Electrical Estimator & Business Developer

WizeHire, Inc; Vancouver (WA); On-site; USD 135,000 - 175,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health and dental coverage

Company vehicle

401(k) with company match

17 days of paid time off

Profit sharing

Direct access to the owner

Job summary

Ascent Electric in Ridgefield, Washington, is seeking a competitive estimator to own each bid from invitation through signature. You will manage estimates, strategy, and relationships with general contractors, working closely with a pre-construction partner.

You’ll report directly to the owner, balancing aggressive bid targets with profitability while keeping deadlines tight and bids competitive. A strong work ethic and clear communication are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Experience building construction bids and estimates for commercial projects.
• Ability to read plans, specs, and BOMs to develop accurate cost plans.
• Strong communication with general contractors and internal teams.

Responsibilities

• Qualify new bid opportunities and build estimates from invitation to signature.
• Coordinate with pre-construction and general contractors to strategize costs.
• Maintain pipeline momentum and meet bid deadlines in a fast-paced environment.

Skills

Bid estimation

Pre-construction collaboration

Contract negotiation

Forecasting

Job description

Some estimators build numbers. This role reads jobs: where the market's heading before it gets there, and which general contractors put you on the invite list without being asked. Ascent Electric is a lean electrical contractor in Ridgefield, Washington, bidding commercial and multifamily work in the $500,000 to $8,000,000 range. Once we're awarded a project, we perform; that's never been the gap. The gap has been getting deals across the line, and that's the seat we're filling.

You’ll own each bid from the invitation through the signature: the estimate, the strategy, the relationship with the general contractor, and the close. Our current estimator is sliding over into more of a pre-construction role. He’ll be your partner on design, current costs, buyout, and quantities. You’ll lean on him to keep every number both competitive and profitable. You’ll report directly to the owner, with no layers in between.

WHAT THE WORK ACTUALLY LOOKS LIKE

Day to day, you’re moving between qualifying new bid opportunities, building estimates, and getting general contractors on the phone, often more than one of these at once. You’ll lose more bids than you win; that’s the nature of the work, and the ones you land carry real weight. Deadlines don’t move for a late addendum, even when it lands the afternoon before a bid is due. Between bids, you’re keeping the pipeline moving so the field never runs out of the next job.

WHO BELONGS HERE

• Own Your Role: When a bid comes in under target, you look at your own read on the job before anyone else’s.

• Strong Work Ethic: An honest day's work for an honest day's pay, with no shortcuts on the number even when the deadline doesn’t move.

• Be Real: You communicate that a number is soft before it becomes a problem, not after.

• Win Together: You’ll work alongside pre-construction.

• Excellence: Today's process is the starting point, not the finish line, so you’re looking for the next edge instead of defending the last one.

PAY AND PATH

$135,000 base to start. On top of that, a bid-win incentive of 0.10% of every signed contract you close, paid quarterly: book $6M in a year, and that’s $6,000; book $14,000,000 and it’s $14,000.

Profit sharing sits on top and is tied to company performance. Realistic cash in a strong year lands between $135,000 and $150,000, with a total package, including benefits, of roughly $175,000.

WHY WORK AT ASCENT ELECTRIC

• Health and dental coverage for you and your spouse

• Company vehicle

• 401(k) with company match

• 17 days of paid time off

• Profit sharing tied to company performance

• Direct access to the owner: no layers between your recommendation and the decision