Estimating & Benchmarking Manager (Direct Hire)
Location: Houston, TX 77024 (Onsite)
Pay Rate: Starting at $116K+ (DOE, open to discuss)
Position Summary
The Estimating & Benchmarking Manager is responsible for developing and validating conceptual, budgetary, and detailed capital cost estimates for industrial projects throughout the project lifecycle. This role ensures estimates are accurate, risk-adjusted, benchmarked against industry standards, and aligned with project scope, execution strategies, and total cost of ownership (TCO) considerations.
The position serves as a key advisor to project teams and business stakeholders by providing cost intelligence, benchmarking data, risk analysis, and estimating leadership to support investment decisions, project development, and commercial negotiations.
Key Responsibilities
Capital Estimating & Cost Analysis
- Develop conceptual, budgetary, and detailed capital cost estimates for industrial projects.
- Prepare comprehensive estimates covering:
- Inside Battery Limits (ISBL)
- Balance of Plant (BOP)
- Outside Battery Limits (OSBL)
- Owner's Costs
- Ensure alignment between estimates and project scope, engineering deliverables, execution strategies, and risk profiles.
- Produce estimates for Engineering Procurement (EP) and Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) execution models.
- Validate estimate inputs, assumptions, methodologies, and final deliverables.
Cost Benchmarking & Competitiveness
- Conduct benchmarking studies to validate project capital costs.
- Analyze project competitiveness and provide recommendations to improve cost effectiveness.
- Support value engineering, design-to-cost initiatives, and cost optimization efforts.
- Maintain and enhance cost reference databases and benchmarking tools.
- Contribute to continuous improvement of estimating methodologies and procedures.
Risk & Uncertainty Analysis
- Perform quantitative risk assessments and Monte Carlo analyses to establish project cost ranges and confidence levels.
- Evaluate estimate accuracy and develop P50 cost positions.
- Participate in project risk reviews and recommend mitigation strategies.
Stakeholder Collaboration
- Partner with engineering, construction, project controls, procurement, and business teams to develop complete and accurate estimates.
- Coordinate inputs from multiple disciplines and external stakeholders.
- Lead scope and estimating clarification meetings with internal and external partners.
- Support management reviews, investment evaluations, and commercial negotiations.
Market & Cost Intelligence
- Monitor market conditions, labor trends, material pricing, and contractor performance.
- Gather and analyze market intelligence to improve estimate accuracy.
- Evaluate project performance data and lessons learned to strengthen future estimating efforts.
- Analyze win/loss data and cost outcomes to drive continuous improvement.
Process Improvement
- Develop and maintain estimating procedures, standards, tools, and training materials.
- Identify opportunities to improve estimating efficiency and consistency.
- Support implementation of best practices for estimating and benchmarking activities.
Required Qualifications
Education
- Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Civil Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.
Experience
- 5-10 years of experience in capital project estimating with a strong focus on industrial construction projects.
- Experience developing conceptual, FEL, budgetary, and detailed cost estimates.
- Experience supporting large capital projects in industrial manufacturing, chemical processing, energy, utilities, oil & gas, industrial gases, power generation, or similar industries.
- Experience performing cost analysis, estimating validation, and benchmarking studies.
- Experience working with EPC contractors, suppliers, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.
Technical Skills
- Strong understanding of capital project estimating methodologies.
- Experience with risk-based estimating and Monte Carlo cost analysis.
- Knowledge of project development phases and stage-gate project delivery processes.
- Understanding of construction execution strategies and industrial project cost structures.
- Familiarity with industrial equipment, construction labor, material takeoffs, and contractor pricing.
- Strong analytical and quantitative problem-solving capabilities.
Professional Skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
- Ability to influence stakeholders and present cost information to leadership.
- Strong organizational and project management skills.
- Ability to work independently and make sound business decisions.
- Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.
Preferred Qualifications
These qualifications will provide additional value but are not required for successful performance in the role.
- Experience within industrial gases, chemicals, LNG, refining, petrochemical, hydrogen, energy transition, or process manufacturing industries.
- Experience performing benchmarking and cost integrity assessments.
- Familiarity with Aspen Capital Cost Estimator (ACCE), Cleopatra Enterprise, EcoSys, Primavera P6, @Risk, or similar estimating and risk tools.
- Experience supporting international projects and global engineering teams.
- Knowledge of value engineering and design-to-cost methodologies.
- Exposure to capital investment reviews and business case development.
- Understanding of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) methodologies.
- Additional language capabilities (French, German, or other business languages).
Candidates should ideally possess:
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field.
- 5-10 years of industrial project estimating experience.
- Capital project estimating experience involving construction activities.
- Experience developing project cost estimates from conceptual through detailed phases.
- Knowledge of risk-based estimating methodologies.
- Industrial/manufacturing/energy/process plant project exposure.