Director of Estimating

W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company is seeking an experienced, strategic, and highly technical Director of Estimating to lead the estimating department within the Yates Industrial Division based in Birmingham, Alabama.

The Director of Estimating is responsible for directing all estimating operations, bid preparation, cost modeling, risk evaluation, and preconstruction strategy across Yates’ core industrial market sectors:
Pulp & Paper, Metals (Steel/Aluminum), Process Chemicals, and Power Generation
.

The successful candidate will lead and mentor a team of industrial estimators, establish standardized estimating procedures, leverage industry-leading software (
Timberline
), and maintain deep client relationships during the preconstruction and proposal phases.

• Lead, direct, and grow the Industrial Division estimating department, assigning roles and oversight across active tenders and budget studies.
• Establish standardized workflows, cost databases, historical cost benchmarking, and quality assurance processes for all industrial estimates.
• Mentor senior and junior estimators, cost engineers, and discipline specialists (civil, structural, mechanical, piping, electrical, and instrumentation).
• Conduct thorough peer reviews and executive-level bid reviews prior to formal submission.
• Direct estimating strategies tailored to complex heavy industrial markets:
• Pulp & Paper: Mills, boilers, digestors, recovery systems, paper machine installations/modifications.
• Metals: Rolling mills, melt shops, furnaces, casters, and processing facilities.
• Process Chemicals: Chemical processing plants, storage facilities, specialized piping, and vessel installations.
• Power Generation: Combined cycle plants, renewable integration, environmental retrofits, and balance-of-plant (BOP) systems.
• Collaborate with Operations, Safety, Business Development, and Executive Management to align estimate assumptions with execution strategies, schedule logic, risk profiles, and margin targets.
• Prepare and oversee multi-disciplinary conceptual, order-of-magnitude, preliminary, and definitive lump-sum, EPC, GMP, and unit-price estimates.
• Analyze complex industrial engineering packages, P&IDs, equipment lists, and technical specifications.
• Evaluate labor productivity, equipment requirements, craft availability, constructability, site logistics, and specialized subcontractor quotes.
• Perform quantitative risk assessments, contingency modeling, and escalation projections specific to industrial supply chains and labor markets.

• Maintain high proficiency in primary estimating platforms:
  Timberline / Win Est.
• Drive database optimization, rate updating, custom assembly development, and integration with digital takeoff tools (e.g., eTakeoff, Plan Swift) and BIM/3D models.
• Interface cost estimating models with scheduling software (Primavera P6) and corporate ERP/accounting systems.
• Participate in pre-bid meetings, owner presentations, contract negotiations, and value-engineering workshops.
• Cultivate strong relationships with heavy industrial specialty subcontractors, major equipment vendors, and engineering partners.
• Lead post-bid debriefs, project handoffs to field management teams, and post-project cost reconciliations.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management, Mechanical Engineering, Civil Engineering, Industrial Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent combination of technical training and heavy industrial experience).
• 12 to 15+ years of progressive experience in industrial construction estimating, cost engineering, and preconstruction.
• Minimum of 5 years in a managerial or departmental leadership role overseeing multi-discipline estimating teams.
• Proven…