Senior Cost Estimator & Estimating Lead

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) plan with matching companys

Comprehensive Medical, Dental & Vision

Paid parental leave

Paid Time Off and Holidays

Daily Pay - early access to wages

Job summary

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated in Charlotte and Raleigh seeks an experienced Estimator/Cost Manager to lead the estimating function, deliver robust cost estimates, and guide the team to meet client expectations.

The role requires extensive knowledge of commercial real estate and construction, strong analytical skills, and the ability to drive standardized templates, QA processes, and strategic initiatives.

Qualifications

• 7+ years in an Estimator/Cost Manager or similar role.
• Ability to work with cross-functional teams and clients.
• Strong knowledge of real estate asset management or commercial construction.
• Ability to analyze construction docs and extract cost information.
• Highly organized with attention to detail and accuracy.
• Strong analytical and mathematical abilities.
• Collaborative, independent and able to create structure amidst ambiguity.

Responsibilities

• Support capital planning, funding approval, and investment decision processes with cost estimates and advice.
• Act as the primary estimating SME for the client account and oversee proposals and bids.
• Lead estimating by preparing estimates, managing workload, and ensuring SLA delivery.
• Interface with client, JLL teams and partners during ROM and detailed estimates.
• Review and update detailed cost estimates and budgets for funding packages.
• Validate accuracy of cost estimates and challenge assumptions.
• Develop and enforce program-wide estimating standards and QC procedures.
• Maintain standardized estimation templates, tools and best practices.
• Develop initiatives to refine estimating with trackers and a cost database.
• Prioritize requests to meet client expectations and provide objective recommendations.
• Serve as single point of contact for estimate requests and manage workload.
• Provide regular status reports on workload and pipeline to team lead.
• Support onboarding of new estimating resources with guidance on processes and tools.
• Investigate and adopt technologies (including AI tools) to automate workflows and analyze scope gaps.
• Monitor actual costs against budgets and report deviations and risks.
• Leverage historical data to improve program benchmarks and cost models.
• Maintain organized records of estimates with breakdowns of costs, assumptions, and risk.
• Stay updated on market conditions in client territories and industry trends.
• Build rapport with stakeholders including Client Real Estate teams, PMs, design partners and contractors.
• Improve cost controls service delivery by increasing efficiency and process improvements.
• Comply with JLL policies and ethics in business practice.

Skills

Cross-functional collaboration

Cost estimation

Real estate asset management

Construction cost analysis

Detail-oriented

Analytical / mathematical skills

Consensus-building

Education

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

Tools

Excel

Microsoft Project

PowerPoint

SharePoint

Smartsheet

Estimating software

Job description

Jones Lang LaSalle Incorporated in Charlotte and Raleigh seeks an experienced Estimator/Cost Manager to lead the estimating function, deliver robust cost estimates, and guide the team to meet client expectations.

The role requires extensive knowledge of commercial real estate and construction, strong analytical skills, and the ability to drive standardized templates, QA processes, and strategic initiatives.