Cost Estimator (General Construction) for the Division of Building and Land Development Services

City of New York•New York City, NY

4d•Onsite

About The Position

The New York City Department of Housing Preservation & Development (HPD) promotes quality and affordability in the city's housing, and diversity and strength in the city’s neighborhoods. The Office of Development (OOD) leads the agency’s effort to create and preserve affordable housing. The Division of Building and Land Development Services (BLDS) provides architectural, engineering, cost valuation, environmental planning, and construction support services to the various divisions within HPD’s Office of Development. As a Cost Estimator, you will be responsible for preparing cost estimates based on construction documents, utilizing RS Means database, for both newly-constructed and rehabilitated multi-family buildings assisted by HPD Funding/Assistance.

Requirements

A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State’s Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization, and five years of full-time satisfactory experience managing and/or inspecting one or more construction projects which must have a total cost of at least $300,000 for each of the five years of the required experience; or
One year of the experience as described in “1” above and a baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university, accredited by regional, national, professional or specialized agencies recognized as accrediting bodies by the U. S. Secretary of Education and by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), in engineering, engineering technology, architecture, architectural technology, landscape architecture, construction, construction technology, or construction management; or
One year of the experience as described in “1” above and a valid license as a professional engineer, registered architect, or registered landscape architect, issued by a board of examining engineers, architects, or landscape architects duly established and qualified pursuant to the laws of any state or territory of the United States; or
A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent approved by a State's Department of Education or a recognized accrediting organization, and a combination of at least two years of experience as described in “1” above and the education as described in “2” above to equal a total of five years of education and experience.
Matriculation in an undergraduate college degree program as described in “2” above may be substituted for experience on the basis of 30 semester credits for one year of satisfactory full-time experience up to a maximum of three years of experience.
Candidates must specify for each construction project they worked on: a description of the construction project, the time period they worked on the construction project, and the type of work they performed.
Candidates must also specify the money allotted for the project.
At the time of appointment to this position, you must have a motor vehicle driver license valid in the State of New York.
If you have moving violations, license suspension or an accident record, you may be disqualified.
This license must be maintained for the duration of your employment.
For Assignment to Level II, In addition to meeting the "Qualification Requirements" above, candidates must have one additional year of satisfactory full-time experience working in Assignment Level I; or one additional year of satisfactory full-time experience as described in "1" above.
For Assignment to Level III, in addition to meeting the Qualification Requirements for Construction Project Manager, candidates must have two additional years of satisfactory full-time experience working in Construction Project Manager Assignment Level I and II; or two additional years of satisfactory full-time experience as described in question "1" above and possess a motor vehicle driver license valid in the State of New York which must be maintained for the duration of employment noting that if you have moving violations, license suspension or an accident record, you may be disqualified.
Authorization to work in the United States is required for this position.
The NYC Department of Housing Preservation and Development does not provide sponsorship for international employees for visa applications, extensions, or status changes, including H-1B visas.
Applicants are responsible for ensuring that they meet all qualifying requirements for this position at the time of application.

Nice To Haves

Thorough knowledge of City, State and Federal housing regulations, procedures and practice.
Familiarity with New York City government and housing issues.
Proficient in the use of various cost estimating tools, including RS Means and Sage.
Proficient in Microsoft Suite (Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Word, etc.).
Thorough understanding of construction and cost estimating industry standards.
Ability to read and understand drawings/plans, scopes of work, and specifications.
Ability to negotiate with diverse technical specialists.
Ability to work independently, apply independent judgment in technical matters, take initiative, and work effectively with others.
Excellent technical, writing, verbal, interpersonal, analytical, and organizational skills.
Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and coordinate multiple projects in a timely manner.
Demonstrated ability to deal with sensitive, complex issues that may arise.
Candidate may be subject to a background investigation conducted by the Department of Investigations.

Responsibilities

Prepare cost estimate by gathering quantities from construction drawings and utilizing RS MEANS database, for multi-family new construction and renovated residential buildings.
Review cost estimates and change orders prepared by external consultants for accuracy and reasonableness multi-family residential buildings.
Perform value engineering to determine possible cost savings, and produce base costs and preliminary budget estimates for new cosntruction and renovated residential buildings.
Review contractors’ bid proposals and prepare bid recommendations.
Assist in the processing of documents related to change orders and attend meetings related to change order negotiations with other HPD staff and external partners involved.
Review and analyze construction documents, including drawings, scopes of work, and project specifications.
Assist in developing and maintaining a historical cost database in order to prepare, analyze, and validate estimates and budgets.