Senior Estimator

Description

McCormick Construction (McC) is a specialized industrial contractor with over 30 years of experience serving agriculture, grain handling, ethanol, feed mills, and complex material handling environments. We partner with customers to design, build, and improve critical infrastructure, solving operational challenges and delivering projects with precision, safety, and reliability.

McCormick Construction is seeking a Senior Estimator to serve in a player‑coach leadership role, leading the estimating function while actively estimating projects, reviewing bids, supporting project handoff, coordinating with operations and sales teams, improving estimating processes, and helping develop the estimating team. This role is responsible for driving estimating accuracy, operational consistency, workflow visibility, and team accountability while helping position McCormick to pursue and win profitable work.

The ideal candidate brings strong estimating experience, leadership capability, construction knowledge, sound business judgment, and the ability to collaborate effectively across departments and with clients.

• Evaluating incoming project opportunities to determine strategic fit, operational alignment, project risk, estimating priorities, and the likelihood of successful and profitable execution.
• Reviewing incoming bid opportunities, specifications, drawings, and project documentation.
• Participating in go / no‑go decision‑making based on project fit, profitability potential, operational capacity, and estimating workload.
• Evaluating project complexity, schedule requirements, delivery methods, and execution risks.
• Identifying missing information and coordinating requests for clarification or additional documentation.
• Coordinating attendance at pre‑bid meetings, walkthroughs, and site visits as needed.
• Working with sales and business development teams to prioritize high‑value and high‑probability opportunities.
• Assessing scope clarity and determining when RFIs or additional discovery discussions are required.
• Helping ensure estimating timelines and due dates are realistic and achievable based on workload and company priorities.

• Leading the estimating function while remaining actively involved in estimating activities.
• Reviewing incoming opportunities, specifications, drawings, and project documentation.
• Participating in go / no‑go decisions based on strategic fit, operational capacity, profitability, and project risk.
• Coordinating estimating priorities, schedules, deadlines, and workflow visibility.
• Leading weekly estimating meetings and supporting team accountability.
• Helping establish scalable estimating processes, standards, and best practices.

• Performing conceptual, schematic, and detailed estimates.
• Interpreting drawings, specifications, RFPs, and supporting project documentation.
• Developing labor, material, equipment, subcontractor, and production cost estimates.
• Preparing quantity takeoffs and pricing breakdowns.
• Identifying scope gaps, constructability concerns, and estimating risks.
• Reviewing subcontractor and supplier pricing for completeness and alignment with scope.

• Assisting with proposal development and bid submissions.
• Supporting proposal presentations and client discussions when appropriate.
• Communicating with clients to clarify scope, answer technical questions, and support project development.
• Coordinating with sales, business development, drafting, and operations teams throughout the estimating process.

• Soliciting subcontractor and vendor pricing during the estimating process.
• Expanding and strengthening McCormick’s subcontractor and supplier network.
• Comparing subcontractor proposals for pricing, completeness, schedule alignment, and scope coverage.
• Supporting evaluation of subcontractor qualifications, responsiveness, and reliability.
• Researching and identifying new subcontractors, suppliers, and trade partners as needed.
• Utilizing Buildr RFQ tools and systems to improve bid…