What are the responsibilities and job description for the Senior/Lead Estimator position at Food Management Search?
Senior / Lead Estimator — Heavy Civil / Highway
Charlottesville, Virginia (Central Virginia) · Direct Hire · Competitive Pay Full Benefits
Numbers are your language. Winning is your goal. If you’re the kind of senior estimator who digs into the details, builds tight bids, and takes pride in landing profitable work — we’ve got a seat with your name on it.
As a well-established force in transportation, bridge, highway, and heavy civil construction, we’re growing our central Virginia team and looking for a Senior/Lead Estimator to lead bids on projects ranging from $5M to $60M.
What makes this opportunity stand out
• A proven organization that pursues the right projects and wins them
• A real voice in project selection, bid strategy, and execution
• The chance to mentor and lead junior estimators as the bench grows
• Top-tier compensation in a market where strong estimators are hard to find
• A full pipeline of heavy civil and highway work
Your day-to-day
• Own bid documents and interpret civil construction plans cold
• Lead quantity takeoffs and build out complete project scopes
• Define subcontractor needs, meet DBE goals, and flag constructability concerns early
• Drive value engineering opportunities and own pre-bid owner coordination
• Build and submit complete bid packages and project schedules
• Set bid strategy and defend the number with leadership
• Mentor and develop junior estimators
• Some local travel required with occasional weekend availability
Your background
• 7–10 years in civil construction estimating
• Strong DOT background — VDOT / NCDOT experience highly valued
• Proven on highway, earthwork, bridge, or utility projects
• Track record bidding work independently in the $5M–$60M range
• Proficiency in HeavyBid or comparable estimating platform
• Degree in construction management or related field a plus
What’s in it for you
• Strong compensation package tailored to your experience
• Full Health, Vision, and Dental coverage
• FSA Program
• 401(k) with a 4% company match
• 8 holidays plus a floating personal day
• 120 hours of PTO starting year one