Strategic Preconstruction & Estimating Lead

Clark Construction Group; Baltimore (MD); On-site; USD 85,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k) retirement plan

Paid time off

Tuition reimbursement

Life insurance

Job summary

Clark Construction Group is seeking a seasoned estimator/Project Controls leader in McLean, VA to bridge preconstruction, design development, and real-time change management on heavy civil projects.

You will drive accurate cost estimates, manage change orders, negotiate with subs, and lead multi-disciplinary teams across estimating and operations to protect margins and win competitive bids.

Qualifications

• 10-15+ years of progressive estimating, change management, and project controls experience in heavy civil construction.
• Undergraduate degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline (or equivalent practical work experience).
• Proven track record of managing both preconstruction pursuits and active project change order systems on complex multi-discipline civil jobs.
• Advanced technical proficiency in OST, Microsoft Excel, Bluebeam Revu, and heavy civil estimating software.

Responsibilities

• Maintain high standards of professionalism and ethical behavior when representing the Company.
• Analyze drawings, specifications, proposals, civil site documentation, and contract documents to prepare accurate time, cost, labor, equipment, and material estimates for multi-discipline heavy civil projects.
• Lead or perform accurate quantity surveys and conceptual-to-detailed estimating, with a strong focus on self-perform civil operations (earthwork, utilities, structures, paving).
• Supervise, mentor, and train estimators and project controls team members.
• Solicit, evaluate, and negotiate Subcontractor and Vendor quotes for complete scope alignment, qualifications, and strategic bid advantages.
• Lead meetings with Subcontractors, Suppliers, and Owners to develop complete scopes, discuss pursuit strategy, and align expectations.
• Establish and maintain a robust Change Management system and log throughout preconstruction, design-build, CMAR and construction phases to track, identify, and quantify scope changes, constructability challenges, and design evolutions.
• Evaluate potential changes and dynamic site conditions for both direct cost impacts and schedule disruption, preparing fully documented Change Order Requests (CORs) for owner negotiation.
• Review, negotiate, and execute subcontractor change orders, ensuring back-to-back contract alignment and risk transfer.
• Partner with Project Managers and Operations to establish initial cost baselines, continually monitor the comparison of estimated costs to actual costs, and update monthly Cost-to-Complete forecasts.
• Collaborate with project schedulers to align cost data with baseline CPM schedules, earning rules, and field productivity tracking.
• Perform risk and contract management responsibilities on bids and active projects, maintaining risk registers to protect project margins throughout execution.
• Assist in developing strategies to achieve small business participation (SBE) requirements while maintaining competitive project budgets.

Skills

On-Screen Takeoff

Excel

Bluebeam Revu

HeavyBid/HCSS

B2W

Primavera P6

Prolog/Procore

Self-perform estimating

Change management

Negotiation

Team leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Civil Engineering, Construction Management, or related discipline

Tools

HeavyBid/HCSS

B2W

Primavera P6

Timberline/Sage

Prolog/Procore

Job description

Clark Construction Group is seeking a seasoned estimator/Project Controls leader in McLean, VA to bridge preconstruction, design development, and real-time change management on heavy civil projects.

You will drive accurate cost estimates, manage change orders, negotiate with subs, and lead multi-disciplinary teams across estimating and operations to protect margins and win competitive bids.