Cost Engineer - Estimator

4373 County Line Road, Chalfont , Pennsylvania 18914 , United States

Full-time

Pengate Handling Systems is a leading provider of end-to-end warehouse and material handling solutions throughout the Northeast. For more than 30 years, we have helped businesses move, store, and manage products more safely and efficiently by combining industry-leading equipment with warehouse automation, engineered systems, robotics, conveyors, storage solutions, fleet technology, parts, service, rentals, and training.

As a premier Raymond Solutions and Support Center, Pengate is backed by one of the most respected names in the material handling industry. However, we are more than an equipment provider. Our experienced sales, engineering, automation, project management, and service teams work together to design and support complete solutions that solve complex operational challenges and help our customers improve productivity, maximize space, reduce downtime, and prepare their operations for the future.

We are hiring a Cost Engineer / Estimator. In this role, you will be responsible for developing accurate cost estimates and competitive commercial proposals for material handling and automation projects.

This position works closely with Sales, Applications Engineering, Procurement, Operations, and external suppliers to evaluate customer requirements, obtain vendor quotations, validate project costs, and develop comprehensive pricing packages.

The ideal candidate is analytical, detail-oriented, and comfortable interpreting technical information. Experience with material handling systems, conveyor equipment, robotics, controls, construction, manufacturing, or other technical project environments is highly valued.

What You'll Do

Cost Estimating and Analysis

• Develop detailed cost estimates for material handling, warehouse automation, and integrated systems projects.
• Review customer requirements, project specifications, layouts, technical drawings, equipment selections, and scope documentation.
• Estimate equipment, labor, engineering, software, installation, freight, travel, and subcontractor costs.
• Create and maintain internal costing models, estimating tools, pricing databases, and supporting documentation.
• Analyze project costs to identify potential risks, opportunities, and value-engineering alternatives.
• Compare estimates against historical project results and lessons learned to improve estimating accuracy.
• Update estimates as project requirements and scopes evolve.

Vendor and Supplier Coordination

• Develop and maintain relationships with equipment suppliers, integrators, subcontractors, and other project partners.
• Prepare and issue Requests for Quotation to vendors and subcontractors.
• Evaluate vendor proposals for pricing, technical compliance, lead times, scope coverage, and commercial terms.
• Coordinate with suppliers to clarify requirements, obtain budgetary pricing, and resolve quotation discrepancies.
• Partner with Procurement to understand supplier pricing, market conditions, and sourcing opportunities.
• Support supplier performance and strategic sourcing initiatives.

Proposal Development

• Collaborate with Sales and Applications Engineering to develop customer-facing proposals.
• Prepare commercial cost summaries, pricing packages, bid documentation, and proposal support materials.
• Assist in documenting project assumptions, exclusions, qualifications, and commercial terms.
• Participate in internal proposal reviews and approval processes before customer submission.
• Confirm that proposals align with company pricing strategies, approval requirements, and profitability goals.
• Maintain accurate documentation and audit trails supporting pricing decisions.

Project Handoff and Collaboration

• Create and validate detailed internal cost sheets for project review and approval.
• Support project handoffs to Operations, Engineering, and Project Management.
• Communicate pricing assumptions, vendor information, project risks, and scope details to internal stakeholders.
• Participate in project kickoff and lessons-learned meetings.
• Work with cross-functional teams to improve estimating tools, workflows, and processes.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives focused on the standardization and automation of estimating activities.

What We'll Looking For

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to interpret technical drawings, equipment specifications, layouts, and project requirements.
• High attention to detail with a commitment to producing…