Sr Project Controls Estimator

ComEd • Oakbrook Terrace, IL

110d

About The Position

The Sr Project Controls Estimator prepares and refines bottoms-up cost estimates for Substation, Transmission, Distribution, and Gas projects using industry best practices and documentation appropriate to each project phase. The role includes conducting field walkdowns with project teams to identify site-specific cost factors, developing estimates and supporting analysis for internal and external use, comparing actual project costs with estimates, and improving estimating methods based on those results. It also supports business planning, project baselines, cash-flow analysis, and operational decision-making, while managing the estimating queue and maintaining labor and material unit-cost databases.

This individual contributor works under general supervision and frequently handles non-routine assignments. The role collaborates with project managers and stakeholders across planning, engineering, construction, resource management, and finance; facilitates estimate and contractor-bid challenge meetings; and regularly mentors less experienced colleagues. Extended hours, shift work, or emergency coverage may occasionally be required to support business operations and energy delivery emergencies.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a business, financial, or technical field, or 6–9 years of relevant experience in lieu of a bachelor's degree.
• 4–7 years of relevant experience with a bachelor's degree.
• Ability to build high-level or detailed estimates from project diagrams, detailed designs, or verbal scopes of work.
• Ability to interface effectively with all levels of management.
• Ability to facilitate project meetings with stakeholders in office or field environments to develop estimates.
• Strong understanding of applicable standards, methods, processes, practices, business fundamentals, and performance metrics in electric and gas distribution, transmission, and substation work.
• Ability to produce Phase 3 detailed total project estimates with an expected accuracy range of ±10% of completed-work actual cost.
• Ability to produce definitive estimates used for bidding work or evaluating contractor bids and for project cost-variance analysis.
• Completion of a project walkdown before an estimate is completed.
• Ability to create project estimates for projects costing up to $300 million.
• Ability to prepare estimates in a format transferable to cost analysts for DFF and WPT loading.
• Ability to compare older and recent estimates, identify exact cost differences, and explain them to executive-level budget approvers.
• Strong understanding of design drawings and detailed engineering and construction prints, including calculating quantities, resource hours, durations, and limitations from design documents.
• General proficiency with standard software such as Microsoft Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, and Project, and with specialized business and project-management applications.
• Expert understanding and ability in Excel, and a good understanding of the InEight EU Estimating Tool and the estimating component of Asset Suite 8.
• Ability to provide detailed analysis and apply managerial accounting, forecasting, staff planning, scheduling, statistical problem-solving, financial, accounting, business, and budget-analysis concepts.
• Advanced project-evaluation analytical skills, including economic, financial, risk, and decision analysis, and the ability to assess scenarios to determine least-cost technical solutions.
• Strong oral and written communication, customer-service, analytical, problem-solving, and project-management skills.
• Strong knowledge of performance-analysis practices, including trending, root-cause and gap analysis, benchmarking, and audit compliance.
• Ability to analyze organizational data and problems, recommend alternative courses of action, and implement intervention strategies to achieve performance targets.

Nice To Haves

• Bachelor's degree with relevant post-undergraduate coursework.
• 4–7 years of estimating experience in the electric or gas transmission, distribution, and substation industry.
• Professional estimating certification from AACEI, ASPE, or SCEA.
• Knowledge of or experience with estimating software.

Responsibilities

• Support development of Phase 1, 2, and 3 project cost estimates in WBS format, documenting assumptions and confidence factors for current and long-range plan budgets.
• Conduct modeling, forecasting, trending, variance analysis, and other financial and implementation analyses related to estimates.
• Track and analyze estimating information and report scorecard or key performance indicators.
• Prepare, update, and maintain standard labor and material unit costs and related estimating databases.
• Develop unit-cost and parametric estimate ranges for standard work scopes and update parametric values to reflect current trends and costs.
• Update estimates for each phase approval using current documentation and meeting information, and conduct peer reviews before estimates are issued.
• Review engineering drawings, perform general analyses, and prepare reports supporting business operations.
• Work with project managers to ensure estimates are understood, challenged, and reviewed.
• Prepare and facilitate estimate challenge meetings with planning, engineering, project management, construction, and other stakeholders.
• Prepare and facilitate contractor estimate or bid challenge meetings.
• Prepare side-by-side estimate analyses, variance analyses, and lessons learned to generate parametric values.
• Perform field walkdowns with project teams to identify site conditions that may affect project costs.
• Compare project actuals with the latest estimates and incorporate findings into estimating methods.
• Support short- and long-range business planning, project baselines, detailed process and cash-flow development, and business-unit operations.
• Research and provide statistical estimate and performance information.
• Manage the estimating queue to meet deadlines.
• Mentor less experienced colleagues.

Benefits

• Annual bonus of 15% for eligible positions.
• 401(k) match and annual company contribution.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance.
• Life and disability insurance.
• Paid time off options, including vacation, sick time, floating and fixed holidays, maternity leave, and bonding/primary caregiver or parental leave.
• Employee Assistance Program and mental and emotional support resources.
• Wellbeing programs, including tuition reimbursement, adoption and surrogacy assistance, and fitness reimbursement.
• Referral bonus program.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior