, and turnover.
• Strong understanding of hard-bid, negotiated, conceptual, design-build, and value-engineering estimating environments.
• Practical understanding of how estimating decisions affect procurement, labor planning, field installation, project management, schedule, cash flow, and margin.
• Demonstrated ability to lead people, improve systems, establish standards, and hold a department accountable.
• Strong communication, organization, judgment, and cross-functional leadership skills.
• Proficiency with Bluebeam, Microsoft Excel, and estimating platforms. Experience with QuoteSoft, Trimble AutoBid, Viewpoint, or similar software is preferred.
• Valid driver's license and ability to attend site visits, customer meetings, and regional office meetings as needed.

Additional Requirements for the Preconstruction Scope

• Candidates must first meet every technical, estimating, and leadership requirement listed above. The following requirements are additional, not alternative.
• Proven experience directly leading Business Development, sales, market development, capture, or customer-facing professionals in a construction-related environment.
• Demonstrated ability to build and qualify a pipeline, set relationship strategy, coach activity and accountability, and connect market development to profitable awarded work.
• Experience developing senior relationships with General Contractors