Chief Estimator & Preconstruction Lead
About The Position
Prairie Landworks is a growing company focused on meaningful work, character, integrity, and creating a safe, rewarding place for employees to build a career. They self-perform key parts of their work and prioritize projects close to home so employees can return to their families at night. This role is estimating-first but also involves significant input into preconstruction, pursuit strategy, systems, client relationships, and team development, with direct access to decision-makers. The position will help shape the company's growth, strengthen business development, improve estimating systems, develop talent, and enhance performance.
Requirements
- Strong heavy civil and industrial estimating experience.
- Ability to lead estimates, not just participate.
- Comfortable in a visible, outward-facing role.
- Estimating judgment, client and partner relationships, leadership, accountability, and ownership are key.
- Senior enough to lead the function but willing to perform detailed reviews, takeoffs, and estimating work.
- Proficiency with HCSS HeavyBid or a similar estimating system.
- Willingness to help build, integrate, and refine estimating systems and workflows while actively bidding.
Nice To Haves
- Experience across civil, GC, and industrial self-performance work.
- Exposure to design-build or preconstruction.
- Familiarity with Acumatica or other ERP systems.
- Experience helping implement or refine estimating systems.
- Local or regional knowledge in central Kansas.
Responsibilities
- Protect margin and support growth by leading estimating for $500K-$7M heavy civil, concrete, utility, earthwork, foundation, process piping, and commercial/municipal building projects.
- Decide which work to pursue by contributing estimating judgment, project fit, production reality, and client relationships early in the process.
- Win work beyond price by effectively communicating job details, risks, approach, and value.
- Build accurate, competitive estimates by leading bid reviews, takeoffs, coordinating with subcontractors and suppliers, conducting site visits, reviewing risks, and submitting proposals on time.
- Ensure self-perform estimating is grounded in real production, with pricing decisions that lead to visible project progress.
- Strengthen preconstruction by supporting planning, design coordination, preliminary scheduling, value engineering, and project readiness.
- Develop the estimating team through mentoring, building structure, and guiding team growth.
- Shape better systems by contributing to HeavyBid development, integration with other systems, and refining estimating processes and workflows.
Benefits
- Base salary of $105K–$130K
- Performance-based bonus opportunity
- Take-home company vehicle
- Leadership role with high autonomy and direct access to owner and leaders
- Influence on work pursued and execution
- Ability to shape estimating systems, tools, and processes
- Opportunity to build and lead a team
- Estimating team of 3 (including owner)
- Strong office support team
- Collaborative culture between PM and Superintendent
- Late-model equipment
- Work across commercial, municipal, and industrial building projects
- Target 45–50 hour work week
- Early Fridays
- 3 weeks PTO
- 7.5 paid holidays
- Birthday off after 1 year
- 90-mile service radius, home nightly with rare exceptions
- Medical, Dental, Vision (minimum 60% company paid)
- 401K / Roth with 4% match
- Boot allowance after 1 year
- Supplemental voluntary benefits
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
Education Level
No Education Listed
