Cost Estimator

Founded in 1944, Lochner is a trusted infrastructure services provider for aviation, surface transportation and water clients who need high-quality, forward-looking solutions to complex challenges. Our vision is to become a Top 100 leader in the A/E industry, centered on an agile, engaged, and empowered workforce coming together to embrace the art of the possible and make a lasting difference in our world.

We are currently seeking a Mid-Level Estimator to support design and construction management on a major public transit infrastructure program in the Seattle region. This position offers the opportunity to contribute to the successful delivery of complex, high-impact transit projects by providing accurate, data-driven cost estimating in alignment with agency standards and federal funding requirements.

Your Impact

• Prepare detailed cost estimates across all phases of design: conceptual, preliminary, intermediate, final, and construction release.
• Support cost control by ensuring estimates align with program-level work breakdown structures (WBS) across cost management and scheduling platforms such as Oracle, PRISM, and Primavera.
• Collaborate closely with Project Managers, Engineering Leads, and Project Controls personnel to ensure accuracy and traceability of estimates.
• Assist in producing monthly forecasting updates, including assessments of remaining quantities, escalation, and market condition trends.
• Conduct detailed cost/price analysis to support budgeting, change order evaluation, and contract negotiations.
• Participate in value engineering, risk assessments, and lifecycle cost analysis activities.
• Review and support negotiations of change orders, ensuring alignment with cost estimating assumptions and benchmarks.
• Provide peer review and quality control for cost estimates prepared by other team members.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Project Management, or a related technical field.
• 7–10 years of experience in construction cost estimating, ideally for public transit or heavy civil infrastructure.
• Prior experience supporting Sound Transit projects or other large, publicly funded transportation agencies is highly desirable.
• Familiarity with Sound Transit’s cost estimating methodologies, cost reference guides, and cost reporting practices is highly desired.
• Proficiency in industry-standard tools:
  Heavy Bid, Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Knowledge of federal cost control and reporting standards, including FTA’s Standard Cost Categories (SCCs), is a plus.
• Ability to communicate complex cost data clearly and work collaboratively.

Commitment

Lochner provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.