Senior Cost Estimator

Los Angeles

**Location: On-site - Los Angeles, CA** **Duties:** * Leads and supervises a team of Estimators, including designating daily assignments * Plans and participates in the preparation of construction cost estimates of buildings or other structures from drawings, outlines, and specifications * Prepares and reviews cost estimates and forms and other materials submitted to secure State and/or federal grants and loans from school aid programs and represents the district on matters pertinent to securing such funds * Checks construction cost estimates submitted by commissioned architects and engineers for accuracy and completeness and compares them with District estimates * Confers with commissioned architects and engineers to resolve differences in their cost estimates and District estimates for each project and negotiates agreements on preliminary estimates of construction costs * Conducts studies and prepare reports when contractors' bids vary widely from the agreed construction cost estimate * Checks segregations of contract costs as estimated by building contractors and recommends acceptance or rejection as a basis for progress payments * Analyzes change orders on construction work under contract and approves or rejects extras or credits submitted * Prepares or reviews cost estimates for projects * Establishes and maintains procedures for approval of plans and specifications for building projects and submission of approved projects to public bidding * Develop methods for maintaining data used in records, charts, and graphs reflecting estimated construction costs compared with actual costs * Conducts and participates in seminars and workshops with staff and minority contractors relative to school construction bidding procedures, contracts, and cost estimating * Estimates costs of damages to District property caused by fire, natural disaster, and major acts of vandalism * Establishes budgets for school building projects * Assists other branches with related functions * Prepares preliminary and final independent cost estimates of projects for comparison with designer or contractor for PM/CM to establish negotiating position * Prepares change order estimates for Owner Authorized Representatives to establish negotiating position * Provides support in price negotiations * Prepares claim analysis and estimates * Review of contractor's claims and proposals for merit and accountability * Performs related duties as assigned **Combined Qualifications: Candidates who meet one of the two sets of combined qualifications below will be considered for this position.** * A) Fourteen (14) years full-time paid professional experience in the preparation of complete cost estimates for major/complex type I, II, or III, and V building construction as defined by the State building codes AND * B) Graduation from a recognized college or university with a bachelor's degree in architecture, engineering or construction management AND * C) Three (3) years of full-time paid experience in supervising estimators AND * D) Must have worked for a construction cost consulting firm for at least five (5) years **OR** * A) Twenty (20) or more years solid full-time paid professional experience in the preparation of complete cost estimates for major/complex type I, II, or III, and V building construction as defined by the State building codes AND * B) Degree not required AND * C) Five (5) years of full-time paid experience in supervising estimators AND * D) Must have worked for a construction cost consulting firm for at least five (5) years **Knowledge/Skills:** * Excellent communication skills, both oral and written * Extensive knowledge and experience in developing conceptual and pre-construction cost estimates for complex school building projects * Ability to prepare cost estimates quickly in a fast- paced working environment * Knowledge of current local construction labor and material costs * Extensive experience in developing and estimating the scope of work for change orders * Ability to compare the independent cost estimate with contractor proposal to quickly identify differences * Ability to develop scope of work based on RFI/RFC answers and estimates the detailed costs of those scopes of work independent of the contractor proposal