Senior Estimator/Preconstruction Manager

Florida Palm Construction•Davie, FL

2d•$85,000 - $110,000•Onsite

About The Position

Florida Palm Construction is seeking an experienced Senior Estimator / Preconstruction Manager to lead their Preconstruction and Estimating Department. This role involves owning the entire preconstruction process, from initial opportunity review through estimating, proposal, award, and successful handover to the Operations team. The ideal candidate is an experienced construction professional who enjoys estimating but also desires to lead, improve systems, develop subcontractor relationships, manage priorities, identify risks, mentor others, and influence project selection.

Requirements

Significant estimating and preconstruction experience with a General Contractor.
Comfortable operating at both the leadership level and in the details.
Ability to lead a department while personally taking ownership of complex estimates.
Highly proficient in reading plans and specifications.
Strong in conceptual and detailed estimating.
Experienced with commercial construction and subcontractor buyout.
Comfortable negotiating and building subcontractor relationships.
Skilled at identifying scope gaps, constructability issues, and project risks.
Organized and capable of managing multiple deadlines simultaneously.
Confident communicating with owners, architects, engineers, subcontractors, and internal teams.
Comfortable using data and KPIs to manage performance.
Interested in improving processes rather than simply following them.
Strong leader who holds yourself and others accountable.
Calm under pressure and proactive when problems arise.
Commercial General Contractor experience is strongly preferred.

Nice To Haves

Experience with tenant improvements, institutional work, ground-up construction, and/or high-end residential projects is a plus.

Responsibilities

Lead the Estimating Pipeline, managing approximately 8-10 active estimates simultaneously, establishing priorities, assigning workload, and ensuring deadlines are met.
Own each opportunity from initial review through bid submission and award, including initial project review, conceptual and preliminary budgeting, detailed estimating, scope and bid package development, subcontractor solicitation and coverage, bid leveling and scope review, value engineering, proposal preparation, client presentations and negotiations, and preconstruction-to-operations handoff.
Manage clear internal milestones for every estimate to ensure thoughtful project review.
Build accurate, competitive estimates by reviewing drawings, specifications, addenda, contracts, and other bid documents to understand project requirements and identify risks, missing information, and potential scope gaps.
Develop and review conceptual and detailed estimates, scopes of work, bid packages, allowances, alternates, exclusions, clarifications, client proposals, and RFIs.
Evaluate constructability, logistics, phasing, scheduling, long-lead items, permitting, bonding, insurance, and other project-specific requirements.
Lead the Subcontractor Strategy by developing strong relationships with subcontractors and vendors, expanding the network, managing subcontractor solicitation and bid coverage, reviewing and leveling proposals, identifying scope gaps and overlaps, negotiating pricing, and determining appropriate numbers and qualifications for estimates.
Work collaboratively with subcontractors, architects, engineers, and clients to identify value-engineering opportunities and practical solutions.
Connect Sales, Preconstruction & Operations by partnering with Sales and Business Development to evaluate opportunities, determine project fit, and prioritize estimating resources.
Participate in weekly Sales/Estimating meetings, providing leadership with clear visibility into new opportunities, active estimates, bid coverage, proposal status, potential awards, pipeline value, estimating performance, department workload, and project/preconstruction risks.
Lead a comprehensive handoff to the Project Manager and Superintendent for awarded projects, ensuring Operations understands the estimate, subcontractor proposals, assumptions, allowances, exclusions, schedule, procurement priorities, and known risks.
Help build a better Preconstruction Department by refining estimating procedures, templates, historical cost data, subcontractor database, bid tracking, departmental KPIs, and SOPs.
Manage the integration of AI automations to improve estimating accuracy, productivity, follow-up, reporting, and scalability.