Client / Engagement: California High-Speed Rail
Location: Fresno, CA (50% travel to Sacramento and field offices)
Salary Range: $220,000-$265,000 (commensurate with experience)
Employment Type: Full-time
Position Summary
Jaquith Consulting Group is seeking an experienced Chief Estimator to serve as the senior cost estimating authority for the Track, Systems & Civil Construction (TSCC) contract, responsible for the development, validation, and maintenance of construction cost estimates across all phases of project delivery, from conceptual (AACE Class 5) through definitive (AACE Class 1) estimates. The position leads estimate development for baseline budgets, change orders, claims quantum, and independent cost reviews, and serves as the primary point of coordination between the Authority’s Program Controls function, the design-build/CM at-risk contractor’s estimating team, and the Program Management/Oversight Consultant (PMOC) on matters of cost basis, methodology, and risk-adjusted contingency. Reporting to the Deputy Director, PMO Project Execution Branch, the Chief Estimator works with substantial independence in selecting estimate methodology, allocating cost risk, and establishing the technical basis of estimates, escalating significant or unresolved cost positions as they arise. This is a professional-level position requiring independent judgment on estimate methodology, cost risk allocation, and the technical defensibility of estimates presented to Authority executive leadership, the Board, and federal funding partners (FRA, FTA).
The TSCC contract encompasses trackwork, systems (traction power, train control/PTC, communications, SCADA), and heavy civil construction scope delivered under a design-build or CM/GC delivery model consistent with California High-Speed Rail Authority program conventions. The Chief Estimator’s work products support the Authority’s cost baseline reporting under its Earned Value Management System (EVMS), FRA and FTA capital cost reporting obligations, and Board-level program budget updates, and must be reconcilable to the program Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and control account structure.
Supervision Received & Exercised
The Chief Estimator reports to the Deputy Director, PMO Project Execution Branch and works with substantial independence in selecting estimate methodology, allocating cost risk, and establishing the technical basis of estimates, escalating significant or unresolved cost positions to the Deputy Director, PMO Project Execution Branch. The position supervises estimators, cost engineers, and quantity take-off staff assigned to the TSCC contract, and provides technical direction to contractor and subconsultant estimating staff on submittals requiring Authority review.
Key interfaces include Program Controls (cost, schedule, and risk), Design and Engineering, Construction Management, Contracts and Procurement, Claims and Change Management, the PMOC, and FRA and FTA on request.
Key Responsibilities
Estimate Development & Validation
- Develop and maintain construction cost estimates at each AACE estimate class (Class 5 through Class 1) for the TSCC scope, applying consistent methodology, escalation, and contingency treatment across estimate revisions.
- Prepare and reconcile quantity take-offs, unit price build-ups, and productivity-based estimates for trackwork, systems, and civil elements; validate contractor-submitted estimates and pay applications against independent Authority estimates.
- Establish and document estimate basis, assumptions, and exclusions in a basis-of-estimate (BOE) format sufficient to withstand third-party and federal audit.
- Maintain unit cost and productivity databases and historical cost data specific to heavy rail, systems, and civil construction for use in future estimates and benchmarking.
Risk, Contingency, and Cost Baseline Management
- Support risk-based contingency development in coordination with Program Risk Management, including participation in risk workshops and Monte Carlo or range-estimating analyses where used to set contingency drawdown curves.
- Reconcile estimate outputs to the program WBS, control account structure, and EVMS cost baseline; support Estimate at Completion (EAC) and Estimate to Complete (ETC) development with Project Controls.
- Flag cost trends, estimate variances, and basis changes to the Deputy Director, PMO Project Execution Branch for inclusion in monthly program cost reporting.
Change Orders & Claims Support
- Prepare and independently review contractor change order cost proposals, including labor, equipment, material, and markup build-ups, for reasonableness and compliance with contract terms.
- Develop or validate quantum estimates in support of claims analysis, distinguishing cost impact that is factually supported from cost impact that is estimated or in dispute; coordinate with Contracts and Claims counsel on entitlement questions, which remain a legal rather than an estimating determination.
- Support negotiation of change order pricing by providing defensible, methodology-documented cost positions to the negotiating team.
Governance, Reporting & Oversight Coordination
- Prepare estimate summaries and variance narratives for executive and Board-level program updates.
- Respond to PMOC, FRA, FTA, and state audit inquiries regarding estimate basis, methodology, and cost data; support cost reviews and independent government cost estimates (IGCE) as requested.
- Maintain estimate documentation and version control in accordance with Authority document control and records retention requirements.
- Supervise estimators, cost engineers, and quantity take-off staff assigned to the TSCC contract, and provide technical direction to contractor and subconsultant estimating staff on submittals requiring Authority review.
- Coordinate closely with key program interfaces, including Program Controls (cost, schedule, and risk), Design and Engineering, Construction Management, Contracts and Procurement, Claims and Change Management, the PMOC, and FRA and FTA as requested.
Estimated Percentage of Time for Essential Functions
- 40%: Estimate development, quantity take-off, unit price build-up, and basis-of-estimate documentation across AACE estimate classes
- 25%: Change order review, claims quantum estimating, and negotiation support
- 15%: Risk-based contingency, EVMS baseline reconciliation, and EAC/ETC support
- 10%: Executive, Board, PMOC, and FRA/FTA reporting, audit response, and cost data governance
- 10%: Technical direction of estimating staff, cost database maintenance, and other duties as assigned
Required Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree in civil engineering, construction management, engineering technology, or a related field; an equivalent combination of education and experience is considered in lieu of a degree.
- Ten (10) or more years of progressive cost estimating experience on heavy civil, rail, or transit infrastructure programs, including at least four (4) years in a lead or chief estimator capacity.
- Demonstrated experience estimating design-build or CM/GC delivered work, including change order and claims quantum estimating.
- Eligibility to work in the United States and ability to pass a background screening, meet site-access and site-safety requirements, and travel between program office locations and TSCC construction sites as needed.
Preferred Qualifications
- Certified Cost Professional (CCP) or Certified Estimating Professional (CEP) credential through AACE International.
- Professional Engineer (PE) license; not required for this position.
- Direct estimating experience on high-speed or conventional rail programs, including trackwork and rail systems scope.
- Experience supporting federal cost oversight reviews, independent government cost estimates (IGCE), or state audit inquiries on major capital programs.
Knowledge, Skills & Abilities
- Working knowledge of AACE International recommended practices for cost estimate classification, contingency determination, and estimate documentation.
- Proficiency in quantity take-off and estimating software (for example, HCSS HeavyBid, InEight, or comparable heavy-civil estimating platforms) and cost/schedule integration tools.
- Working knowledge of EVMS conventions (ANSI/EIA-748 or equivalent) and their interaction with cost estimate baselines and reporting.
- Familiarity with FRA and FTA major capital project practice, including cost estimate review requirements under the federal grant and oversight process.
- Ability to read and estimate from civil, trackwork, and systems design drawings and specifications at varying levels of design completion.
- Strong written and verbal communication skills sufficient to present and defend cost positions to executive leadership, oversight bodies, and contractor counterparts.
Working Conditions
- Primary work is performed in a program office environment, with periodic site visits to construction work fronts for quantity verification, progress assessment, and coordination with field engineering staff.
- Site visits require compliance with the Authority’s and contractor’s site-safety programs and consistent use of personal protective equipment (PPE), including hard hat, high-visibility vest, safety footwear, and eye and hearing protection.
- May require travel between program office locations and TSCC construction sites, and attendance at Board or executive briefings as required.
- May require occasional extended or non-standard hours to support estimate deadlines, change order negotiation, and program budget reporting cycles.
