Estimator - Material Handling

Doist; Franklin (TN); Hybrid; USD 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401K match (up to 5%)

Profit-sharing program

Flexible PTO

Casual work environment

Job summary

Designed Conveyor Systems is seeking an Estimator to develop internal cost estimates, prepare bid comparisons, and manage supplier interactions for RFQs and bids. You will leverage past data, analyze metrics, and build cost models in a fast-paced environment, coordinating with operations and purchasing to meet project objectives.

Strong Excel skills and conveyor installation experience are essential. The role emphasizes practical problem solving, teamwork, and the ability to manage multiple bids

Qualifications

• Minimum 3–5 years of relevant experience (Material Handling Industry preferred) and a Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or Engineering or equivalent experience.
• Familiar with conveyor installation and estimating mechanical installation costs.
• Strong MS Excel skills and ability to develop new forms and tools.

Responsibilities

• Develop internal cost estimates and prepare bid comparisons.
• Lead communication with suppliers and subcontractors on RFQs and bids.
• Develop cost models and RFQ documentation in collaboration with internal teams.
• Maintain organized documentation throughout the project lifecycle.

Skills

Excel

Cost estimation

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or Engineering

Tools

MS Office suite

Job description

About the Role:

As an Estimator at DCS, you'll help our teams achieve our project objectives by developing internal cost estimates and requesting bids from suppliers. You'll anticipate specific requirements for new projects and ensure our bid strategy supports our budget requirements. You'll be a valuable member of our team, developing and maintaining strong partnerships with suppliers and subcontractors and making sure we understand their abilities and capacity to perform work for us. We’ll appreciate your solutions-oriented approach, your estimating know-how, your impressive relationship-building, communication, and teamwork skills, and the way we can count on you to get things done - and get them done well.

In this role, you will:

• Support Pre-Contract and Operations with project costs and pricing objectives
• Utilize past experience, data analysis, and metrics to develop estimates
• Utilize tools and data analysis to create bid comparisons
• Support supplier relations and strategies
• Select appropriate suppliers for bidding various needs in concert with internal teams
• Develop RFQ documentation for suppliers and sub-contractors
• Lead communication with suppliers and sub-contractors on active RFQs
• Lead the development and presentation of cost models
• Assist in submission of bid projects including populating customer submission documents
• Build tools necessary for efficient estimating
• Lead review meetings with internal operations teams and leaders
• Maintain organized and accurate documentation throughout the project
• Partner with Applications engineering and Purchasing to meet specific needs and scope of each job bid

We’re excited about you because…

• You believe anything worth doing is worth doing right, no matter how “small”.
• You live in the details.
• You have the motivation and ability to learn and improve processes and tools.
• You enjoy a fast pace environment and having multiple projects to work on concurrently.
• You communicate clearly and concisely in both written and verbal form.
• You have strong Microsoft Excel skills and are comfortable developing new forms and tools.
• You are proficient in MS Office, including Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.
• You have a minimum of 3 to 5 years of relevant experience (Material Handling Industry preferred) and a college degree (Bachelor’s in Finance, Accounting, or Engineering preferred) or equivalent experience.
• You are familiar with conveyor installation and have experience with estimating mechanical installation costs.

About Us:

Conveyor may be in our name, but it’s only part of what we do. DCS was founded in 1982 and has grown to serve major clients in multiple industries by providing material handling, full-scale warehouse operations and conveyor design solutions that are custom crafted for their need. We don’t sell ready‑made systems - we build relationships that empower us to craft custom solutions together. It’s the teamwork approach, sharing ideas and building upon them, that produces the best results.

And DCS is committed to creating an extraordinary employment experience for our team. We work like crazy to hire and develop great people, build relationships, and ensure that the programs and services we offer our team are among the best in the business- from a killer snack wall and casual work environment to flexible PTO and opportunities to give back within the community.

More reasons to join our team:

• We pride ourselves in our family-like culture and casual, but focused, work environment
• We offer competitive salaries and health benefits
• Our 401K program includes a 100% match up to 5%
• Participation in our Discretionary Profit-Sharing Program
• We offer our employees flexibility and autonomy
• We do community outreach projects throughout the year
• We know how to throw company events
• We work hard, but we also know how to have fun !

Individuals seeking employment at Designed Conveyor Systems are considered without regards to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex, marital status, ancestry, physical or mental disability, veteran status, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Accommodation is available to applicants with a disability condition, when applying, testing, or interviewing for a position. Please let us know if you need accommodation.