SEI - Electrical Preconstruction Engineer

Clayco; Birmingham (AL); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary annual bonus

Comprehensive benefits package

401k

Paid holidays

Learning & development programs

Job summary

Clayco is seeking an Electrical Estimator to participate in preconstruction for electrical systems across heavy manufacturing, industrial, and mission-critical projects. You will interact with engineers, architects, subcontractors, and a multi-discipline team to develop accurate cost estimates.

Responsibilities include reviewing drawings and specs, preparing scopes of work, performing quantity surveys, and supporting bid and budgeting processes. Collaboration and travel are required.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, or related field, or a combination of education and experience.
• 3+ years’ experience in construction with 1+ years’ experience estimating electrical systems (power, controls, and related infrastructure).
• Working knowledge of NEC and electrical codes and standards.

Responsibilities

• Participate in pre-bid meetings to understand project requirements and determine scope.
• Review project documents to determine material, equipment, and labor requirements for scope development.
• Assist in preparing scopes of work for subcontracts and coordinate electrical scopes with other trades.
• Support pre-proposal design coordination meetings for pricing documents.
• Perform quantity surveys of electrical systems and apply labor rates to develop cost estimates.
• Evaluate vendor/subcontractor proposals for conformance and document assumptions.

Skills

Leadership & teamwork

Technical writing

Math & analytical skills

NEC knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree (Electrical Engineering / Construction Management or related)

Tools

BlueBeam

Microsoft Excel

Word

PowerPoint

On-Screen Takeoff

Navisworks

Revit

Building Connected

Beck Destini

Sage Timberline

Job description

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 $8.1 billion in revenue for 2025, Clayco specializes in the "art and science of building," providing fast track, efficient solutions for mission critical, industrial, life sciences, power & energy, aviation, commercial, institutional, residential and sports & entertainment related building projects.

As part of our integrated service offerings, Clayco’s Systems and Equipment Innovations (SEI) offers a turnkey solution to execute complex building systems and process systems. Clayco SEI provides preconstruction, design, purchasing, and installation of mechanical, electrical, and process scopes of work.

The Role We Want You For

The Electrical Estimator participates in all aspects of the preconstruction process for Electrical systems to develop accurate, detailed cost estimates with a focus on heavy/advanced manufacturing, industrial, and mission critical projects. In this role, you will be expected to interact with engineers, architects, consultants, subcontractors, suppliers, a multi-discipline estimating team, project supervision, and field personnel.

The Specifics of the Role

• Periodically attend pre-bid meetings to become familiar with unique project requirements and analyze existing site conditions to determine required scope not already indicated.
• Review and interpret project documents (drawings, specifications, one-lines, equipment and cable schedules, site layouts, power distribution plans, etc.) to determine job‑specific material, equipment, and labor requirements for scope development.
• Assist in preparing written scopes of work for subcontracts and suppliers and coordinate electrical scopes with the work of other trades (e.g., civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, process, etc.).
• Participate in pre-proposal design coordination meetings to support the development of pricing documents for conceptual and schematic estimates.
• Perform quantity surveys of electrical systems and components (power distribution, switchgear, MCCs, lighting, grounding, fire alarm, controls, etc.) using digitized software and apply industry standard labor rates to develop accurate cost estimates.
• Evaluate vendor and subcontractor proposals for conformance with requirements; level scopes and identify low-cost/best‑value responses while clearly documenting assumptions, inclusions, exclusions, and clarifications.
• Assist in the preparation of estimates used for bidding and budgeting purposes (including self‑performed work); participate in internal estimate review processes and assist with final recap of estimates for presentation to senior management.
• Support project management tasks including budgeting, schedule development, interim design review, change order pricing, procurement, value engineering, and vendor selection based on proposal development.
• Coordinate with project teams to evaluate productivity for historical data tracking and schedule/cost forecasting.
• Perform quantity surveys of completed designs and/or past projects to support historical cost database development and benchmarking.
• Requirements
• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, or related field, or a combination of education (including trade schools) and professional experience.
• 3+ years’ experience in construction with 1+ years’ experience estimating electrical systems (power, controls, and related infrastructure).
• Exhibits inclusive leadership and teamwork behavior and values diverse perspectives from team members.
• Demonstrated experience successfully managing the bidding process, preferably with exposure to heavy/advanced manufacturing, industrial, or mission critical markets.
• Working knowledge of NEC and other applicable electrical codes and standards.
• Strong technical writing, math, and computer skills with proficiency in BlueBeam, Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, On‑Screen Takeoff, Navisworks, Revit, Building Connected, Beck Destini, and Sage Timberline.
• Experience using estimating software with a preference for Trimble products.

Some Things You Should Know

• Our clients and projects are nationwide – 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!
• This position is classified as a safety‑sensitive role in accordance with applicable state and federal laws. Candidates selected for this position will be subject to a comprehensive background check, which includes mandatory drug testing.

Why Clayco?

• 2025 Best Places to Work – St. Louis Business Journal, Los Angeles Business Journal, and Phoenix Business Journal.
• 2025 ENR Top 400 – Top Data Center Contractor (Top 3).
• 2025 ENR Top 100 Design‑Build Firms – Design‑Build Contractor (Top 5).
• 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. Compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case.