Preconstruction Engineer - New College Grad

Sky Mavis; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary annual bonus

Medical, dental, and vision plans

401k, PTO, holidays, and more

Job summary

Clayco, a full-service real estate development and construction firm, seeks a Preconstruction Engineer in Chicago to drive bidding, craft estimates, and manage subcontractor bids for diverse sectors.

You will perform quantity take-offs, conduct value engineering, review schedules and conditions, and hand off estimates to Project Management, supporting contract negotiations and change orders. Travel nationwide may be required, shaping department strategies.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in construction-related field is required.
• Internship experience in project engineering or construction helpful.
• Knowledge of construction principles, practices, and technology is expected.
• Previous experience on a successful project management team is desirable.
• Ability to walk job sites, climb ladders, and scale scaffolding.

Responsibilities

• Collaborate with Preconstruction to deliver proposals across Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, and Residential sectors.
• Perform detailed quantity take-offs for scopes of work to support estimates.
• Oversee solicitation of subcontractor bids and maintain master vendor list.
• Prepare and analyze Bid Evaluation sheets for competitive bidding.
• Review schedules and draft General Conditions; assemble estimates for owners.

Skills

Internship experience

Field experience

Construction knowledge

Project management experience

Site access & lifting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or related.

Job description

About Us

Clayco is a full-service, turnkey real estate development, master planning, architecture, engineering, and construction firm that safely delivers clients across North America the highest quality solutions on time, on budget, and above and beyond expectations. With $7.6 billion in revenue for 2024, Clayco specializes in the "art and science of building," providing fast track, efficient solutions for industrial, commercial, institutional, and residential related building projects.

The Role We Want You For

As a Preconstruction Engineer, you will drive the bidding process for construction projects by crafting precise conceptual and hard dollar estimates, developing proposals, and managing subcontractor bids. You will ensure the accuracy and completeness of all project documents, perform quantity take-offs, conduct constructability reviews, and implement value engineering analyses. Your contributions will be crucial in shaping departmental strategies and fostering continuous improvement.

The Specifics of the Role

• Proposal Preparation: Collaborate with the Preconstruction team to deliver accurate proposals across various business units, including Commercial, Industrial, Institutional, and Residential sectors.
• Quantity Take-Offs: Perform detailed quantity take-offs for specific scopes of work to support accurate estimating.
• Subcontractor Management: Oversee the solicitation process for subcontractor bids, build and nurture relationships with subcontractors, and maintain a comprehensive master list of subcontractors/vendors.
• Bid Evaluation: Prepare and analyze Bid Evaluation sheets to ensure competitive and fair bidding processes.
• Schedule and Conditions Review: Evaluate project schedules, assist in drafting General Conditions, and contribute to the final assembly of estimates for presentation to owners.
• Handoff and Support: Facilitate a seamless transition of estimates, bid information, drawings, and specifications to Project Management, and assist Project Managers with contract negotiations, change orders, and other project needs.
• Historical Data Management: Develop and maintain historical data on unit prices to inform future estimating and bidding processes.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or related.
• Project Engineer internship experience or related internship.
• Field experience desirable.
• Demonstrated knowledge of construction principles, practices, and technology.
• Previous experience on a successful project management team.
• Ability to walk a job site, climb ladders, and scale multi-floor scaffolding.
• Ability to lift objects of at least 50 lbs.

Some Things You Should Know

• Our clients and projects are nationwide – Some travel will be required.
• No other builder can offer the collaborative design-build approach that Clayco does.
• We work on creative, complex, award-winning, high-profile jobs.
• The pace is fast!

Why Clayco?

• 2024 Best Places to Work – Crain’s Chicago Business, St. Louis Business Journal, Los Angeles Business Journal, and Phoenix Business Journal.
• 2024 ENR Midwest – Midwest Contractor (#1).
• 2024 ENR Top 100 Design-Build Firms – Design-Build Contractor (Top 5).
• 2024 ENR Top 100 Green Contractors – Green Contractor (Top 5).

Benefits

• Discretionary Annual Bonus: Subject to company and individual performance.
• Comprehensive Benefits Package Including: Medical, dental and vision plans, 401k, generous PTO and paid company holidays, employee assistance program, flexible spending accounts, life insurance, disability coverage, learning & development programs and more!

Compensation

• The salary range for this position considers a wide range of factors in making compensation decisions including but not limited to: Education, qualifications, skills, training, experience, certifications, internal equity, and location. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for the role and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. The Clayco Nationwide salary range for this position is approximately $65,000 - $75,000 +/- annually (not adjusted for location).