Estimating Manager

Waterstone Human Capital; South Carolina; On-site; USD 110,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Performance bonus

Company vehicle or vehicle allowance +

Gas card

Job summary

Waterstone Human Capital is sourcing an Estimating Manager to lead the four-discipline estimating function. You will estimate hands-on from plans, mentor a growing team, and implement structure to scale the department across mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and piping.

You will partner with sales and executives on bid strategy, pursue defensible, profitable bids, and help establish best practices and processes for rapid growth.

Qualifications

• Hands-on mechanical estimating background.
• Ability to read/quantify HVAC, piping drawings and specs.
• Knowledge of codes, equipment, installation methods.
• Experience evaluating subcontractor pricing and building bids.
• Familiarity with Bluebeam or On-Screen Takeoff and similar tools.
• Leadership experience, mentoring growing teams.
• No specific degree required; real-world leadership matters.

Responsibilities

• Oversee and mentor a growing estimating team (2->4).
• Estimate mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and piping projects.
• Introduce management structure and best practices.
• Collaborate with sales and executives on bid strategy and pricing.
• Help build processes and team as the company grows.

Skills

Mechanical estimating

Reading drawings & specs

Estimating takeoffs

Vendor pricing

Leadership & mentoring

Bid strategy & pricing

Estimating software

Cross-discipline exposure

Tools

Bluebeam

On-Screen Takeoff

Job description

Our client is a growing, well-established MEP (mechanical, electrical, plumbing & piping) contractor serving commercial and industrial projects across the Southeast. Driven by rapid, steady growth, they're creating a brand-new leadership role to bring structure and mentorship to a team that has largely grown up through the ranks, a rare chance to build and shape an estimating department from the ground up.

Your Role

As Estimating Manager, you'll lead and grow the estimating function across all four disciplines including: mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and piping. You'll roll up your sleeves and estimate directly out of the gate while building the systems, mentorship, and management structure this department needs to scale.

What You'll Do

• Oversee and mentor a growing estimating team (starting with 2, scaling toward 4)
• Work hands-on and personally estimate mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and piping projects
• Bring high-level management structure and best practices to a fast-growing department
• Partner closely with sales and executive leadership on bid strategy and pricing
• Help build the processes and team this company needs for its next phase of growth

What You'll Bring

• Strong, hands-on mechanical estimating background. Comfortable taking a project from plans to a complete, defensible bid
• Skilled at reading and quantifying mechanical drawings and specs (HVAC, piping systems, plumbing) and producing accurate material and labor takeoffs
• Working knowledge of mechanical/plumbing codes, common equipment, and installation methods well enough to catch scope gaps and risk before a bid goes out
• Comfortable soliciting and evaluating subcontractor and vendor pricing, and assembling it into a clean, competitive bid package
• Experience with estimating/takeoff software and standard construction bidding tools (Bluebeam, On-Screen Takeoff, or similar)
• Broader exposure to electrical and/or piping estimating is a plus, given oversight of all four disciplines
• Proven experience managing, developing, and mentoring a small team, with the instincts to grow it thoughtfully as headcount scales
• Comfortable coaching estimators who've grown up through the ranks — reinforcing strong instincts with more structured processes and standards
• Experience hiring and onboarding as a team expands, not just managing steady-state
• A hands-on, present leadership style — someone who leads by example on the estimates while still building out the department
• Adaptable and organized enough to bring order to a fast-moving, rapidly growing environment without slowing it down
• No specific degree required — real-world mechanical estimating and leadership experience matters most

Why Join?

This is a family-oriented, low-ego company that genuinely protects work-life balance — a true Monday–Thursday culture with an optional half-day Friday and minimal nights or weekends. You'll join a business that's growing quickly, bidding more work than it can staff, and investing in real leadership to match. Compensation is negotiable based on experience, with a performance bonus, and your choice of a company vehicle or a vehicle allowance plus gas card. Relocation assistance is available for the right candidate.