Chief Estimator - Civil & Landscape Construction
Burlington, ON
$100,000 - $140,000 + Bonus + Growth Opportunity
The Opportunity
We are looking for a Chief Estimator to lead and build our estimating department while helping drive the growth of our municipal, public-sector, and general contracting divisions.
Today, our President remains heavily involved in estimating. Our goal is to find the right person who can gradually assume ownership of the estimating function, build scalable systems, establish production benchmarks, and ultimately become the leader of all estimating activities within the company.
This is a unique opportunity for an ambitious estimator who wants to move beyond preparing bids and become a key leader within a growing construction business.
What Success Looks Like
Within the first 12-24 months, this person will:
- Assume ownership of day-to-day estimating operations
- Build and improve estimating systems, procedures, and standards
- Develop reliable labour production rates and historical cost databases
- Reduce the President's involvement in estimating activities
- Expand our municipal and public-sector bidding efforts
- Strengthen relationships with general contractors and industry partners
- Build an estimating department capable of supporting future growth
Key Responsibilities
- Lead complex tender submissions for parks, bridges, landscape construction, and civil infrastructure projects
- Prepare detailed cost estimates, quantity takeoffs, budgets, and bid packages
- Review drawings, specifications, contracts, and tender documents
- Coordinate supplier and subcontractor pricing
- Analyze quotations and ensure complete and competitive bid coverage
- Develop bid strategies and identify project risks
- Maintain historical costing databases, labour production rates, and productivity benchmarks
- Collaborate closely with operations and project management teams
- Mentor and support junior estimators as the department grows
- Help establish best practices and scalable estimating processes
Required Qualifications
- Minimum 5 years of estimating experience in civil, landscape, or heavy civil construction
- Minimum 5 years of field experience in landscape construction, civil construction, or related construction operations
- Experience with municipal, public-sector, and tendered projects
- Strong understanding of construction means, methods, sequencing, crew planning, and field productivity
- Experience with Bluebeam, Excel, and estimating software
- Strong leadership, communication, and organizational skills
What Will Separate Great Candidates
The material takeoffs are the easy part.
We are looking for someone who truly understands labour production, crew efficiencies, equipment utilization, and project execution.
The successful candidate should be able to confidently answer questions such as:
- How many shrubs can a crew install in a day?
- What production rate should be used for 1,000m² of paver installation?
- How many labour hours are required to install a retaining wall?
- What crew composition is required to complete the work efficiently?
- How will site access, logistics, and project complexity impact productivity?
The ideal candidate has spent significant time in the field and can translate real-world construction experience into accurate budgets, realistic production targets, and winning bids.
If you've helped build estimating departments, improve bid accuracy, establish production benchmarks, or scale construction operations, we'd love to speak with you.
