Senior Estimator, Civil

EllisDon•Vancouver, BC

11d

About The Position

EllisDon is a construction company that emphasizes innovation, core values, and a commitment to inclusive diversity, aiming to provide employees with opportunities for great careers and to contribute meaningfully to the community. The company prides itself on building strong relationships, fostering a culture of trust, openness, mutual respect, and accountability, and offering mentorship at every level for career evolution. EllisDon also highlights its impact in areas such as climate & environment, inclusive diversity, indigenous relations, and health and safety, and uses AI tools for applicant screening. The Senior Civil Estimator will serve as the primary estimating lead for all civil pursuits, guiding projects through the estimating and pre-construction phases until turnover. This role involves supporting strategic discussions with leadership, ensuring estimate completeness and risk positioning, and working with various contract types. The successful candidate will also be responsible for organizing sub-contractor quotes, monitoring project success, building client relationships, maintaining critical databases, developing fee strategies, and mentoring future estimating leaders.

Requirements

Eagerness and ambition to be a leader in building a new team
You have a construction related degree or diploma and 10 years of experience in Civil construction estimating including transportation infrastructure (roads, bridges, rail)
You have an advanced knowledge of corporate objectives impacting estimating, estimating strategies and techniques, and construction contracts
You have extensive experience creating conceptual budgets
You have the ability to work effectively and accurately in time-sensitive situations
You have experience with estimating software (OST, costX, B2W)
Comfortable presenting to executive leadership and external partners
Motivated by building something long‑term, not just winning bids
You have experience building a team
You have the ability to work collaboratively within the EllisDon work culture

Responsibilities

Be the Primary Estimating Lead for all civil pursuits through both the estimating and pre-construction phase until turnover
Support pursuit strategy discussions with senior operations, commercial, and executive leadership during both pursuit and estimating phases.
Work under pressure and meeting strict deadlines
Complete all aspects of the estimate including accurate take-offs, detailed work plans and well-organized budgets.
Has final accountability for estimate completeness, assumptions, and risk positioning prior to executive review
Work with various contract types - including Construction Management, Design Build, PDB, Alliance, P3, and Lump sum
Organize sub-contractor quotes when the bid is successful, re-writing binders and assisting the buy-out process
Monitor the success of a project, assisting with value engineering and noting potential challenges
Build and maintain relationships with sub-trades and clients for future opportunities
Distribute sub-trade quotes and budgets to personnel, flagging areas of concern and coordinating with management to accommodate risk within the bid price
Maintain databases, including labour rates, material pricing, and project costs, for future reference
Develop and execute a “fee strategy” for each pursuit and ensure the strategy is clearly communicated to the project team
Develops talent, mentors future estimating leaders, and supports long‑term succession planning