Estimator / Project Manager | Western United States

MacKay Contracting; Boise (ID); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

MacKay Contracting seeks an experienced Estimator / Project Manager to pursue, win, and execute heavy civil and mining work across the Western United States. You will influence which opportunities to pursue, how to price them, and how to deliver the work in the field.

You’ll work close to opportunities, clients and projects, collaborating with estimating, operations and field leadership to deliver outcomes that align with the bid and project plans.

Qualifications

• Experience in heavy civil construction and mining projects.
• Ability to develop estimates, quantities, pricing and bid strategies.
• Strong relationship-building with owners, engineers, contractors and suppliers.
• Willingness to travel across the Western United States.

Responsibilities

• Identify and evaluate heavy civil, mining and infrastructure opportunities throughout the Western U.S.
• Develop estimates, quantity takeoffs, pricing and bid strategies in collaboration with estimating, operations and field teams.
• Manage cost, schedule, contracts and subcontractors once a project is awarded and in execution.
• Build and maintain relationships with owners, engineers, subcontractors and suppliers to support pursuit and delivery.

Job description

Estimate It. Win It. Build It.

You know how heavy civil work gets won.

You know how it gets built.

You can walk a site, understand the scope, develop a plan, put together an estimate, sit across the table from a client and then help turn the job you priced into a successful project.

MacKay Contracting is looking for an experienced Estimator / Project Manager to help pursue, win and execute heavy civil and mining work across the Western United States.

This isn't a conventional desk estimating position.

You’ll be close to the opportunities, the clients and the projects, with the ability to influence which work we pursue and how we build it.

The Opportunity

MacKay Contracting is an established heavy civil and mining contractor founded in 1986, with four decades of experience delivering challenging projects.

Our work includes major earthworks, roadbuilding, underground infrastructure, concrete, mining infrastructure, environmental construction and industrial civil work.

We’re looking for someone who understands heavy civil construction and can combine strong estimating and project-management experience with the ability to identify opportunities, build relationships and execute work in the field.

You’ll have the equipment, technical capability, estimating and operational resources of an established contractor behind you, while having considerably more influence than you might find in a traditional estimating or project-management position.

You won’t simply inherit a list of projects.

You’ll help determine which ones are worth pursuing, how we approach them and then help deliver the work we win.

What You’ll Get to Do

Find the right work.

Identify and evaluate heavy civil, mining and infrastructure opportunities throughout the Western U.S. You’ll help determine where our capabilities create an advantage, understand the risks and decide which projects are worth pursuing.

Turn opportunities into executable bids.

Develop estimates, quantity takeoffs, pricing, schedules and bid strategies based on how the work will actually be built. You’ll work closely with estimating, operations and field leadership to develop competitive plans that make sense beyond bid day.

Know the market and the people in it.

Develop relationships with owners, engineers, general contractors, suppliers and subcontractors throughout the region. You’ll build the local knowledge and connections that help us understand labour, equipment, materials, pricing, competition and upcoming opportunities.

Stay connected after award.

This isn’t an estimating role where the project disappears from your desk after bid day. You’ll have the opportunity to take projects from pursuit through planning, mobilization and execution.

Deliver the work you helped win.

Manage cost, schedule, contracts, changes, subcontractors and client communication while keeping the project aligned with the assumptions and strategy behind the estimate.

Help shape the work ahead.

You’ll help strengthen our network of subcontractors and suppliers, support the development of project teams and bring practical market knowledge into decisions about where and how we compete.

You’ll work closely with MacKay senior leadership team, with the estimating, operational, equipment and technical resources of the broader company behind you.

Who You’ll Probably Be

You’ve spent meaningful time in heavy civil construction and understand more than what an estimate looks like on a screen.

You understand how the work actually gets built.

Your background may include earthworks, underground utilities, roadbuilding, site development, concrete, industrial civil construction, mine infrastructure or similar scopes.

You’ve developed enough estimating experience to look at drawings, quantities, production, equipment, schedule and risk and understand what actually drives the number.

You also understand project execution.

You can walk a project with a superintendent, work through pricing with a subcontractor, discuss constructability with an engineer and sit across the table from an owner without changing who you are.

You’re comfortable moving between the office and the field and between estimating and operations.

You don’t need layers of corporate structure around you to make progress. You know when to make a decision, when to ask questions and when to pull the right people into the room.

Most importantly, you’re interested in having a meaningful hand in the work you’re pursuing and building.

Even Better If You Bring

Experience in mining or mine infrastructure would be highly valuable, but it isn’t required.

Experience with InEight, AGTEK, Bluebeam or similar heavy civil estimating and project-management systems is an asset.

Relationships with owners, engineers, contractors, suppliers or subcontractors throughout Idaho, Montana or the broader Western U.S. would also give you a strong head start.

Where You’ll Work

This role will support heavy civil and mining projects across the Western United States, with a current focus on Idaho and Montana.

We’re flexible on the exact location for the right candidate.

This role will involve travel throughout the region for site visits, pre-bid meetings, client meetings and project execution. It isn’t designed to be permanently desk‑bound.

What You Can Build Here

If you’ve worked for a large contractor, you probably know the trade‑off.

You get access to great projects, people and resources, but it can become increasingly difficult to influence where the business goes or how things get done.

This role is different.

You’ll have the resources and experience of an established contractor behind you, while working close enough to the decisions to make a meaningful impact on the work we pursue, the relationships we develop and the projects we build.

As the business develops, there will be opportunities for people who perform, earn trust and demonstrate they can take on greater responsibility.

We’re not promising a future title.

We’re offering the opportunity to make your mark on what we build next.

Why MacKay

MacKay Contracting has been building heavy civil and mining projects since 1986.

We’ve built our reputation by taking on difficult work, developing strong construction teams and building the technical and operational capability to execute increasingly complex projects.

Our experience spans major earthworks, highways, underground infrastructure, mining, transportation, environmental and industrial construction.

For the right Estimator / Project Manager, this role combines two things that don’t often come together:

The capability and resources of an established heavy civil contractor, with the opportunity to have a real influence on what comes next.

If you’ve spent years learning how to estimate, win and build heavy civil work and you’re ready to have a bigger hand in the decisions behind it, we’d like to hear from you.

MacKay Contracting

Complex Work. Controlled Execution.

U.S. Work Authorization & E-Verify

Applicants must be authorized to work in the United States. MacKay Contracting participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with Form I-9 information to confirm employment authorization. Sponsorship is not available for this position.

E-Verify is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

Learn more about E-Verify

MacKay Contracting is an equal opportunity employer. We consider applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.