Chief Estimator

Location: Fresno, CA (50% travel to Sacramento and field offices)

Estimated Salary Range: $220,000-$265,000 (commensurate with experience)

Employment Type: Full-time

Jaquith Consulting Group is seeking an experienced Chief Estimator to serve as the senior cost estimating authority for the Track, Systems & Civil Construction (TSCC) contract, responsible for the development, validation, and maintenance of construction cost estimates across all phases of project delivery, from conceptual (AACE Class
5) through definitive (AACE Class
1) estimates. The position leads estimate development for baseline budgets, change orders, claims quantum, and independent cost reviews, and serves as the primary point of coordination between the Authority’s Program Controls function, the design-build/CM at-risk contractor’s estimating team, and the Program Management/Oversight Consultant (PMOC) on matters of cost basis, methodology, and risk-adjusted contingency. Reporting to the Deputy Director, PMO Project Execution Branch
, the Chief Estimator works with substantial independence in selecting estimate methodology, allocating cost risk, and establishing the technical basis of estimates, escalating significant or unresolved cost positions as they arise. This is a professional-level position requiring independent judgment on estimate methodology, cost risk allocation, and the technical defensibility of estimates presented to Authority executive leadership, the Board, and federal funding partners (FRA, FTA).

The TSCC contract encompasses trackwork, systems (traction power, train control/PTC, communications, SCADA), and heavy civil construction scope delivered under a design-build or CM/GC delivery model consistent with California High-Speed Rail Authority program conventions. The Chief Estimator’s work products support the Authority’s cost baseline reporting under its Earned Value Management System (EVMS), FRA and FTA capital cost reporting obligations, and Board-level program budget updates, and must be reconcilable to the program Work Breakdown Structure (WBS) and control account structure.

The Chief Estimator reports to the Deputy Director, PMO Project Execution Branch and works with substantial independence in selecting estimate methodology, allocating cost risk, and establishing the technical basis of estimates, escalating significant or unresolved cost positions to the Deputy Director, PMO Project Execution Branch. The position supervises estimators, cost engineers, and quantity take-off staff assigned to the TSCC contract, and provides technical direction to contractor and subconsultant estimating staff on submittals requiring Authority review.

Key interfaces include Program Controls (cost, schedule, and risk), Design and Engineering, Construction Management, Contracts and Procurement, Claims and Change Management, the PMOC, and FRA and FTA on request.

• Develop and maintain construction cost estimates at each AACE estimate class (Class 5 through Class
  1) for the TSCC scope, applying consistent methodology, escalation, and contingency treatment across estimate revisions.
• Prepare and reconcile quantity take-offs, unit price build-ups, and productivity-based estimates for trackwork, systems, and civil elements; validate contractor-submitted estimates and pay applications against independent Authority estimates.
• Establish and document estimate basis, assumptions, and exclusions in a basis-of-estimate (BOE) format sufficient to withstand third-party and federal audit.
• Maintain unit cost and productivity databases and historical cost data specific to heavy rail, systems, and civil construction for use in future estimates and benchmarking.