Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. Federated Service Solutions is a company that helps national customers execute complex technology installations and rollouts. They are seeking a Lead Estimator to develop accurate proposals for technology installation projects, serving as a strategic partner to various departments by evaluating project requirements and ensuring proposal quality.
Responsibilities
- Develop bid strategies for complex opportunities by evaluating scope, labor, materials, logistics, schedule, margin, risk, competitive positioning, and customer requirements
- Participate in customer discovery and exploratory calls to understand technical needs, operational goals, site conditions, decision criteria, and commercial expectations
- Own the accuracy and completeness of estimates and proposals, ensuring assumptions, exclusions, pricing, labor models, technical scope, and supporting documentation are clear and defensible
- Partner with Sales throughout the opportunity lifecycle to shape solutions, evaluate options, clarify requirements, strengthen positioning, and improve the probability of winning profitable work
- Research market conditions, labor trends, material costs, vendor capabilities, competitive factors, and emerging technologies to inform pricing and pursuit strategy
- Estimate low-voltage, network infrastructure, camera system, national rollout, and technology installation projects
- Support telematics estimating efforts as needed
- Review drawings, statements of work, customer requirements, and technical documentation
- Build and maintain estimates using FSS Excel-based pricing tools
- Evaluate labor, material, subcontractor, travel, freight, equipment, tax, contingency, and risk assumptions
- Approve pricing, margin, and final bids under $50,000
- Escalate larger or higher-risk opportunities for additional review and approval
- Direct the Sales Estimator's daily priorities, workload, quality standards, and development
- Coordinate with Sales, Engineering, Operations, Project Management, vendors, and other stakeholders
- Identify missing scope, risks, and delivery concerns prior to proposal submission
- Support proposal presentations, customer discussions, and negotiations
- Utilize AI-enabled tools to improve proposal quality, consistency, and turnaround time
- Manage multiple active bids while meeting customer deadlines
- Occasionally work outside normal business hours to meet firm proposal deadlines
- Travel less than once per month for customer meetings, site visits, and project discovery activities
Skills
- Minimum 3 years of experience estimating low-voltage installation projects
- Strong understanding of low-voltage, network infrastructure, surveillance, or related technology installations
- Experience in estimating, field installation, project management, engineering, technical leadership, or solutions architecture
- Advanced Microsoft Excel skills, including formulas, pricing models, and large bid workbooks
- Ability to evaluate labor, materials, logistics, scheduling, margins, and project risk
- Experience reviewing technical drawings, scopes of work, customer requirements, and proposal documentation
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Valid driver's license
- Ability to manage competing deadlines while maintaining a high degree of accuracy
- 5+ years of estimating experience
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Information Technology, Business, or a related field
- Experience estimating: National technology rollouts
- Experience estimating: Multi-site deployments
- Experience estimating: Telematics installations
- Experience estimating: Structured cabling
- Experience estimating: Network infrastructure
- Experience estimating: Camera systems
- Experience estimating: Access control systems
- Experience with AI-assisted estimating tools and proposal automation
- Experience negotiating with vendors and subcontractors
- Familiarity with market-based pricing strategies
Company Overview