Director of Estimating Preconstruction

Director of Estimating & Pre-construction

Northern Nevada | Civil Construction

A leading civil construction and site development firm in Northern Nevada is seeking a seasoned Director of Estimating & Pre-construction to lead and elevate its estimating organization.

This is a senior leadership role responsible for overseeing the full pre‑construction lifecycle — from early pursuit strategy through bid submission and turnover. The Director will lead a team of junior and senior estimators, partner closely with Operations and Project Management, and play a critical role in protecting margins, ensuring constructibility, and supporting the company’s continued growth.

This position offers the opportunity to own the estimating department, help shape future hiring and structure, and work collaboratively alongside other department leaders as the organization scales.

• Title: Director of Estimating & Pre-construction
• Department: Estimating / Pre‑construction
• Reports To: Senior Leadership

• Lead and manage all estimating and pre‑construction efforts across civil construction and site development projects
• Oversee junior and senior estimators, including takeoff and support functions
• Evaluate team capacity, workload distribution, and future staffing needs
• Mentor and develop internal talent through coaching, accountability, and performance standards
• Establish a culture of accuracy, professionalism, collaboration, and execution-focused estimating

• Direct all estimating activities from pursuit review through final proposal submission
• Review plans, specifications, and bid documents to ensure complete scope coverage
• Identify constructibility concerns, scope gaps, and design inconsistencies early
• Communicate major risks, assumptions, and cost drivers clearly to senior leadership
• Ensure pricing reflects real-world execution, logistics, and field conditions

• Identify, quantify, and mitigate project risks related to cost, schedule, and constructibility
• Review general conditions, site constraints, phasing, sequencing, and production assumptions
• Partner closely with Operations and Project Management to validate bid strategy and execution plans
• Support value engineering and alternative approaches during pre‑construction

• Lead the transition of awarded projects from estimating to execution
• Support job kick‑off meetings and alignment on scope, assumptions, and budgets
• Ensure estimates are converted into accurate, cost‑code‑level project budgets
• Assist with change pricing, scope clarifications, and pre‑construction support during execution
• Participate in periodic project reviews and site visits to strengthen feedback loops

• Own estimating systems and continuous improvement initiatives, including HCSS Heavy Bid
• Maintain and enhance production models, labor and equipment costing, and material databases
• Standardize estimating processes, templates, and documentation
• Reduce reliance on fragmented spreadsheets and improve scalability of estimating operations

• Build strong relationships with clients, design teams, subcontractors, and suppliers
• Represent the company professionally within the industry and local community
• Support a reputation built on responsiveness, integrity, and execution excellence

Success in this role will be measured by:

• Estimate accuracy and bid‑to‑job variance
• Quality of scope capture and risk identification
• Timeliness and consistency of bid execution
• Effectiveness of project turnover and startup alignment
• Adoption and optimization of Heavy Bid systems
• Development and growth of the estimating team
• Contribution to margin protection and predictable project outcomes

• 8+ years of estimating experience in civil construction, heavy earthwork, excavation, or underground utilities
• Demonstrated experience leading estimating teams and takeoff functions
• Proven collaboration with Operations and Project Management teams