Cost Estimating Manager

Position Summary

Timberline Construction Group is seeking a driven and experienced Cost Estimating Manager to lead estimating operations for residential reconstruction and disaster recovery construction projects.

This role is responsible for overseeing estimating strategy, change order pricing, subcontractor cost analysis, estimator performance, and cost reporting. The Cost Estimating Manager will ensure estimates are accurate, timely, contract-compliant, and aligned with both company and client expectations.

The ideal candidate is a strong leader with deep construction knowledge, excellent analytical skills, and the ability to build scalable estimating processes in a fast-paced project environment.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead, support, and develop the estimating team while ensuring accuracy, accountability, and production goals are met.
• Oversee construction estimates, scopes of work, and change order pricing.
• Review and interpret engineering plans, specifications, surveys, and construction documents.
• Translate engineering, design, and field requirements into accurate cost estimates, budgets, and scopes of work.
• Validate labor, material, subcontractor, equipment, and production costs.
• Ensure estimates comply with contract requirements, approved pricing structures, client standards, and program guidelines.
• Manage change order review, pricing justification, documentation, and tracking.
• Drive estimating efficiency through process improvement, standardized templates, reporting visibility, and quality control.
• Collaborate with pre-construction, construction managers, project management, and operations teams to support project execution and forecasting.
• Maintain estimating tools, pricing databases, tracking systems, and KPI reporting.
• Monitor estimator workload, performance, turnaround times, and estimate accuracy.
• Identify cost trends, pricing gaps, scope issues, and opportunities for improved estimating consistency.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business, or related field preferred; equivalent experience will be considered.
• Previous leadership experience managing estimating teams or construction-related staff.
• Strong understanding of residential construction, reconstruction, repair scopes, and change order management.
• Experience preparing, reviewing, and validating construction cost estimates.
• Proficiency with Xactimate, Microsoft Excel, and construction cost analysis.
• Ability to read and interpret plans, specifications, scopes of work, surveys, and field documentation.
• Strong organizational, analytical, problem-solving, and leadership skills.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to work cross-functionally with internal teams, clients, and subcontractors.
• High level of accountability, accuracy, and attention to detail.

Preferred Experience

• Experience with CDBG-DR, FEMA, HUD, or other disaster recovery programs.
• Experience with manufactured housing, residential reconstruction, site-built homes, or storm recovery construction.
• Familiarity with government-funded construction programs, compliance requirements, and client-approved pricing structures.
• Experience building estimating processes, tracking systems, or KPI reporting tools.
• Background working with subcontractor pricing, production schedules, and field-based construction operations.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a hands-on leader who can balance speed, accuracy, and accountability. This person should be comfortable working in a fast-moving environment, managing multiple priorities, supporting team performance, and improving systems that help estimating operations run more efficiently.