Senior Estimator

Hill International•Philadelphia, PA

About The Position

Hill International is seeking an experienced Senior CSA Estimator to join its East Coast team. The Senior Estimator provides civil, structural, and architectural cost expertise across all phases of project design, producing accurate quantity take-offs and estimates calibrated to the design and specification maturity at each stage, from conceptual/order-of-magnitude estimates through detailed construction document estimates. The role combines hands-on estimating, third-party estimate review, interaction with clients and senior management, and mentorship of junior staff. It requires professional judgment about the appropriate level of detail, methodology, contingency, and documentation for each design stage. The position develops and reviews estimates for civil, structural, and architectural work; establishes transparent cost build-ups, escalation forecasts, and risk-based contingency; and prepares a defensible Basis of Estimate. The Senior Estimator also evaluates quotes and change orders, supports value analysis, participates in estimate reviews and project meetings, contributes to quality control, and mentors other estimators. The role covers civil, structural, and architectural CSI Divisions 02–10, 12, and 31–35.

Requirements

15+ years of construction cost estimating experience across conceptual, schematic, design development, and construction document phases.
Strong conceptual estimating skills with limited information and the professional judgment to determine the appropriate level of detail for each design stage.
General knowledge of estimating techniques, cost control, and material pricing.
Ability to read and understand engineering drawings, purchase orders, contracts, and cost coding systems such as CSI MasterFormat/UniFormat and agency bid item schedules.
Intermediate to advanced understanding of civil, structural, and architectural building systems sufficient to recognize relative costs and identify design gaps.
Ability to decompose parametric unit prices into constituent labor, material, and equipment components on demand.
Experience developing burdened labor rates and composite crew rates, including correct treatment of payroll taxes and insurances.
Experience building and defending escalation forecasts from published index data and Risk Registers with Low-Mean-High contingency justification.
Ability to build strong internal and external relationships with clients, design consultants, subcontractors, suppliers, and Hill staff.
Effective written and verbal communication, leadership, and mentoring capabilities.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite.

Nice To Haves

BA/BS in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field.
A mixture of field and consulting/estimating experience.
Proficiency with estimating and take-off software such as On-Screen Takeoff, Bluebeam Revu, WinEst, Destini Estimator, Accubid, RS Means, or Timberline/Sage.
Experience on Aviation, Rail and Transit, DOT, Water/Wastewater Treatment, and/or Industrial Manufacturing projects.

Responsibilities

Perform quantity take-offs and prepare estimates from conceptual/order-of-magnitude through fully detailed Construction Document estimates, using documentation and methodologies appropriate to each design phase.
Follow Hill’s estimate workflow, including intake and scope control, estimate type and structure, quantity development, direct costs and markups, Basis of Estimate, reporting, review, and close-out.
Verify the design maturity of progress drawings, specifications, and estimate request packages, and document gaps before estimating begins.
Organize estimates using a Uniformat work breakdown structure with defensible Location/System/Subsystem/Element coding, tree-level quantities, and project-specific supplemental codes as required.
Develop assemblies at the lowest WBS level with database references, labor hours, labor/material/equipment unit costs, and decomposable direct costs.
Develop burdened labor and composite crew rates, applying payroll taxes and insurance correctly.
Develop and apply subcontractor and general contractor markups, General Conditions, and General Requirements as transparent, itemized, unit-of-measure-based line items.
Build escalation forecasts from published cost index data mapped to the project schedule.
Develop and maintain project Risk Registers with applicable risk categories, Low-Mean-High values, and assigned owners, using the register to justify contingency.
Prepare a defensible Basis of Estimate documenting scope inclusions and exclusions, assumptions, methodology, quality control, and reference documents.
Review third-party and Independent Cost Estimator submissions for completeness, transparency, and uniformity, and participate in quantity reconciliation.
Evaluate and level subcontractor and vendor quotes, bid information, and change orders; assist with large change orders and entitlement verification.
Develop, prepare, and review value analysis/value engineering estimates and alternatives.
Participate in estimate review and reconciliation meetings, presenting and defending assumptions, methodology, and results to clients, design teams, and review bodies.
Attend project and kick-off meetings and site investigations as assigned; assist in developing and follow the project estimate quality control plan.
Coordinate with the broader Hill estimating team and review other estimators’ take-offs and deliverables.
Maintain proficiency with Hill’s estimating and quantity survey software platforms and help maintain them.
Lead, mentor, and develop Estimators and Junior Estimators.
Prepare accurate quantification and unit costs for civil, structural, and architectural CSI Divisions 02–10, 12, and 31–35, with organized detail and defensible baseline unit pricing.
Take off sitework and earthwork, including clearing, grubbing, cut/fill balance, haul, subgrade preparation, and compaction, stating and reconciling shrink/swell factors to cut/fill diagrams.
Take off underground utilities, including storm, sanitary, water, and joint trench, as well as trench sections, shoring, dewatering, bedding, and backfill.
Decompose concrete assemblies into formwork (SFCA), reinforcing tonnage, PSI class, and finish rather than pricing them as a single blended cost per cubic yard.
Take off structural steel and miscellaneous metals by tonnage, connection type, and erection crew, including crane selection.
Take off deep foundations, including driven pile, drilled shaft, CIDH, micropile, and ground improvement, with stated production rates and mobilization.
Take off architectural systems, including envelope, roofing, glazing/curtain wall, partitions, finishes, specialties, and conveying systems, specifying elevators by stop count, speed, and capacity.
Price temporary works, including shoring, falsework, cofferdams, MOT staging, crane pads, and laydown, as itemized General Requirements.
Build crews for civil and structural work, including excavator/loader/haul truck, form, rebar, and iron-worker crews.