Chief Estimator– Federal Projects
Location: Project-based; nationwide travel
Type: Full-time
Overview:
We are recruiting on behalf of our client, a major North American infrastructure contractor, for an Estimator to support complex civil and infrastructure federal projects. This role plays a critical part in combining solutions for the pursuit, development and delivery of large, complex energy and infrastructure projects.
Your key responsibilities will be to lead and manage all aspects of estimating for federal heavy civil projects, with a primary focus on USACE and NAVFAC work. This role is responsible for developing accurate, competitive, and compliant cost proposals for complex infrastructure, energy, and civil construction projects in the federal market. The ideal candidate will bring strong leadership skills, extensive federal estimating experience, and a thorough understanding of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and federal procurement processes.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead and manage the estimating function for federal GC/CM, negotiated, and design-bid-build projects.
- Prepare and oversee conceptual, ROM, GMP, and final bid estimates for large-scale heavy civil, infrastructure, and energy-related projects.
- Review and interpret RFPs, plans, specifications, amendments, and special contract requirements, ensuring full compliance with FAR, agency-specific requirements, and wage determinations.
- Coordinate and oversee quantity takeoffs, providing mentorship and technical guidance to estimators and takeoff engineers.
- Establish and validate labor productivity, crew compositions, equipment utilization, indirect costs, and general conditions.
- Lead the solicitation, evaluation, and negotiation of subcontractor and supplier pricing, including documentation of all required federal good faith efforts.
- Participate in pre-bid meetings, site visits, and agency discussions as required.
- Collaborate with operations, project management, and scheduling teams to confirm means and methods, construction sequencing, and risk assumptions.
- Contribute to the development of preliminary and milestone schedules to support estimating durations and phasing.
- Assemble and review complete bid and proposal pricing packages, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and audit readiness.
- Present estimates and pricing strategies to senior leadership for review and approval prior to submission.
- Support post-award activities, including estimate handoff, budget setup, and cost code alignment.
Project Environment:
- Field-based role embedded within active construction projects.
- Projects often delivered for federal agencies and require strict documentation protocols.
Ideal Background & Experience:
- 10+ years of experience in estimating, preconstruction, or construction operations, with a strong emphasis on heavy civil, infrastructure, and/or energy projects.
- Proven experience bidding federal construction projects as a General Contractor or Prime Contractor.
- Strong working knowledge of the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) and federal procurement systems.
- Experience estimating work for USACE, NAVFAC, and/or other federal agencies.
- Demonstrated ability to estimate large, complex, and technically challenging heavy civil projects, including earthwork, underground utilities, structures, and infrastructure systems.
- Advanced business math and cost modeling skills, including quantities, unit pricing, and productivity analysis.
- Ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, and geotechnical reports.
- Strong leadership, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
- Ability to manage multiple pursuits concurrently in a deadline-driven environment.
Preferred Certifications & Systems:
- Heavybid or other project management software.
Mindset & Cultural Fit:
- Highly detail-oriented with strong documentation discipline and compliance awareness.
- Comfortable operating in fast-paced construction environments where issues must be addressed quickly.
- Experience working for contractors rather than client-side or manufacturing-led environments.
Career Opportunity:
This role offers the opportunity to support major infrastructure and federal construction projects while developing deep expertise in project management within large-scale civil environments.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: $140,000.00 - $200,000.00 per year
Application Question(s):
- Are you comfortable traveling to project sites within the United States based on your location and project demands?
- How many years of your estimating experience do you have working with USACE or NAVFAC construction projects?
- How many years of estimating experience do you have on horizontal civil infrastructure construction projects (e.g., roads, highways, bridges, tunnels, and rail)?
Experience:
- general contracting: 5 years (Required)
Work Location: Remote
