Senior or Principal Estimator

As a Senior/Principal Estimator at PGE you will play a vital role in ensuring accurate and comprehensive budgets are developed for our capital construction projects. You will collaborate with various stakeholders, including engineers, project managers, and procurement teams, to assess and forecast the costs associated with infrastructure development, equipment installations, and system upgrades. Your expertise and attention to detail will contribute to informed decision-making, efficient resource allocation, and the successful completion of projects within budget.

The capital construction projects you will primarily support are related to substation and transmission/distribution work. These projects involve the construction, expansion, and upgrade of electrical substations, as well as the installation and maintenance of transmission and distribution infrastructure. You may also support projects related to generation plants.

We're hiring for a position open to both Senior Estimator and Principal Estimator level candidates. The level will be determined based on the successful applicant's qualifications, experience, and demonstrated skills during the interview process.

Key Responsibilities

Senior Estimator:

• Collaboration: Work with the project team during all phases of projects to gain deep understanding of the project goals, benefits, resources, risks, and overall scope to ensure alignment with cost estimates.
• Prepare Estimates: Review project plans, specifications, and scope of work to identify cost components, potential risks, and opportunities for cost optimization. Develop accurate and detailed cost estimates utilizing cost estimating software, cost databases and tools to produce material quantities takeoff, labor hours, equipment usage, and subcontractor costs.
• Data Analysis: Collect and analyze historical cost data, market trends, vendor quotes, and industry benchmarks, to support cost estimation.
• Budget Development: Prepare clear and concise cost estimation reports, documentation, and presentations to communicate cost estimates, clarifications, assumptions, and recommendations to stakeholders and management.
• Construction Bids: Work with Procurement and project team to prepare Request for Proposal (RFP). To support the bid evaluation efforts by providing insights related to costs, schedules, risks, and overall compliance to company standards.
• Financial Analysis and Control: Work with Project Controls analysts to monitor and track actual costs incurred during construction projects, compare to estimated costs, and provide timely updates and variance analysis to the project team and management.

Principal Estimator:

• Collaboration: Work with the project team during all phases of projects to gain deep understanding of the project goals, benefits, resources, risks, and overall scope to ensure alignment with cost estimates.
• Prepare Estimates: Review project plans, specifications, and scope of work to identify cost components, potential risks, and opportunities for cost optimization. Develop accurate and detailed cost estimates utilizing cost estimating software, cost databases and tools to perform material quantities takeoff, labor hours, equipment usage, and subcontractor costs.
• Data Analysis: Collect and analyze historical cost data, market trends, vendor quotes, and industry benchmarks, to support cost estimation.
• Budget Development: Prepare clear and concise cost estimation reports, documentation, and presentations to communicate cost estimates, clarifications, assumptions, and recommendations to stakeholders and management.
• Construction Bids: Work with Procurement and project team to prepare Request for Proposal (RFP). To support the bid evaluation efforts by providing insights related to costs, schedules, risks, and overall compliance to company standards.
• Financial Analysis and Control: Work with Project Controls analysts to monitor and track actual costs incurred during construction projects, compare to estimated costs, and provide timely updates and variance analysis to the project team and management.
• Process Improvement: The principal estimator will be responsible for the continuous improvement of the cost estimating program by developing and maintaining tools and processes to help with increasing efficiency, accuracy, and quality. The principal estimator supports and assists the estimating manager in translating company and department strategic goals into actions and measurable objectives. Tasks performed include:

• Aligning the estimating processes with current company and industry guidelines.
• Maintaining and updating the estimating manual and the best practices.
• Creating tools and knowledge bases to increase estimating efficiency.
• Reviewing actuals to estimates reports and perform variance analysis to recommend corrective actions to the estimating program.
• Utilizing historical data to develop concept level estimates and creating benchmarks and metrics to validate estimates.
• Collecting and analyzing data related to labor rates, labor productivity, materials, and services rates to improve the estimating database.
• Participate in post-project evaluation meetings to identify lessons learned and incorporate them into future cost estimation processes for continuous improvement.
• Assisting the estimating manager with the overall quality of the estimating program.

Education/Experience/Certificates

• Education
  Senior Estimator & Principal Estimator: Requires a bachelor's degree in construction engineering management/technology, engineering or related technical field or equivalent experience.
• Experience
  Senior Estimator:
  Typically, five or more years in construction and cost estimation for all types of construction projects with electrical, mechanical and civil components or a related field.
  Principal Estimator:
  Typically, eight or more years in construction and cost estimation for all types of construction projects with electrical, mechanical and civil components or a related field.

Minimum Competencies

Functional Competencies

• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of estimating techniques, cost control and general profit/loss terms
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of project management methods and concepts
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of project sequencing for placement of major equipment from early design through permitting
• Intermediate to advanced knowledge of scheduling and database computer software and applications
• Intermediate knowledge of all company standards and tariffs, company policy and applicable codes and local jurisdiction requirements
• General Competencies
• Advanced analytical thinking skills
• Advanced business process interrelationship skills
• Advanced conflict management skills
• Advanced decision-making skills
• Advanced enterprise/business awareness skills

Physical, Schedule/Attendance and Cognitive Demands

Cognitive:

• Ability to adhere to set response times, deadlines and time-sensitive tasks
• Ability to follow accuracy standards
• Ability to follow through on decision-making tasks
• Ability to interact effectively and collaboratively within a team environment
• Ability to communicate and problem solve when under stress

Schedule/Attendance:

• Ability to work long hours
• Ability to work a variable schedule
• Ability to report to work and perform work during periods of severe inclement weather
• Ability to consistently meet attendance standards for regular, reliable, predictable, full-time attendance

Physical Capabilities:

• Driving/travel/commute: Daily within service territory - occasionally (one to two times a month or less). Overnight inside/outside the service territory - occasionally (one to two times a month or less)
• Computer use (use computer regularly for entire work shift)
• Lifting/pushing/pulling: Up to 10 lbs.

Environment

• Office
• Plant
• Field