Controls Estimator

Lakeland Companies•Minneapolis, MN

1d•$85,000 - $110,000•Hybrid

About The Position

This is a brand-new position and a chance to make it your own. As our first dedicated Controls Estimator, you'll help shape the estimating tools, templates, and processes we'll rely on for years to come. You'll sit at the center of the business, touching every project before it starts, with plenty of room to grow alongside sales, engineering, and operations. As our Controls Estimator, you'll take the lead in quoting industrial control systems, from individual parts and control panels to complete control systems with engineering design and PLC/HMI software development. Working closely with sales, customers, engineering, purchasing, and production, you'll quickly and accurately turn quotes by drawing on comparable past systems and gathering labor-hour estimates and material costs from the right departments. And you won't just build the numbers. Alongside sales, you'll present proposals directly to our customers.

Requirements

Associate's or Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering Technology, Engineering, Business, or a related field, or equivalent hands-on industry experience.
A minimum of 3-5 years in estimating, quoting, applications engineering, or project management within industrial automation, control panels, or electrical systems.
Solid working knowledge of industrial control systems, control panel construction, and automation components (PLCs, HMIs, drives, sensors).
Ability to read and interpret electrical schematics, panel layouts, BOMs, and customer specifications.
Experience with material costing, supplier RFQs, and labor-hour estimating.
Understanding of panel fabrication and assembly processes and what drives shop labor hours.
Proficiency with ERP, EPICOR preferred experience, and CRM, Sales Force preferred experience, systems and Microsoft Office, especially Excel.
Experience with AI tools and enthusiasm for applying them to speed up estimating and proposal work.
Strong communication and presentation skills, comfortable presenting proposals to customers alongside sales.
Highly organized, able to juggle multiple quotes and deadlines without sacrificing speed or accuracy.
Sharp analytical and math skills with a keen eye for detail.
A collaborative, service-minded approach to working across departments.

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with UL 508A, UL698A, NEC, and NFPA 79 standards is a plus.
Prior estimating experience at a control panel shop, systems integrator, or contract manufacturer.
Hands-on background in panel building, controls engineering, or industrial electrical work.
Experience presenting technical proposals directly to customers.

Responsibilities

Serve as the lead estimator for industrial control system quotes, ranging from parts quotes and control panels to complete control systems with engineering design and PLC/HMI software development.
Turn quotes quickly and accurately by referencing previous similar systems and leveraging historical cost data.
Review customer RFQs, specifications, and drawings to define project scope and identify clarifications and exceptions.
Gather labor-hour estimates from engineering and production, and work with purchasing to obtain current material costs and supplier quotes.
Assemble complete, professional proposals covering scope of work, pricing, lead times, and terms.
Work hand-in-hand with sales, customers, engineering, purchasing, and production throughout the quoting process.
Present proposals to customers alongside sales, confidently answering technical and commercial questions.
Support a smooth handoff of awarded projects to engineering and production, ensuring the estimate's scope and assumptions carry through.
Log all quotes, proposals, and outcomes in our ERP and CRM systems, keeping records accurate and up to date.
Build and maintain an estimating library of historical costs, templates, and comparable systems to speed future quotes.
Track open quotes and follow up with sales to keep opportunities moving.
Compare estimated versus actual hours and costs on completed projects to sharpen estimating accuracy.
Proactively improve estimating processes, tools, and templates to reduce quote turnaround time.
Put AI tools to work throughout the quoting process; we encourage and support the use of AI to increase proposal efficiency and reduce turn time.
Stay current on component pricing, lead times, and market trends in industrial automation.