Senior Estimator

Manson Construction Co.; Jacksonville (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision coverage

Paid time off

Retirement plan with company match

ESOP

Annual discretionary bonus

Company provided cell phone

Job summary

Manson Construction Co. is seeking a Senior Estimator to drive strategic bid opportunities across the Gulf & East Coast Construction region.

You will lead a pursuit team to develop winning budgets and proposals for marine and heavy civil projects, coordinating with operations and executives to shape competitive strategies. The role requires an engineering or construction management degree, 15+ years in preconstruction, and strong leadership.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or construction management, or related field.
• Minimum of 15 years of preconstruction/estimating and/or operations experience on marine or heavy civil projects.
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership and team management experience is preferred.
• Knowledge and experience with maritime construction environments and related systems is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead estimates, proposals, and budgets for marine construction and heavy‑civil projects.
• Direct an estimating/pursuit team of engineers and estimators across GECC region.
• Analyze plans, specifications, and docs to prepare time, cost, and labor estimates.
• Coordinate with clients, vendors, and internal stakeholders to formulate estimates and resolve issues.
• Prepare detailed material take‑offs, cost estimates, and bid packages.
• Draft proposal letters and technical narratives for project submissions.
• Ensure compliance with ethics, safety, and company standards.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or construction management

Job description

The Senior Estimator is responsible for identifying, developing, and pursuing strategic bid opportunities throughout Manson’s Gulf & East Coast Construction (GECC) region. This role plays a critical part in driving business growth by evaluating market opportunities, leading competitive bidding efforts, and developing winning project strategies. The Senior Estimator collaborates closely with operations and executive leadership to shape Manson’s competitive approach and position the company for success across the GECC region.

The Senior Estimator will lead estimates, proposals, and budgets for marine construction, heavy-civil/structural projects and manage the efforts of an estimating/pursuit team which may be comprised of engineers, estimators, and/or other support staff. Estimate sizes could range from sub-$100,000 to as large as $1 billion or more, and could be for Manson-independent pursuits, joint ventures, or quotations as a subcontractor. Projects may be solicited as bid-build, design-build, or alternative delivery (preconstruction services, CMAR, CM/GC, or similar). This position will be responsible for estimates, proposals and budgets produced primarily in a regional office but may also require leading and/or supporting these same efforts for any Manson region. Successful pursuits will be turned over to operations.

Manson Construction Co. was founded in 1905 as a small pile-driving business supporting the early development of Seattle’s waterfront. Today, Manson’s legacy of quality marine services continues to grow at locations throughout North America. With more than 800 employees and a large fleet of equipment, Manson supports high-profile marine infrastructure and energy projects across the nation.

Manson Construction represents generations of people, families, and communities whose commitment to success, safety, and ingenuity aligns with our core values: Take care of people; Do the right thing; and find a better way. At Manson, we strive to create an engaging and respectful environment where employees can share their ideas. We recognize that our employees are Manson’s number one asset and the reason why we continue to execute benchmark work in the marine construction and dredging industry.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

• Drive regional growth through strategic pursuits and business development efforts aligned with GECC’s target markets and long-term vision.
• Develops and maintains relationships with customers and engineering firms to remain aware of potential projects, bidding opportunities, and upcoming contract work.
• Lead an estimating team with the accurate and timely roll‑out, and execution of the entire estimate, proposal, or budget deliverable process.
• Able to manage multiple projects concurrently with the ability to multitask.
• Analyze contract plans, specifications, proposals and other documentation to prepare time, cost and labor estimates for projects or services.
• Compute cost factors and prepare estimates, proposals, or budgets for planning, organizing, and scheduling work; preparing bids and proposals; soliciting, prequalifying, and selecting vendors or subcontractors; and determining cost effectiveness.
• Consult with clients, vendors, or other individuals to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues.
• Attend project site pre‑bid meetings, site tours, interviews, and proposal debriefs as required.
• Manage historical cost records to support cost estimating.
• Prepare project executive summaries and risk assessments that are used to convey project scope to internal staff.
• Coordinate with internal staff on administrative preparation and close‑out of bid packages
• Research and seeks out old, current, new, and “out of the box” construction methods to apply to current and future estimating projects. Reach out to internal Manson staff for collaboration on ideas.
• Coordinate with external Geotechnical and other specialty engineering and subcontractors as required.
• Prepare detailed material take‑offs and cost estimates for labor, material, equipment, and subcontractors.
• Analyze and evaluate subcontractor and vendor scopes of work and proposals for acceptability, cost realism and cost reasonableness. Select price proposals for incorporation into Manson estimates and continues this process through project estimate close‑out.
• Draft proposal letters and technical method narratives for project proposals.
• Work as member of team to estimate projects in locations anywhere that Manson may operate.
• Coordinate process audits with the Chief Engineer and Corporate Ethics and Compliance Officer.
• Ensure compliance with Manson’s Code of Ethics and Standards of Business Conduct.
• Maintain a high standard of ethical behavior, encourages ethical behavior in others, supports ethical decisions and actively seeks appropriate resolution to potential ethical conflicts.
• Responsible for practicing safe work standards and promoting an Incident and Injury Free (IIF) work environment as a condition of employment.
• Additional duties may be assigned.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Directly coordinates and leads a team of regional engineers and estimating staff, both full-time and interns, and conducts performance evaluations and skills assessment in coordination with the Manson Estimating Manager.
• Assist in strategic planning and provide professional guidance in the process of market/project selection. This would include recommendations of strategic partners and implementation of Manson’s process.
• Work closely with senior and executive management in estimating, project development, engineering and construction planning.

Qualifications

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily. The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

• Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering or construction management, or related field.
• Minimum of 15 years of preconstruction/estimating and/or operations experience on marine or heavy civil projects required.
• Minimum of 5 years of leadership and team management experience is preferred.
• Knowledge and experience with the following in a maritime construction environment is preferred: access, safety, piledriving, dredging, cofferdams, excavation, demolition, concrete construction, construction vessels and platforms, structural steel, rigging, shoring, temporary structures and construction devices, mooring and fendering systems, marinas, floats, rock and slope protection, towing, and diving.

Job Location

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

This position is primarily office-based roles, out of our Jacksonville, FL office.

Manson Construction offers our full-time employees a comprehensive and generous benefits package that is among the best in the industry. Our benefits package includes:

• 100% paid medical, dental, and vision plans for eligible employees and 80% paid for their families
• Paid Time Off (sick, vacation, and holiday)
• Generous Retirement Plan: Employees contribute 3% and Manson contributes 7%.
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Annual discretionary bonus
• Company provided cell phone

Physical Demands

This role is performed in a shared, open‑office environment with regular, in‑person interaction and occasional noise or activity. Position is primarily an office position, performs work at a desk. The employee is frequently required to sit for extended periods of time. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, use stairs, ladders, and step stools and reach with hands and arms. The employee must frequently lift and/or move up to 10 pounds and may occasionally lift and/or move up to 25 pounds. Vision requirements include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

Manson Construction Co. is an Equal Opportunity Employer, including disability and veteran status. Manson is a Drug‑Free Workplace.

If you require reasonable accommodation in completing this application, interviewing, completing any pre‑employment testing, or otherwise participating in the employee selection process, please direct your inquiries to [e-mail].