Senior Cost Estimator - Rail & Transit

consertus; Los Angeles (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Consertus is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Estimator - Rail & Transit to support active Los Angeles Metro and major transportation infrastructure projects in Southern California. The role involves developing, reviewing, validating, and reconciling construction cost estimates from early planning through procurement.

The ideal candidate brings significant public infrastructure estimating experience and a strong understanding of Design-Build, CMGC, CMAR, and other Alternative Delivery methods

Qualifications

• Significant public infrastructure estimating experience.
• Strong understanding of Design-Build, CMGC, CMAR and other delivery methods.

Responsibilities

• Develop comprehensive construction cost estimates from conceptual through final documents.
• Prepare estimates at design maturity levels (conceptual to preconstruction).
• Maintain labor, equipment, material, subcontractor, and unit-cost assumptions.
• Research current unit pricing, market conditions, escalation factors, and historical data.
• Prepare estimates for rail, transit, heavy civil, roadway, and related projects.
• Develop estimates aligned with WBS, bid packages, and funding requirements.
• Prepare and maintain Basis of Estimate documentation detailing scope and methodology.
• Coordinate with schedulers to align costs with schedules and cash flow.

Skills

Cost Estimation

Public Infrastructure

Alternative Delivery

Job description

Consertus is a global capital program management and advisory firm that combines deep human expertise with advanced digital tools to deliver smarter, faster, and more sustainable outcomes. Headquartered in Miami, Florida, and supported by a team of more than 1,000 professionals worldwide, we help clients plan, execute, and optimize large-scale capital programs.

Our integrated services span digital, advisory, and delivery, empowering organizations to navigate complexity, manage risk, and achieve strategic goals across sectors including aviation, transportation, transit, water, healthcare, energy, education, government, commercial, life sciences, and technology.

At Consertus, we celebrate individual strengths, foster strong relationships, and promote flexibility in how and where we work. Join us to grow your career, develop your skills, and make a lasting impact as we transform how the world is built.

Discover how Consertus is driving transformative change for our clients, our people, and the communities we serve at www.consertus.com .

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 proprietary group.

Maintain complete, organized, and auditable