Chief Estimator

Employment Type: Full-time

About the Opportunity

Our client is a well-established General Contractor with a strong portfolio of complex construction projects. They are looking for an experienced Chief Estimator to lead their estimating function and play a key role in preconstruction, business development, and overall company strategy.

This is a senior leadership position for an estimator who is comfortable not only managing complex estimates, but also leading a team, influencing bid strategy, managing risk, and partnering with senior leadership to drive profitable growth.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead and provide strategic direction to the estimating department, including Senior, Intermediate, and Junior Estimators.
• Establish estimating standards, processes, and best practices to ensure consistent and accurate bids.
• Manage departmental workload and resources across multiple concurrent tenders.
• Lead go/no-go bid decisions, assessing project fit, risk, capacity, and profitability.
• Oversee conceptual budgets, preliminary estimates, detailed tenders, and procurement strategies.
• Review and approve final estimates and ensure alignment with profitability and risk objectives.
• Lead major tender closings and ensure submissions are accurate, competitive, and compliant.
• Identify and manage estimating risks, assumptions, exclusions, and opportunities.
• Work closely with Operations and Business Development throughout the preconstruction process.
• Lead the transition from successful tender to Operations, ensuring a thorough handover of pricing, assumptions, risks, and subcontractor commitments.
• Participate in client and consultant meetings, presentations, interviews, and proposal discussions.
• Provide strategic input on bid strategy, value engineering, constructability, and alternative delivery models.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with subcontractors, suppliers, clients, developers, and consultants.
• Monitor market conditions, labour and material pricing, and subcontractor trends to improve cost forecasting.
• Support contract negotiations through cost analysis, scope clarification, and risk assessment.
• Lead the implementation and improvement of estimating technology, digital tools, cost databases, and benchmarking systems.
• Track estimating KPIs, including bid-to-win ratios, estimate accuracy, and proposal performance.
• Lead lessons-learned initiatives and continuously improve estimating processes.
• Participate as a member of the company's leadership team and contribute to strategic and resource planning.

Qualifications & Experience

• Diploma or degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Architectural Technology, or a related discipline.
• 12+ years of progressive estimating experience within commercial, industrial, institutional, or similar construction environments.
• Previous experience leading and mentoring an estimating team.
• Strong understanding of construction methods, contracts, and delivery models, including Lump Sum, Construction Management, and Design-Build.
• Demonstrated ability to lead complex, multi-million-dollar tenders from preconstruction through closing.
• Strong financial, analytical, and cost-control capabilities.
• Ability to manage multiple bids simultaneously while working under tight deadlines.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, and presentation skills.
• Strong understanding of subcontractor and supplier markets.
• Established relationships within the construction industry are considered an asset.