Walker & Company is hiring an experienced Senior Estimator to support our growing portfolio of multifamily and commercial projects. This role requires a well‑rounded construction estimating background with a specialized focus on multifamily & senior housing, structural systems, and rough carpentry scopes, along with the ability to estimate a broad range of additional trades. The ideal candidate is detail‑oriented, analytical, and comfortable advancing our teams use of technology and AI‑enhanced estimating tools.
Founded in 1974, Walker & Company has built its reputation as a commercial General Contractor and Construction Manager on professionalism, quality, integrity, and client commitment. The next chapter requires the same fundamentals, sharpened by better data, stronger trade intelligence, and a more integrated preconstruction-to-field operating model.
Position Impact
- Lead estimating and preconstruction strategy for framing, rough carpentry, and other general scopes.
- Go beyond takeoffs. Evaluate constructability, sequencing, productivity, labor availability, material volatility, logistics, specification conflicts, and downstream field risk.
- Translate technical detail into practical recommendations leadership can use: budget confidence, scope clarity, bid strategy, escalation exposure, contingency logic, value options, and buyout priorities.
- Build a tighter bridge between what was priced, what was bought, and what was actual used in place.
Core ResponsibilitiesEstimating, Budgeting, and Scope Development
- Prepare conceptual, schematic, design development, and hard-bid estimates for framing, rough carpentry, and other general scopes
- Review drawings, specifications, structural documents, architectural details, owner criteria, alternates, addenda, allowances, and clarifications for scope and pricing implications.
- Identify missing information, scope gaps, constructability issues, sequencing conflicts, coordination risks, and value-engineering opportunities early enough to matter.
- Produce clean scope narratives, inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, qualifications, alternates, bid leveling documents, and estimate backup that can stand up under pressure.
Trade Partner and Market Intelligence
- Develop strong relationships with framing & structural subcontractors, truss & lumber suppliers, as well as other strategic partners.
- Solicit, analyze, and level subcontractor and supplier proposals with a focus on scope completeness, exclusions, manpower plans, production assumptions, schedule commitments, procurement exposure, and material availability.
- Maintain current cost history, production assumptions, unit pricing, supplier benchmarks, subcontractor coverage data, and market signals that improve speed and accuracy over time.
Operations Integration
- Partner with project executives, project managers, superintendents, architects, engineers, consultants, subcontractors, suppliers, and field leadership to validate that estimates can be executed in real conditions.
- Support turnover meetings with clear communication on pricing logic, buyout strategy, assumptions, alternates, allowances, exclusions, procurement concerns, and subcontractor commitments.
- Help teams anticipate field friction before mobilization: plan completeness, structural coordination, sequencing, productivity, building-envelope interface risk, and labor constraints.
Budget, Risk, and Financial Discipline
- Track framing, shell, and rough carpentry cost drivers across milestones and reconcile budget movement from concept through buyout.
- Identify exposure tied to unclear design details, scope evolution, labor productivity, schedule acceleration, material escalation, subcontractor exclusions, and trade coordination conflicts.
- Support contingency recommendations, escalation assumptions, bid package strategy, post-bid analysis, cost comparisons, subcontractor leveling, and budget reconciliation.
Leadership Expectations
- Serve as Walker’s senior technical resource for framing and rough carpentry estimating, and wood-frame construction.
- Bring structure to ambiguity and urgency to decision-making without creating noise. Clear thinking beats long meetings every time.
- Communicate with confidence, precision, and professionalism across owners, designers, trade partners, executives, estimators, project managers, and superintendents.
- Mentor junior estimators and apm’s while helping Walker modernize estimating practices, improve knowledge capture, and build repeatable preconstruction discipline.
Experience and Qualifications
- 8+ years of construction estimating, preconstruction, framing, rough carpentry, commercial construction, multifamily construction, or related trade estimating experience.
- Experience with multifamily, senior living, commercial, institutional, civic, religious, education, mixed-use, podium, wrap, garden-style, mid-rise, or special-use projects is preferred.
- Experience with conceptual budgeting, GMP development, negotiated work, hard bids, design-assist coordination, bid package development, and subcontractor buyout is preferred.
- Florida construction market experience is preferred; Central Florida and Southeast subcontractor and supplier relationships are a strong plus.
- Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Building Construction, Engineering, Architecture, Business, or a related field preferred. Equivalent estimating, field, trade, project management, and wood-frame construction experience will be considered.
Technical Knowledge
- Strong command of framing, shell, rough carpentry, and wood-frame construction means and methods, including wood trusses, floor and roof systems, sheathing, blocking, backing, stairs, fire-rated assemblies, exterior framing, waterproofing interfaces, and envelope coordination.
- Ability to read and interpret architectural, structural, civil, MEP, shop drawing, and specification documents while identifying gaps, conflicts, cost exposure, and schedule risk.
- Demonstrated understanding of subcontractor markets, supplier pricing, labor productivity, material escalation, procurement constraints, document control, construction management software, estimating platforms, digital takeoff tools, and Microsoft Office applications.
Position Logistics
Full-time, exempt, onsite position based at Walker & Company’s Winter Park, Florida headquarters.
Primary focus on Central Florida and surrounding Florida markets, with travel as needed for project pursuits, site visits, scope reviews, subcontractor meetings, and regional opportunities.
- Valid driver’s license required.
Pay: From $97,500.00 per year
Benefits:
- 401(k)
- 401(k) matching
- Dental insurance
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Professional development assistance
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
