Estimating Director

The Estimating Director provides strategic leadership and operational oversight for the company’s national, trade-specific estimating function across refrigeration, HVAC, electrical, and carpentry projects. This role establishes estimating standards, leads and develops the estimating team, oversees bid strategy and final estimate reviews, and ensures proposals are accurate, competitive, timely, and aligned with company growth and profitability objectives. The Director partners closely with executive leadership, regional Construction and Project Managers, customers, subcontractors, suppliers, and field teams to define scope, evaluate risk, identify value opportunities, and support successful project pursuits and turnover.

 

Duties and responsibilities

 

• Direct the national estimating function and translate company growth, margin, and risk objectives into departmental priorities, standards, and measurable goals.
• Lead, coach, and develop trade-specific Estimators; plan staffing and workload, establish performance expectations, and support hiring, training, and succession planning.
• Establish, maintain, and continuously improve standardized estimating processes, cost databases, templates, and technology to enhance accuracy, speed, consistency, and visibility.
• Oversee the estimating lifecycle from opportunity review and bid/no-bid input through scope development, quantity takeoff, solicitation, pricing, review, submission, negotiation, award, and project turnover.
• Lead estimate kickoff, milestone, and final review meetings; verify complete scope coverage, assumptions, exclusions, escalation, contingency, labor productivity, subcontractor coverage, and commercial risk.
• Review and approve estimate packages before submission within delegated authority and present bid strategy, pricing, risk, and recommendations to senior leadership.
• Partner with customers and internal Account, Construction, and Project Managers to define project scope, resolve deficiencies, develop value-engineering options, negotiate pricing, and strengthen long-term relationships.
• Build and maintain productive relationships with subcontractors, suppliers, and manufacturers; drive competitive coverage, negotiate fixture, gear, material, and subcontract pricing, and monitor critical delivery requirements.
• Ensure all pursuits, bid values, status updates, award probabilities, and outcomes are accurately recorded in Fieldgetics; maintain a reliable forecast of anticipated awards and estimating capacity.
• Track departmental performance, including hit rate, gross margin, estimate variance, cycle time, backlog, and forecast accuracy; use results to improve decisions and processes.
• Oversee development of contractual exhibits, scope sheets, instructions to bidders, bid packages, material takeoffs, and supporting estimate documentation.
• Provide direction to field supervision and project teams to align execution planning with design intent, estimate assumptions, and cost-effective construction methods.
• Lead post-bid and post-project reviews, organize historical bid and cost information, and incorporate lessons learned into future estimates, tools, and benchmarks.
• Represent the estimating function in site visits, pursuit calls, customer presentations, and cross-functional planning meetings; communicate decisions and expectations clearly across the organization.
• Perform other related duties as required and assigned.

 

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities that are required of the employee for this job. Duties, responsibilities and activities may change at any time with or without notice.

 

 

 

 

Experience and education

 

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, engineering, business, or a related field preferred; an equivalent combination of education and progressively responsible construction estimating experience may be considered.
• Ten or more years of progressive estimating or preconstruction experience, including significant experience in refrigeration, HVAC, electrical, carpentry, or related specialty-trade construction.
• Five or more years of demonstrated leadership experience managing estimators, multiple concurrent pursuits, and geographically dispersed or multi-trade teams.
• Demonstrated success producing and reviewing complex estimates, leading bid strategy, managing commercial risk, and supporting profitable project awards.
• Advanced ability to interpret construction drawings, specifications, contracts, schedules, and related bid documents and to convert them into complete scopes, assumptions, and pricing strategies.
• Strong knowledge of labor productivity, material and equipment pricing, subcontractor markets, value engineering, change-order estimating, and project risk analysis.
• Established customer, subcontractor, supplier, and industry relationships preferred, with a record of ethical negotiations and effective partnership development.
• Proven ability to establish standards, lead change, analyze performance data, prioritize competing deadlines, and make sound decisions with incomplete information.
• Executive-level written, verbal, presentation, negotiation, and relationship-management skills.
• Proficiency with estimating platforms, Fieldgetics, and Microsoft Office applications, including Excel, Word, Outlook, and PowerPoint.

 

 

Physical requirements and working conditions

 

Normal office environment. Occasional light lifting of office equipment, materials and boxes; frequent walking and standing; requires dexterity in use of fingers for the operation of computers and other office equipment.  Regularly required to sit; occasionally required to stand; walk; occasionally lift and/or move up to 15 pounds; noise level is usually quiet. All employees may be required to visit a customer site and/or complete a ride along with a field technician as part of their employment.

 

In alignment with Climate Pros’ values and applicable laws, we are committed to promoting pay transparency and equity. Compensation within the stated range will vary based on the candidate’s job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Final offers will be tailored to the individual’s qualifications and potential contribution.

Location(s)

Glendale Heights, IL, USA

Compensation Range

$160K - $200K

Position Type

Full-time Non-union

Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, business or related field preferred; 10+ years estimating/preconstruction experience; 5+ years leadership managing estimators; proficiency with estimating platforms, Fieldgetics, and Microsoft Office.

Key Responsibilities

• directing estimating function
• leading estimating team
• overseeing bid strategy

Skills & Tools

Fieldgetics, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Word, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint

Job Details

• Category: Project and Program Management
• Seniority: Senior Level
• Commitment: Full Time
• Workplace: Remote — Glendale Heights, Illinois, United States
• Salary: USD 160,000 – 200,000 / year
• Languages: English

About Climate Pros

A national specialty-trade construction company providing estimating and project management for refrigeration, HVAC, electrical, and carpentry projects. — Industry: Construction