Fire Sprinkler Estimator

Description

Position	Fire Sprinkler Estimator
Company	Columbia Fire, LLC
Location	Remote, from anywhere in the United States. Preference is given to candidates in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, where we are already licensed and set up for payroll.
Reports To	Contract Division Manager
Employment Type	Full-time, hourly, non-exempt
Experience Level	Experienced. This is not an entry-level or trainee position. Deep fire sprinkler estimating and design experience is required.
Bargaining Unit	Non-union position. Columbia Fire is a Local 699 union sprinkler contractor and our fire sprinkler field positions are in the bargaining unit. This position is not.
Incentive Eligibility	Not eligible for sales commission or the Columbia Fire Standard Sales Incentive Plan. Compensation is hourly base wage plus overtime when it occurs.
Travel	Minimal. Periodic travel to our Seattle office, roughly quarterly. No required site walks or customer visits.

 

 

Columbia Fire, LLC is a Seattle-based fire protection contractor founded in 2005. We design, install, inspect, test, service, and repair fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems for general contractors, developers, building owners, and property managers across the Puget Sound region. We are a Local 699 union sprinkler contractor.

 

Columbia Fire is part of Columbia Safety Services, LLC, a multi-state regional fire and life safety company. Our operating companies and offices:

• Columbia Fire, LLC — Seattle, WA
• Valley Fire Control, LLC — Albany and Newport, OR, and Spokane, WA, with an office in St Maries, ID
• FFF Protection — Greater Boise, with an office in Nampa, ID

 

We are building something long-term and formidable: a fire and life safety platform that operates well, invests in its people, and keeps its word. Our core values guide how we operate: Customer First, Grit, Effective Communication, Own the Outcome, Take Pride in the Work, and Do the Right Thing.

 

Estimates here get built between other obligations. Sales and operations leaders price work in the gaps in their day, which means bids go out late, small projects sit, and larger pursuits get a rushed takeoff instead of a careful one. The field pays for the difference.

This seat fixes that with dedicated estimating capacity: a steady, measured output of accurate project estimates. No selling, no project management, no site walks, no service department quoting. Volume and accuracy, every day. If you are good at this work and tired of everything else that gets stapled onto it, this seat was built specifically for you.

 

Columbia Fire has been in the Seattle market since 2005 with a union field force. You will price everything from a small tenant improvement to a full high-rise design/build — new construction, tenant improvement, retrofit, and system upgrade work, both design/build and plan-and-spec.

You will also help build the estimating standard itself — labor units, assemblies, pricing databases, and bid templates — rather than inherit a finished one. As the Columbia Fire brand grows into markets outside Seattle, this seat will have the opportunity to estimate and bid work in those markets from wherever you sit

Requirements

Estimate

• Perform complete quantity takeoffs from construction drawings, specifications, and addenda.
• Price material, fabrication, field labor hours at union rates, subcontract, equipment, freight, permits, and indirect cost, and assemble the bid.
• Small projects — tenant improvement, retrofit, system modification, and upgrade work — turned around quickly and in volume.
• Larger design/build and plan-and-spec projects — full takeoff, hydraulic feasibility review, request-for-information list, and a bid-day scope letter with clear inclusions, exclusions, and clarifications.
• Identify design and coordination problems before bid: inadequate water supply, structural and mechanical conflicts, missing scope, and specification requirements that change the system type or cost.
• Solicit and evaluate vendor and subcontractor pricing.
• Build and maintain the labor unit, assembly, and material pricing databases, and keep vendor pricing current.
• Document every estimate so someone else can pick up your file cold and understand the basis of the number.
• Turn awarded work over to project management and design with a complete estimate basis, quantities, and assumptions.
• Review completed jobs against your estimate and adjust your units and assumptions based on what the field actually experienced.

Hit the number

This is a production seat and we measure it like one. Output is set and reviewed weekly with your manager based on what the bid board needs.

• Output: four to six completed small-project estimates per business day when working small work, or $250,000 to $400,000 of estimated contract value per week when working larger projects, with a blended target when you are doing both.
• Turnaround: small-project quotes returned within one business day of a complete request; project bids delivered no later than 24 hours before bid time.
• Accuracy: buyout variance and field labor variance measured against your estimate on completed jobs, and reviewed with you.
• Hit rate and rework: bids that go out late, incomplete, or with scope errors are tracked. Nobody is perfect; patterns matter.

What is not in this role

We are being specific about this because it is the point of the seat.

• No project management. No submittals, buyout management, scheduling, procurement, or field coordination after award.
• No selling. No sold-volume quota, no commission, no account ownership.
• No service department quoting. Technician-generated deficiency and repair pricing is handled by the service team, not by this seat.
• No required pre-bid site walks or customer meetings. Our in-person sales seat carries that work.

 

• You can take off a plan set and build a defensible number without help, and you can explain how you got there.
• You are fast and you are careful, and you do not trade one for the other.
• You know what union field labor rates do to a bid and you price accordingly.
• You read specifications, not just drawings, and you catch the requirement buried on page 40 that changes the system.
• You work well alone. Remote does not mean unmonitored — it means your output is the only thing anyone sees.
• You are direct in writing. Most of your communication with the team will be typed, and clarity matters more than tone.
• You want to get better at the craft. You go back and look at how the job actually built out.

 

We would rather be honest now than three months in.

• If you have not done this specific work, do not apply. This seat requires the ability to take off and price water-based fire protection systems on day one. It is not a place to learn the trade, and we are not going to teach takeoff here.
• If a weekly production number feels beneath you, this is the wrong seat. Estimates completed and dollars estimated are how this job is measured, and we say so plainly rather than pretending otherwise.
• If you need to inherit a finished process, this will not work. The corporate layer here is deliberately lean and is being built now. The systems exist — Acumatica, ServiceTrade, ACC Build — but the estimating standard, labor units, and templates are partly yours to build. If you have spent your career inside a large company where every process is documented and onboarding is a program, you will find this uncomfortable.
• If you want customer contact, site walks, and commission upside, apply for the other seat instead. Our Fire Protection Sales Representative posting in Seattle is the in-person, commissioned, customer-facing version of this work. This one is neither, and that is deliberate: the person who prices the work should not be paid on the margin they set.
• If you go quiet when you are behind, remote will not save you. When the bid board is heavier than the hours available, we need to hear it from you the day you know, not on bid day.
• If working alone at home drains you, take that seriously. This is a solitary seat by design. Most days it is you, a plan set, and a screen.

 

• High school diploma or GED.
• Five or more years of dedicated fire sprinkler estimating, design, or layout experience, including full responsibility for takeoff and pricing.
• Demonstrated ability to complete a full water-based fire protection takeoff from a construction plan set, unassisted.
• Working knowledge of NFPA 13, 13R, and 13D, and of NFPA 24 where underground and site work is in scope.
• Ability to perform or review hydraulic calculations and to recognize when a design is not feasible as drawn.
• Proficiency in AutoCAD-based fire sprinkler layout or estimating software (AutoSPRINK, HydraCAD, SprinkCAD, or comparable) and strong spreadsheet skills.
• Experience pricing work with union field labor rates.
• Ability to read and coordinate architectural, structural, mechanical, and electrical drawings and specifications.
• Reside in the United States, with a dedicated home workspace and reliable high-speed internet, and the ability to work core hours in Pacific Time.
• Legally authorized to work in the United States.

 

• Located in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, or Utah, where we are already licensed and set up for payroll.
• NICET Level III or higher in Water-Based Systems Layout.
• Washington State Patrol Certificate of Competency, Level III or higher. Stamping design drawings is not a requirement of this position, but a certificate holder can expect that work to be available.
• Experience with Acumatica, ServiceTrade, ACC Build, Bluebeam, or comparable construction platforms.
• Fire pump, standpipe, or special hazards estimating experience.
• Exposure to fire alarm estimating for combined-scope bids.
• Familiarity with Seattle and King County permitting and plan review, and with Washington State Patrol submittal requirements.
• Prior experience estimating remotely for a contractor in another market.
• Post-secondary coursework or a degree in construction management, engineering, or a related field — or equivalent experience. No degree is required for this position.

 

• Hourly rate: $38.94 to $43.27 per hour, which is approximately $81,000 to $90,000 annually at 40 hours per week. Placement in the range depends on depth of estimating and design experience, credentials, software fluency, and demonstrated speed and accuracy.
• This position is non-exempt. The general expectation is a 40-hour week. Overtime does occur around heavy bid weeks, is approved in advance, and is paid at one and one-half times your regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek.
• Not eligible for sales commission or the Columbia Fire Standard Sales Incentive Plan. That is a deliberate design choice: your job is accuracy and throughput, and the person who prices the work is not paid on the margin they set.
• Laptop, monitors, and software licenses provided.
• Paid training, certification, and continuing education, including NICET and Washington State Patrol certification.

Summary

 

You will know whether this is working, and so will we. The measures are observable:

• First 90 days: you are producing complete, accurate estimates independently on small projects and secondary bids, you know our labor units and pricing sources, and you are meeting turnaround expectations.
• By 180 days: you are carrying the weekly output targets on a normal mix, you are handling full design/build takeoffs on your own, and your buyout and labor variances on completed jobs are within tolerance.
• By 365 days: you are the reason the bid board is current. Estimating standards, labor units, and templates are better than when you arrived because you improved them, and the sales team trusts your numbers without re-checking them.

This is a seat with room above it. We would rather promote you out of this role in a few years — into estimating leadership, design leadership, or a chief estimator seat as the group grows — than keep you in it.

 

• Medical, dental, and vision through Regence BlueShield, Delta Dental of Washington, and VSP — available to employees scheduled 30 or more hours per week, effective the first of the month following or coinciding with your hire date
• The company pays approximately 90% of the employee premium on the HSA-qualified plan and 75% of dependent premiums on that plan (85% of the employee premium and 60% of dependent premiums on the PPO)
• Health Savings Account with a $600 annual company contribution (HealthEquity)
• 401(k) through Vestwell, QACA Safe Harbor, with employer match up to 3.5%
• Paid time off starting at 10 days and increasing with length of service
• Eight paid holidays
• Company-paid basic life and AD&D coverage of $20,000
• Employee Assistance Program (SupportLinc), telehealth through Doctor on Demand, and optional pet insurance

 

• Full-time, Monday through Friday, with core hours of 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Pacific so you are reachable by the sales, design, and operations teams during the workday. Some flexibility outside core hours is available.
• Remote from a dedicated home workspace anywhere in the United States. We give preference to candidates in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, and Utah, where we are already licensed and set up for payroll, but we will consider strong candidates in any state.
• Periodic travel to our Seattle office, roughly quarterly, for team and estimating reviews. Travel is reimbursed under company policy.

Physical requirements. The essential functions of this position require the ability to:

• Work at a computer and read detailed construction drawings on screen for extended periods, including sustained keyboard and mouse use.
• Communicate clearly by phone, video, and in writing throughout the workday.
• Occasionally lift and carry up to 25 pounds (plan sets, printed documents, computer equipment).

This position does not require regular access to active construction sites.

 

Apply through the job board where you found this posting, or contact Columbia Fire through columbiafire.net. Include a resume and a short note that answers three questions:

• What software have you taken off and estimated in, and how many years in each?
• On a normal day working small projects, how many estimates do you complete start to finish?
• Describe an estimate you got wrong, how you found out, and what you changed afterward.

 

Columbia Fire, LLC is an equal opportunity employer. We consider all qualified applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, citizenship or immigration status, age, marital status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, honorably discharged veteran or military status, use of a trained service animal, or any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local law.

All employment decisions — including recruiting, hiring, compensation, training, promotion, and discipline — are based on qualifications, merit, and business need.

 

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities and for religious beliefs, observances, and practices. If you need an accommodation to participate in the application or interview process, or to perform the essential functions of this position, please contact us and we will work with you to identify an appropriate accommodation.

 

Employment with Columbia Fire, LLC is at-will. Either the employee or the company may end the employment relationship at any time, with or without cause and with or without notice. Nothing in this job description or posting creates a contract of employment or a guarantee of employment for any specific duration.

Five or more years of fire sprinkler estimating, design, or layout experience; high school diploma/GED; NFPA knowledge; hydraulic calculation ability; estimating software and spreadsheet proficiency; U.S. work authorization.

Key Responsibilities

• performing takeoffs
• pricing projects
• reviewing drawings

Skills & Tools

Acumatica, ServiceTrade, ACC Build, AutoCAD, AutoSPRINK, HydraCAD, SprinkCAD, Bluebeam, Microsoft Excel

Job Details

• Category: Construction
• Seniority: Senior Level
• Commitment: Full Time
• Workplace: Remote — Seattle or Washington or Oregon or Idaho or Nevada or Utah or United States
• Salary: USD 80,995 – 90,001 / year
• Languages: English

Benefits

• 401k matching
• Generous paid time off
• Tuition reimbursement
• Retirement plan

About Columbia Fire, LLC

A fire protection contractor designing, installing, inspecting, testing, servicing, and repairing fire sprinkler and fire alarm systems. — Industry: Construction