Senior Cost Estimator – Rail & Transit

Consertus-US; El Segundo (CA); On-site; USD 160,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health coverage

Life & disability insurance

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Job summary

Consertus seeks an experienced Senior Cost Estimator – Rail & Transit to support Los Angeles Metro and major Southern California transportation projects. You will build and validate cost estimates across the project lifecycle, covering rail, transit, heavy civil, stations, and utilities, coordinating with PM, engineering, procurement, and controls teams.

The role requires in-depth public-infrastructure estimating experience and familiarity with Design-Build, CMGC, CMAR, and related delivery

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Quantity Surveying, or a related field.
• 10–15 years of progressive construction cost estimating experience supporting public infrastructure, heavy civil, transportation, rail, or transit projects.
• Strong knowledge of estimating principles, quantity takeoffs, unit-cost development, labor and equipment productivity, escalation, contingency, and pricing.
• Experience with Design-Build or other Alternative Delivery methods.
• Ability to read, interpret, and analyze construction drawings and contract documents.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive construction cost estimates from conceptual through final construction documents.
• Prepare estimates at varying design maturities, including conceptual, schematic, and design development.
• Perform detailed quantity takeoffs from drawings, specs, and design documents.
• Develop labor, equipment, material, subcontractor, and unit-cost assumptions.
• Research current unit pricing, market conditions, escalation factors, and historical data.
• Prepare estimates for major rail, transit, heavy civil, roadway, and utility projects.
• Maintain Basis of Estimate documentation with scope, assumptions, methodology, and pricing sources.
• Coordinate with schedulers to align cost with schedules and cash flow.
• Support change-order estimating, risk-based estimating, and contingency development.

Skills

Excel data analysis

Cost estimation

Construction cost estimating

Communication skills

Education

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

Tools

HCSS HeavyBid

Sage Estimating

On-Screen Takeoff

Bluebeam Revu

Job description

About This Role

Consertus is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Estimator – Rail & Transit to support active Los Angeles Metro and other major transportation infrastructure projects in Southern California. This role will be responsible for developing, reviewing, validating, and reconciling construction cost estimates throughout the project lifecycle, from early planning and conceptual design through final construction documents and procurement. The Senior Cost Estimator will support complex rail, transit, heavy civil, station, roadway, utility, and related infrastructure scopes, partnering closely with project management, engineering, construction, procurement, and project controls teams to provide reliable cost information and support informed project decisions. The ideal candidate brings significant public infrastructure estimating experience and a strong understanding of Design-Build, CMGC, CMAR, and other Alternative Delivery methods.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive construction cost estimates from conceptual and preliminary design through final construction documents.


• Prepare estimates at varying levels of design maturity, including conceptual, schematic, design development, engineer’s estimates, independent cost estimates, and preconstruction estimates.


• Perform detailed quantity takeoffs from construction drawings, specifications, design documents, and supporting technical information.


• Develop and maintain labor, equipment, material, subcontractor, and unit-cost assumptions.


• Research and maintain current unit pricing, market conditions, escalation factors, productivity rates, and historical cost data.


• Prepare estimates for major rail, transit, heavy civil, roadway, utility, station, systems, and transportation infrastructure projects.


• Develop estimates in alignment with project Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), bid packages, cost codes, and funding requirements.


• Prepare and maintain detailed Basis of Estimate (BOE) documentation clearly identifying scope, assumptions, exclusions, methodology, quantities, pricing sources, escalation, contingency, and estimate risk.


• Evaluate design development and identify potential cost impacts associated with changes in scope, quantities, construction methods, phasing, access, logistics, and schedule.


• Perform estimate reconciliations between design phases, independent estimates, contractor estimates, and other project cost submissions.


• Review and evaluate contractor, consultant, and third-party cost estimates for completeness, reasonableness, accuracy, and alignment with project scope.


• Support change-order estimating, independent cost estimates, scope change evaluations, and negotiation support.


• Assist project teams with cost analysis associated with claims avoidance, change management, and potential construction impacts.


• Develop and review estimates for Design-Build, CMGC, CMAR, Progressive Design-Build, and other Alternative Delivery projects.


• Participate in design reviews, constructability reviews, value engineering sessions, and project meetings to evaluate cost implications.


• Evaluate construction phasing, site access, staging, logistics, temporary works, utility conflicts, and operational constraints when developing estimates.


• Coordinate with schedulers and project controls professionals to align cost estimates with project schedules, escalation assumptions, cash flow, and forecasting.


• Support risk-based estimating, contingency development, cost forecasting, and sensitivity analysis when required.


• Analyze historical project data and contribute to internal benchmarking databases, cost models, estimating templates, and unit-cost libraries.


• Prepare cost reports, estimate summaries, variance analyses, presentations, and executive-level briefings.


• Clearly communicate cost assumptions, estimate methodology, risks, and key cost drivers to clients and project stakeholders.


• Maintain complete, organized, and auditable estimating documentation throughout the project lifecycle.

Qualifications Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Quantity Surveying, or a related field.


• 10– 15 years of progressive construction cost estimating experience supporting public infrastructure, heavy civil, transportation, rail, or transit projects.


• Demonstrated experience preparing estimates for large-scale, complex capital construction programs.


• Strong knowledge of construction estimating principles, quantity takeoffs, unit-cost development, labor and equipment productivity, indirect costs, escalation, contingency, and construction pricing.


• Experience supporting projects delivered through Design-Build or other Alternative Delivery methods.


• Ability to read, interpret, and analyze construction drawings, specifications, technical reports, and contract documents.


• Experience developing detailed Basis of Estimate documentation.


• Experience reviewing and reconciling contractor, consultant, and independent cost estimates.


• Experience evaluating scope changes and change-order pricing.


• Advanced proficiency with Microsoft Excel and ability to analyze large quantities of cost and estimate data.


• Strong analytical, organizational, documentation, and problem-solving skills.


• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain complex cost information to technical and non-technical stakeholders.


• Demonstrated ability to work effectively within multidisciplinary project teams involving clients, engineers, designers, contractors, construction managers, and project controls professionals.

Preferred

• Prior experience supporting Los Angeles Metro or another major public transit or transportation agency.


• Significant estimating experience with rail, light rail, commuter rail, Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), stations, guideway, roadway, utilities, or heavy civil infrastructure.


• Experience with CMGC, CMAR, Progressive Design-Build, or similar collaborative delivery models.


• Proficiency with HCSS HeavyBid, Sage Estimating, On-Screen Takeoff, Bluebeam Revu, or comparable estimating and quantity takeoff platforms.


• Experience with independent cost estimates, engineer’s estimates, and contractor estimate validation.


• Familiarity with risk-based estimating, Monte Carlo or probabilistic cost analysis, contingency development, and cost forecasting.


• Experience supporting value engineering and constructability reviews.


• Familiarity with integrated project controls environments involving cost, schedule, risk, change management, and performance reporting.

Working Hours Standard business hours, Monday through Friday, with flexibility required to support critical project milestones, client meetings, estimate deadlines, project site visits, and other project needs.

Location: Los Angeles, California Employment Type: Full-Time | Exempt Compensation Range: $160,000 – $185,000 annually, plus eligibility for an annual bonus under the company program.

Benefits

• Comprehensive health coverage, including medical, dental, and vision plans.


• Company-paid life and disability insurance.


• Optional benefits including pet insurance, legal insurance, and supplemental health plans.


• 401(k) with day-one eligibility, including a 3% safe harbor contribution plus up to a 2.5% company match.


• Generous paid time off, including 10 paid holidays and PTO starting at 15 days annually.


• Access to Consertus Academy for continuous professional learning and development.


• Eligibility for an annual bonus under the company program.

Consertus drives positive outcomes for capital programs around the world through transformative advisory and delivery solutions and digital innovations. By leveraging leading-edge technology and embracing a collaborative, client-first spirit, Consertus works smarter to deliver results that offer higher performance, more longevity, and greater value for clients.

Consertus is made up of 800+ full-time employees located across the United States, Puerto Rico, United Kingdom, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, UAE, and India. An international client base, in sectors such as transportation, manufacturing, utilities, government, and healthcare, partners with Consertus for tailored solutions that help them achieve their goals.