Senior Estimator

Tarlton Corporation; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical coverage

401(k) matching

Paid time off

Professional development

Job summary

Tarlton Corporation, a St. Louis-based general contractor, seeks a Senior Estimator – Concrete to lead high-stakes bids and pricing strategy for self-perform and subcontracted work across multi-site projects.

You'll partner with estimating managers and operations, develop turnkey concrete estimates from takeoff through final pricing, and present costs to senior leadership while guiding Pursuit teams to win work and deliver value.

Qualifications

• Lead complex bids and set pricing strategy for self-perform and subcontractor work.
• Coordinate with estimators, operations, and leadership to win work.
• Develop preliminary schedules and risk-adjusted estimates.

Responsibilities

• Evaluate plans, specs, site conditions and clarify open items via RFIs.
• Develop subcontractor packages and level bids for key scopes.
• Build estimates from takeoffs to final pricing with schedule.
• Lead bid strategy, go/no-go decisions, and senior leadership review.
• Ensure compliance with safety, wage rules, and JV requirements.

Skills

Concrete estimating

Bid management

Cost analysis

Pricing strategy

Subcontractor packages

Self-perform work

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction/Engineering

Tools

Takeoff software

Estimating software

Excel

Job description

Why Tarlton

Tarlton is a St. Louis-based general contractor and construction manager specializing in complex, technically demanding projects across the Midwest. With deep regional roots and a reputation built on trust, teamwork, and repeat clients, we are known for taking on challenging work and delivering it safely, predictably, and with pride. We conduct our business with safety, quality, integrity, and enthusiasm—and our core values include building a safe and caring environment.

Let’s Build!

As a Senior Estimator at Tarlton, you’ll take the lead on complex, high-stakes pursuits, setting the pricing strategy, shaping the qualifications, and guiding the team through bid day. We’re growing, expanding our footprint, and partnering with some of the largest owners in the region, and most of our work comes from repeat clients. Dependable pricing is a big part of the trust behind those relationships.

You’ll be a key partner to the Estimating Manager, supporting bid strategy across the department while leading pursuits of your own. You’ll bring together our estimating and operations staff, develop subcontractor packages, establish the means, methods, and pricing for our self-perform work, and build the preliminary schedule and execution plan with field leadership. You’ll present project costs to senior leadership and carry projects into preconstruction on CM at Risk and design-build work.

Your Role

Senior Estimator – Concrete

Join a growing group with a long, successful track record, and help guide where it goes next. As part of our Self-Perform operations team, you’ll serve as our subject matter expert on concrete and the go-to voice for clients on cost, means and methods, and constructability. Your projects will start below grade and rise into the region’s skyline, including concrete structures, data centers, industrial facilities, parking garages, treatment plants, and heavy civil infrastructure.

You’ll lead pursuits across hard bid and negotiated work, as both general contractor and trade partner. You’ll build turnkey concrete estimates from the ground up, from takeoff and formwork to crews and production rates, and carry them from conceptual budget to final pricing with schedule and risk built in. Along the way, you’ll build on a strong base of repeat clients while helping bring in new ones that expand our reach, working closely with self-perform operations and field leadership on plans that win work and deliver in the field.

What You’ll Do

Bid Documents and Pricing

• Evaluate plans, requirements, specifications, and site conditions, drive clarification of open items through RFIs, and track addenda impacts on the estimate.
• Coordinate site visits and review existing conditions, as-built documents, and surveys on renovation work.
• Perform and review takeoffs, and validate quantities and pricing prepared by others.
• Prepare conceptual and budget estimates from limited documents using historical data and clear assumptions.
• Review area labor agreements for work rules and wage determinations.

Subcontractors and Self-Perform Work

• Develop subcontractor packages and scope sheets, level bids for completeness, and secure coverage on critical scopes.
• Establish means, methods, productivity, and pricing for self-perform work, select equipment and materials, and validate crews and rates with operations.
• Conduct phasing, logistics, sequencing, and constructability reviews for each estimate.

Estimate Assembly, Risk, and Compliance

• Build general conditions, including safety and site-specific requirements, along with the preliminary schedule and execution plan with operations and field leadership.
• Develop and carry out the strategy to win the work, including pricing posture and qualifications.
• Partner with the Estimating Manager and self-perform leadership on bid strategy and go/no-go analysis.
• Prepare the final estimate or proposal, guide the pursuit team through bid day, and present project costs to senior leadership.
• Identify and quantify risks and opportunities, and draft clarifications and exclusions.
• Conduct value engineering and constructability reviews, weighing cost, schedule, and lifecycle impacts.
• Build small business participation and good faith effort strategy into the pursuit, and manage prevailing wage and agency requirements.

Clients, Pursuits, and Collaboration

• Provide estimating services on hard bid and negotiated pursuits across design-bid-build, CM at Risk, and design-build delivery, using lump sum, unit price, and T&M pricing.
• Communicate directly with owners and design teams on scope, and contribute pricing, scope narratives, and technical content to proposals.
• Build and maintain relationships with subcontractors, suppliers, engineers, and clients, and track market pricing.

Buyout, Turnover, and Cost Data

• Assist buyout with vendors and suppliers, price change orders, and facilitate detailed handoffs to operations.
• Contribute benchmark data, maintain cost history, lead project debriefs, and bring lessons learned into future pursuits.

Leadership and Development

• Lead pursuit teams that bring together estimating staff, operations staff, and subcontractors.
• Mentor Estimators, help onboard junior staff, and direct their work on assigned scopes.
• Manage workload across multiple bids and deliver complete, accurate estimates on hard deadlines.

Tarlton Competencies

• Leadership & Team Development: Provides clear direction, sets expectations, holds others accountable, and develops team members through coaching and support
• Stand Behind Our Word and Work: Follows through on commitments, takes ownership of results, and ensures work meets high standards of quality and professionalism
• Cultivate Clients for Life: Builds trust-based relationships through responsiveness, clear communication, and understanding of client needs
• Build a Safe and Caring Environment: Promotes a safety-first culture, proactively manages risks, and looks out for others
• Gets the Job Done: Takes ownership, removes obstacles, prioritizes effectively, and drives work forward to achieve results
• Communication and Collaboration: Communicates clearly and works effectively across teams to build trust and alignment
• Develops and Adapt: Seeks feedback, learns from experience, and adjusts to changing conditions and project needs

Where You’ll Work

Full-time position based in St. Louis, Missouri, with travel to project sites and client meetings throughout the region.

• Work is normally performed in a typical interior/office work environment where the noise level is usually quiet.
• If required, the employee may work from a jobsite trailer on occasion or owner-designated office location. The noise level in the work environment can be loud due to heavy equipment, jack hammers, pneumatic tools, etc. These sounds can be non-stop throughout the day.

Physical Requirements

• Limited exposure to physical risk.
• The employee may occasionally lift and/or move up to twenty-five pounds.
• While performing the duties of this job, the employee is required to sit, talk, and hear. The employee is occasionally required to stand; walk; use hands; reach; and stoop or kneel.
• Specific vision abilities include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• The noise level in the work environment is usually quiet.

Travel Requirements

• Occasional local or regional travel required for business or community events.
• Travel to project sites, pre-bid meetings, and client meetings within the region as needed.

What We Offer

Tarlton offers a comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, 401(k) with company match, paid time off and holidays, life and disability insurance, and support for continuing education and professional development. Compensation is commensurate with experience and qualifications.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Tarlton is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected status under applicable law. If you require assistance completing this application or need a reasonable accommodation, please contact [e-mail] or 314.633.3300 for support.

Exempt