Capital Cost Estimator – Industrial Process and Pharmaceutical Equipment

Eli Lilly and Company • Us, IN

21h • Onsite

About The Position

The Industrial Process Capital Cost Estimator develops owner-side Class 5 through Class 1 estimates for major pharmaceutical process equipment, packaged systems, process piping, hygienic systems, process utilities, equipment installation, and related construction scopes. The role turns evolving process and engineering scope, equipment data, vendor information, execution strategies, market data, and benchmarks into complete, traceable, decision-ready estimates.

The estimator evaluates costs related to equipment freight, rigging, setting, modularization, fabrication, specialty welding, testing, passivation, validation support, spare parts, and vendor field services. The role supports projects delivered by Lilly’s Global Facilities Delivery organization, which provides new and renovated capital assets, including assets for manufacturing medicines and expanding the supply of existing medicines.

The position must be based in or relocated to Indianapolis, Indiana, with onsite presence at Lilly Technology Center-South. Travel of up to 25%, including to domestic and international project locations, may be required. Applicants must be authorized to work full-time in the United States; Lilly will not sponsor work authorization or visas for this role.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, construction management, quantity surveying, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
• At least 5 years of direct capital cost estimating experience for industrial, manufacturing, life sciences, or similarly complex capital projects.
• Demonstrated personal experience developing estimates across multiple levels of project definition, including conceptual and detailed estimates.
• Authorization to work in the United States on a full-time basis; Lilly will not sponsor work authorization or visas for this role.
• Must reside in or relocate to Indianapolis, Indiana, and be onsite at Lilly Technology Center-South.
• Ability to travel up to 25%, including to domestic and international project locations.

Nice To Haves

• Experience estimating pharmaceutical, biotechnology, chemical, food, semiconductor, advanced manufacturing, or other process-intensive facilities.
• Experience in both owner and contractor estimating environments.
• Professional certification such as AACE Certified Estimating Professional (CEP), Certified Cost Professional (CCP), or an equivalent credential.
• Experience with benchmarking, estimate reconciliation, value engineering, bid leveling, and change estimate development.
• Familiarity with CSI MasterFormat, Uniformat, equipment-based process estimating, and owner work breakdown structures.
• Ability to work independently, manage multiple estimate assignments, and clearly communicate limitations and uncertainty.

Responsibilities

• Develop capital cost estimates from Class 5 through Class 1 using methods suited to project-definition maturity, including capacity-factored, parametric, assembly-level, unit-rate, and detailed quantity takeoff methods.
• Prepare estimate plans, workbooks, quantity takeoffs, pricing build-ups, bases of estimate, assumptions, exclusions, qualifications, and supporting documentation.
• Interpret business requirements, basis-of-design information, drawings, specifications, equipment lists, process flow diagrams, P&IDs, layouts, schedules, contracting strategies, and construction execution plans to define scope and cost.
• Build labor, material, equipment, subcontract, construction management, temporary facilities, logistics, indirect cost, escalation, and contingency inputs appropriate to the discipline and estimate class.
• Obtain and normalize vendor budget quotes, contractor pricing, market rates, productivity factors, location factors, escalation inputs, and historical cost data.
• Identify scope gaps, overlaps, ambiguities, estimate risks, cost drivers, and missing inputs; document their treatment in the estimate and Basis of Estimate.
• Benchmark estimates using historical project data, comparable facilities, market intelligence, and normalized unit-cost metrics to validate reasonableness, identify cost drivers, and explain variances.
• Develop and maintain internal benchmarking databases using actual costs from completed and active projects, and maintain current insights into relevant external benchmarks.
• Complete estimate reconciliation, variance analysis, and estimate-to-estimate bridging as scope and design mature.
• Support multidisciplinary estimate reviews and page-turns with project teams, engineering partners, construction partners, procurement, and project controls.
• Prepare estimate summaries and cost narratives for project reviews, funding decisions, value engineering, option analysis, bid evaluation, and change assessment.
• Maintain estimates in Oracle Unifier PMIS to provide a complete and auditable estimate trail.

Benefits

• Company bonus, depending in part on company and individual performance.
• Eligibility to participate in a company-sponsored 401(k).
• Pension.
• Vacation benefits.
• Eligibility for medical, dental, vision, and prescription drug benefits.
• Flexible benefits, including healthcare and/or dependent day care flexible spending accounts.
• Life insurance and death benefits.
• Certain time-off and leave-of-absence benefits.
• Well-being benefits, including an employee assistance program, fitness benefits, and employee clubs and activities.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior