Switchgear Estimator - 5K Power

Hays Electrical Services•Houston, TX

About The Position

The Switchgear Estimator is a highly technical role responsible for converting customer requirements, one-line diagrams, specifications, and design documents into accurate, complete, competitive, and buildable estimates for switchgear and switchboards. The role requires working knowledge of low- and medium-voltage electrical distribution systems, major electrical components, manufacturing labor, and UL equipment standards. The estimator balances turnaround speed with technical accuracy while evaluating cost drivers and risks before estimates become commitments. The estimator will help build 5K Power’s switchgear and electrical distribution platform by establishing standard configurations, bills of material (BOMs), labor assumptions, vendor relationships, pricing databases, and estimating processes. This work supports faster responses, more accurate pricing, and more efficient manufacturing.

Requirements

Five or more years of electrical estimating experience is preferred, with a strong focus on switchgear, switchboards, and distribution equipment.
Ability to interpret one-line diagrams quickly, develop detailed BOMs and takeoffs, and evaluate breakers, bus systems, metering, protection, and equipment ratings.
Working knowledge of UL switchgear standards.
Strong Excel and estimating software capabilities.
Strong analytical, mathematical, and organizational skills.
Ability to manage multiple accurate estimates under tight deadlines.
Ability to work in and around manufacturing and fabrication environments and review equipment, components, drawings, and manufacturing processes in field and shop environments.
Travel may be required for vendor meetings, manufacturing reviews, customer meetings, or project support.

Nice To Haves

Experience estimating low- and medium-voltage switchgear, ANSI-rated gear, data center infrastructure, and custom electrical assemblies.
Background with generator paralleling, main-tie-main setups, service entrance, and specialized metering/protection systems.
Direct experience in electrical prefab or manufacturing environments.
Experience working with major vendors such as Eaton, ABB, Siemens, Schneider/Square D, and GE, and with NRTL/UL listing processes.
Experience building estimating databases, ERP integrations, or product configurators.
Ability to identify constructability issues, long lead times, and financial risk using engineering intuition.
Effective communication across engineering, manufacturing, procurement, sales, and vendor networks.

Responsibilities

Review customer one-lines, specifications, equipment schedules, drawings, and bid documents.
Develop complete estimates for low- and medium-voltage switchgear, switchboards, and distribution assemblies.
Identify mains, feeders, breakers, switches, busing, CTs, PTs, metering, relays, controls, and protective devices.
Generate accurate BOMs and estimate costs for material, fabrication, assembly, wiring, engineering, testing, QA/QC, packaging, and freight.
Identify long-lead items, specialty components, non-standard requirements, and custom fabrication needs.
Translate one-line diagrams into physical lineups, determining section counts, breaker arrangements, compartment needs, and cable-entry access.
Evaluate voltage, amperage, interrupting ratings, bus ratings, enclosure types, and service-entrance requirements.
Determine main bus, vertical bus, neutral/ground bus, feeder sections, tie sections, and auxiliary compartments.
Identify missing information, technical conflicts, and design risks that affect pricing or constructability.
Apply UL requirements for switchgear and switchboards during estimation.
Verify component compatibility and account for required testing, NRTL certification, labeling, and documentation costs.
Coordinate with engineering and manufacturing to ensure proposed designs can be built and certified properly.
Request and evaluate pricing, availability, and lead times from preferred component manufacturers.
Evaluate alternate manufacturers and equivalent components to address cost or schedule issues.
Identify obsolete, restricted, or long-lead items before quote finalization.
Estimate labor hours for enclosure/steel fabrication, bus fabrication, component mounting, control wiring, assembly, testing, and inspection.
Coordinate with electrical, structural, VDC/BIM, and manufacturing engineering teams to evaluate heat dissipation, structural needs, and clearances.
Use standard 5K Power configurations, BOMs, and labor assumptions to support design-to-cost principles and product repeatability.
Build and maintain the 5K Power switchgear estimating database, including components, breakers, busing, labor, freight, and historical costs.
Track project results by comparing estimated and actual costs to reduce change-order risk and improve estimating tools.
Serve as a technical checkpoint before quote release, ensuring accurate scope, exclusions, assumptions, pricing validity, and risk mitigation.
Monitor estimate accuracy against actual project costs, estimate turnaround time, quote conversion rates, gross-margin accuracy, BOM accuracy and completeness, and estimating database and standardized BOM maintenance.