Senior Estimator - Own estimating. Protect the margin.
- Coquitlam, BC, Canada
We want an A-player we'd happily pay $150k, not a quote clerk · Full-time
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Job details
- Pay
- We want an A-player we'd happily pay $150k, not a quote clerk
- Job type
- Full-time
- Apply by
- Posting language
- English
- Posted
Original job description
Most estimators at our size are stuck rewriting the owner's quotes, chasing field chaos, or ballparking jobs that lose money.
This seat is different.
We're a ~$4M painting and renovation company in the Lower Mainland. Work is real. Clients are real. Margin matters. We're hiring one senior estimator to own estimating outright: you walk the job, build the number, set the price, and stand behind it. You're not producing numbers for someone else to approve. You are the person who decides what we bid, what we walk away from, and how we protect margin before a job is ever sold.
What you own
- The estimating function, end to end. Your numbers go out as yours; the owner doesn't rewrite them
- Pricing authority and bid/no-bid calls. You decide which jobs are worth winning and which aren't
- Margin. You set it at the quote stage and you see how it holds up on the finished job
- The front end of the business. Your judgment shapes what work comes in the door
What success looks like in year one
- Your estimates hold up: finished jobs come in close to the labour and materials cost you priced
- Margin is protected on the jobs you sell
- We win work on accuracy and value, without buying it on price
- Every sold job is handed to a PM with a clean, itemized scope so it gets built as sold
What you get
- Real authority. We want an A-player we'd happily pay $150k, not a quote clerk
- On-site work: walk jobs, price what's actually there, talk to customers like a pro
- Variety that keeps you sharp: residential, strata, commercial, light reno, not the same unit forever
- A company investing in systems. Ops, costing, and handoffs are being built on purpose
- Direct line to the owner. Decisions move; no corporate maze
- Respect for craft. We win the right jobs and walk away from the wrong ones
What we need from you
- Proven senior-level estimating experience (painting, reno, restoration, a related trade, or GC). We care about the jobs you've priced and how they turned out, not a years-on-the-clock number
- Heavy on-site quoting experience
- Itemized, defensible estimates: labour, materials, contingency, exclusions
- A track record you can talk to: size and value of projects estimated, estimate volume, and how close your numbers came to actual cost
- Clear handoffs to PMs so jobs get built as sold
- The judgment to protect margin before the quote goes out
What this is not
- Learning estimating on our dime
- Sales-only ballpark pricing
- A role where the owner rewrites every number
If you're the estimator other companies try to keep, and you want a seat where your judgment actually runs the front end of the business, let's talk.
Send a short note on the jobs you've estimated (typical size, value, and volume) plus a sanitized sample or how you approach an on-site quote.
Alpha & Omega Painting Inc. · Coquitlam · www.alphaomegapainting.ca
More about this job
Responsibilities
Own the estimating function end to end, including site visits, itemized estimates, pricing decisions, bid/no-bid calls, and margin protection. Track estimate accuracy against completed job costs and provide project managers with clear scopes so work is delivered as sold.
Requirements
Requires proven senior-level estimating experience in painting, renovation, restoration, a related trade, or general contracting, with substantial on-site quoting experience. Candidates must produce defensible itemized estimates, demonstrate a track record of estimate accuracy and project volume, and communicate clear scopes to project managers.
Skills
- Construction Estimating
- Painting Estimating
- Renovation Estimating
- On-Site Quoting
- Cost Estimation
- Labour Costing
- Materials Costing
- Contingency Planning
- Margin Management
- Bid/No-Bid Decision-Making
- Scope Development
- Project Handoffs
- Customer Communication
- Estimate-to-Actual Cost Analysis
Visa sponsorship
Not detected in the job text
Categories
- Construction
- Trades
- Management & Leadership
Keywords
- Painting
- Renovation
- Restoration
- Construction
- General Contracting
- Senior Estimating
- On-Site Quoting
- Itemized Estimates
- Labour Costs
- Materials Costs
- Contingency
- Exclusions
- Pricing Authority
- Bid/No-Bid Decisions
- Margin Protection
- Estimate Accuracy
- Actual Job Costs
- Project Scope
- Project Manager Handoffs
- Residential Projects
- Strata Projects
- Commercial Projects
- Light Renovation