Estimating Manager

Tarlton Corporation•St. Louis, MO

1d•Onsite

About The Position

Tarlton is seeking an Estimating Manager for its Water/Wastewater business unit, part of the Energy, Industrial, and Civil operations team. Based in St. Louis, Missouri, this role will help grow the company’s presence across Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Kansas. The manager will lead estimating teams pursuing water and wastewater treatment plants, pump and lift stations, underground utility work, and other energy, industrial, and civil projects for municipalities, water and sewer districts, and consulting engineers. The Estimating Manager will shape pursuit and bid strategy with operations and company leadership, guide complex pursuits from kickoff through submission, and validate the quantities and pricing used in bids. The role covers multiple delivery methods and pricing models, and requires constructability, sequencing, and risk analysis. It also leads pricing for self-perform civil, concrete, and steel work, as well as subcontractor and vendor coordination. The manager will lead, hire, develop, and review estimators; allocate estimating resources; and improve estimating systems, processes, and cost data. The position also represents estimating in client and executive settings and supports repeat-client relationships and business development. The role is full-time and involves occasional local or regional travel to project sites, pre-bid meetings, client meetings, and business or community events. Work is normally performed in an office environment, with occasional work in a jobsite trailer or owner-designated office.

Requirements

At least 8 years of estimating experience, including at least 2 years leading pursuit teams or people.
Track record of owning bids on large or complex projects and managing multiple bids at once.
Experience leading and developing estimators.
Self-perform pricing experience, including means, methods, and production rates.
Advanced proficiency with digital takeoff software such as On-Screen Takeoff, Bluebeam Revu, or similar.
Advanced proficiency with estimating platforms such as CostOS, Timberline, WinEst, or similar.
Proficiency with Microsoft Word, Excel, and Outlook.
Ability to travel to project sites, pre-bid meetings, client meetings, and regional business or community events as needed.

Nice To Haves

Hard-bid and conceptual estimating experience on lump-sum, CM at Risk, or design-build projects.
Bachelor’s degree in engineering, architecture, construction management, or a related field; equivalent experience or union/trade background is also considered.
Industry certifications such as PMP, CPE, or DBIA.

Responsibilities

Review bid documents, identify items requiring clarification, and coordinate site visits and reviews of existing conditions, as-built documents, and surveys for renovation work.
Perform and review takeoffs; promote consistent estimating methods and tool use; and validate quantities and pricing prepared by others.
Develop conceptual budgets from limited information and document assumptions clearly.
Review area labor agreements for work rules and wage determinations.
Lead subcontractor prequalification and vendor relationships, and resolve coverage gaps on critical trades.
Partner with self-perform leadership on means and methods, production rates, equipment, rate structures, and data quality; compare self-perform and subcontract pricing.
Evaluate phasing, logistics, sequencing, and constructability for each estimate.
Prepare and review general conditions costs and maintain templates and standards, including safety planning.
Set bid strategy with operations and leadership, lead final bid reviews, and manage the Go/No-Go process and bid calendar with executive leadership.
Ensure estimating resources and on-time bid delivery, and plan estimating capacity alongside preconstruction work.
Run bid day on assigned pursuits, negotiate subcontractor and supplier pricing, and determine final bid numbers.
Lead risk reviews with operations, set contingency, and review escalation and qualifications on major bids.
Lead value engineering and constructability reviews, considering cost, schedule, and lifecycle impacts.
Own the compliance approach on major and public pursuits, including small business participation goals, in coordination with finance and community engagement.
Lead estimating services for hard-bid and negotiated pursuits across design-bid-build, CM at Risk, and design-build delivery, using lump sum, unit price, and time-and-materials pricing.
Represent estimating with clients and in executive settings, including key pursuits, proposals, qualifications packages, interviews, and owner presentations.
Partner with Business Development and Operations on pipeline, capture plans, and win strategy.
Build relationships with clients, engineers, subcontractors, and suppliers; strengthen repeat-client relationships and help bring in new clients.
Report on escalation and market conditions.
Ensure detailed handoffs and turnover on won work, including conversion of estimates to cost codes and budgets.
Lead preconstruction through design phases on CM at Risk and design-build projects, including priced value-engineering options and alternates.
Lead the estimate-to-actual feedback loop with operations.
Contribute to estimating systems, cost data, data governance, training, and improvements to estimating processes, policies, and procedures.
Hire, develop, and review Senior Estimators and Estimators; plan for succession; mentor Estimators and Project Engineers; and balance workloads across pursuits.
Engage company and market leaders to guide group decisions and strategy.
Build safety into estimates and avoid pricing that depends on unsafe work.