Jr. Estimator

Actalent; Reisterstown (MD); On-site; USD 44,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) Retirement Plan

Life Insurance

Short and long-term disability

Health Spending Account (HSA)

Transportation benefits

Employee Assistance Program

PTO/ Vacation or Sick Leave

Job summary

Actalent in Reisterstown, MD is seeking a Junior Estimator to support the full project lifecycle in commercial construction. You will review plans, perform takeoffs, help develop proposals, and support business development and project engineering in a collaborative team.

This contract role offers exposure to estimating, proposals, site visits, and turnover activities, with growth potential as you gain experience alongside tenured engineers and project managers.

Qualifications

• Experience or training in estimation and construction, with a focus on commercial construction projects.
• Ability to perform quantity takeoffs for materials and labor and translate them into preliminary cost estimates.
• Familiarity with bidding processes, including reviewing bid documents, tracking bid deadlines, and supporting proposal development.
• Experience supporting project coordination activities across business development, estimating, and project engineering.
• Ability to assist in preparing proposals and structured bid responses using standard templates.
• Basic understanding of project engineering concepts, including reading mechanical plans and control specifications with guidance.

Responsibilities

• Review plans, specifications, and bid documents to identify scope items and clarify requirements.
• Perform material and labor takeoffs and prepare preliminary cost estimates for commercial projects.
• Assist in drafting clear, structured proposals using established templates and standards.
• Support business development during site walks by documenting existing conditions.
• Maintain organized proposal folders, documents, and revision histories.
• Coordinate with project managers and technicians to gather field information for estimating.

Skills

Quantity takeoffs

Estimating support

Proposal writing

Bidding process

Project coordination

Communication

Tools

CRM

Templates & docs

Job description

Job Title: Junior Estimator

Job Description

The Junior Estimator supports the full project lifecycle by assisting with business development, estimating, and project engineering activities for commercial construction projects. This role reviews plans and bid documents, prepares material and labor takeoffs, helps develop proposals, and provides technical and administrative support to engineering and project management teams. It offers strong growth potential with broad exposure to business development, estimating, and project support in a collaborative, small-team environment.

Responsibilities

• Review plans, specifications, and bid documents with guidance to identify scope items and clarify project requirements.
• Perform material and labor takeoffs and prepare preliminary cost estimates for commercial construction projects.
• Assist in drafting clear, structured proposals using established templates and standards.
• Support the business development team during site walks by taking detailed notes and documenting existing conditions.
• Maintain organized proposal folders, documents, and revision histories using the standard internal structure.
• Request vendor quotes under supervision, log responses, and help compare pricing for estimating purposes.
• Track bid deadlines, follow-ups, and assigned CRM entries to support an organized business development pipeline.
• Assist with turnover preparation for awarded projects to ensure a smooth transition from estimating to project execution.
• Perform administrative and documentation tasks that support the business development and estimating pipeline.
• Assist with preparation of control drawings, point lists, and basic panel layouts under the direction of tenured engineers.
• Create device takeoffs and parts lists for submittals and help ensure completeness and accuracy.
• Update and maintain engineering files, documentation, and drawing revisions to reflect current project status.
• Help engineers understand project scope.
• Assist tenured engineers in assembling complete and well-organized submittal packages.
• Coordinate with project managers and DDC technicians to gather field information needed for estimating and engineering.
• Support the preparation of requests for information (RFIs) by documenting missing, unclear, or conflicting scope details.
• Assist project managers with change order development and scope documentation to reflect changes in project requirements.
• Participate in turnover meetings and observe transitions from engineering to field execution to understand project delivery.
• Perform site walks to gather technical and scope information, interact with clients, and assess field conditions relevant to estimates and proposals.

Essential Skills

• Experience or training in estimation and construction, with a focus on commercial construction projects.
• Ability to perform quantity takeoffs for materials and labor and translate them into preliminary cost estimates.
• Familiarity with bidding processes, including reviewing bid documents, tracking bid deadlines, and supporting proposal development.
• Experience supporting project coordination activities across business development, estimating, and project engineering.
• Ability to assist in preparing proposals and structured bid responses using standard templates.
• Basic understanding of project engineering concepts, including reading mechanical plans and control specifications with guidance.
• Strong organizational skills to maintain proposal folders, engineering files, documentation, and revision histories.
• Ability to support business development activities, including site walks, note-taking, and documentation of field conditions.
• Effective written and verbal communication skills to document scope, RFIs, and change order details.
• Ability to collaborate with project managers, engineers, and technicians in a small project team environment.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Experience or coursework in construction, engineering, project management, or a related field.
• Exposure to commercial construction estimating, bidding, or project engineering environments.
• Experience assisting with project coordination, including gathering field information and supporting turnover activities.
• Familiarity with creating device takeoffs, parts lists, and basic control drawings or panel layouts.
• Comfort working with templates, structured documentation systems, and CRM or tracking tools.
• Interest in developing a career that spans business development, estimating, and project management support.
• Ability to learn quickly from experienced staff and apply guidance to improve estimating and engineering support work.

Work Environment

This role is primarily office-based, with regular site visits to active or prospective project locations. You will work on small project teams that closely collaborate across business development, estimating, and project engineering functions. The environment combines desk-based work—such as reviewing plans, preparing takeoffs, and assembling proposals and submittals with field-based activities, including site walks to assess conditions and gather information. Standard office technology and construction documentation tools are used daily, and work hours generally follow typical business schedules, with some flexibility based on bid deadlines and project needs. Attire in the office is standard professional dress, while site visits may require practical clothing and appropriate safety gear in accordance with site requirements.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Reisterstown, MD.

Pay And Benefits

The pay range for this position is $32.00 - $40.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following:

• Medical, dental & vision
• Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital
• 401(k) Retirement Plan – Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available
• Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents)
• Short and long-term disability
• Health Spending Account (HSA)
• Transportation benefits
• Employee Assistance Program
• Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave) Workplace Type This is a fully onsite position in Reisterstown,MD. Application Deadline This position is anticipated to close on Oct 4, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email [e-mail] for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance:

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector:

It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI):

We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.