Construction Estimator
Lenexa, KS, USA
Our client is a well-established, privately held commercial general contractor with more than 90 years of success delivering high-quality Design-Build, Construction Management, and negotiated commercial construction projects throughout the Kansas City region. Known for its relationship-driven approach and long-tenured workforce, the company specializes in a diverse portfolio of office, retail, municipal, senior living, industrial, multifamily, adaptive reuse, and historic renovation projects. With a collaborative, people-first culture and minimal bureaucracy, the organization offers employees direct exposure to leadership, meaningful career development opportunities, and the chance to make a significant impact within a growing preconstruction team.
About the Role
Prepare conceptual, square-foot, and detailed estimates from early design through Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) for a variety of commercial Design-Build and design-assist projects.
Responsibilities
- Develop preliminary budgets, preconstruction schedules, and value engineering recommendations to support project planning and owner decision-making.
- Participate in Design-Build pursuit interviews, owner presentations, and preconstruction meetings.
- Collaborate closely with preconstruction leadership, business development, project management, design teams, subcontractors, and project owners throughout the estimating process.
- Solicit, prequalify, and evaluate subcontractor and supplier bids while developing bid packages and leveling proposals.
- Coordinate project turnover meetings with project managers and superintendents to ensure successful transitions from preconstruction to operations.
- Prepare pricing for change orders and support estimating efforts for active construction projects.
- Maintain estimating databases, historical cost information, subcontractor relationships, and cost coding systems.
- Assist with self-perform estimating efforts and collaborate with internal trade teams as needed.
- Contribute to continuous improvement of estimating processes while working in a highly collaborative and adaptable environment.
Qualifications
- 10+ years of commercial construction estimating experience with a General Contractor.
- Proven Design-Build and conceptual estimating experience across commercial projects.
- Ability to independently prepare both conceptual and plan/spec estimates from early budgeting through final pricing.
- Strong communication skills with confidence presenting estimates and participating in owner meetings and pursuit interviews.
- Experience coordinating subcontractor bidding, bid leveling, value engineering, and preconstruction activities.
- Proficiency with Bluebeam, On-Screen Takeoff (OST), Procore, and Microsoft Excel.
- Experience estimating a variety of commercial project types; candidates from Design-Build commercial GC environments are strongly preferred.
- Bachelor's degree in Construction Management or a related field is preferred.
- Experience with healthcare or medical construction is a plus.
- Candidates from residential-only or subcontractor-only backgrounds will not be considered.
- Desire to grow into a long-term leadership opportunity through direct mentorship with a clear succession path into a Preconstruction Manager role.