LEAD ESTIMATOR — Railroad Construction/Maintenance
Location: Dallas/Ft Worth, Texas
Industry: Railroad Construction/ Maintenance
Employment Type: Full-Time
Salary Position: $90k to 110k – depending on experience.
Company Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Vision insurance
- Paid Vacation
Position Summary
The Lead Estimator is responsible for developing accurate, competitive, and comprehensive cost estimates for railroad construction projects. This position will lead the estimating process from initial bid review through proposal submission, working closely with operations, project management, engineering, procurement, subcontractors, and senior leadership.
The ideal candidate has extensive experience estimating railroad construction and infrastructure projects, understands railroad means and methods, and can translate plans, specifications, site conditions, production rates, and material requirements into accurate project costs.
Key Responsibilities
Estimating & Bidding
- Lead the preparation of detailed estimates for railroad construction projects.
- Review bid documents, plans, specifications, schedules, addenda, and contract requirements.
- Perform quantity takeoffs for track, grading, drainage, structures, crossings, signals, communications, and related railroad infrastructure.
- Develop detailed labor, equipment, material, subcontractor, and production-cost estimates.
- Establish production rates and crew compositions based on project conditions and company capabilities.
- Obtain and evaluate vendor and subcontractor quotations.
- Develop bid packages and solicit competitive subcontractor and supplier pricing.
- Identify project risks, exclusions, assumptions, and potential cost impacts.
- Prepare competitive bid strategies in coordination with executive and operations leadership.
- Ensure estimates are complete, accurate, and submitted within established deadlines.
Railroad Construction Expertise
- Estimate work involving track construction, track rehabilitation, rail and tie replacement, ballast installation, turnouts, crossings, grading, drainage, and related civil construction.
- Understand railroad construction sequencing, work windows, train operations, flagging, protection requirements, and site access constraints.
- Evaluate requirements for specialized railroad equipment and machinery.
- Account for mobilization, demobilization, staging, logistics, temporary facilities, and project access.
- Evaluate construction impacts associated with working within active railroad corridors.
- Understand applicable railroad, DOT, FRA, and customer requirements as applicable to each project.
Project & Operational Coordination
- Work closely with project managers and field operations to validate constructability and estimated production rates.
- Participate in pre-bid site walks and project meetings.
- Communicate estimating assumptions and project risks to operations and project management.
- Assist project teams during project handoff following contract award.
- Compare estimated versus actual project costs to improve future estimating accuracy.
- Maintain historical cost databases, production rates, and estimating benchmarks.
Qualifications
- 7+ years of construction estimating experience, with significant experience in railroad construction preferred.
- Strong understanding of railroad track and civil construction methods.
- Experience estimating projects ranging from smaller maintenance projects to major railroad infrastructure projects.
- Proficiency with construction estimating software and Microsoft Excel.
- Ability to read and interpret construction drawings, specifications, schedules, and contract documents.
- Strong knowledge of labor, equipment, material, and subcontractor pricing.
- Excellent mathematical, analytical, organizational, and communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple bids and deadlines simultaneously.
- Willingness to travel for project site visits and pre-bid meetings.
Preferred Experience
- Railroad track construction and rehabilitation.
- Class I railroad, short-line, transit, industrial railroad, or public-sector railroad projects.
- Rail yards, sidings, turnouts, crossings, bridges, drainage, grading, and terminal projects.
- Design-build and negotiated-contract estimating.
- Heavy civil construction.
- Knowledge of FRA, AREMA, railroad owner standards, and applicable DOT requirements.
Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate is a detail-oriented, commercially minded railroad construction professional who understands how projects are actually built in the field. They can analyze complex bid documents, develop reliable cost estimates, recognize construction risks, and communicate effectively with both field personnel and executive leadership.
This individual should be comfortable working under tight bid deadlines while maintaining a high standard of accuracy, integrity, and professionalism.
Pay: $90,000.00 - $110,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
