Senior Cost Estimator (Transportation)

Overview

Cordoba Corporation is seeking an experienced Senior Cost Estimator to support major transportation and transit programs throughout the Pacific Northwest. Based in Seattle, this position will provide advanced construction cost estimating expertise for complex capital programs involving light rail, rail systems, State of Good Repair, transit facilities, and other major transportation infrastructure.

The Senior Cost Estimator will be responsible for developing, reviewing, validating, and reconciling conceptual, parametric, and detailed construction cost estimates from early planning and preliminary engineering through final design, procurement, construction, and project closeout. This position will develop engineer's estimates and independent cost estimates; establish estimate assumptions and basis; evaluate quantities, labor, equipment, productivity, market conditions, escalation, risk, and contingency; and assess the cost impacts of design development, construction changes, and alternative delivery strategies.

The Senior Cost Estimator will work closely with project managers, designers, engineers, schedulers, construction managers, contractors, consultants, commercial teams, and client stakeholders to provide independent, defensible cost information that supports project budgeting, procurement, change negotiations, risk management, and executive decision-making.

Responsibilities

Construction Cost Estimating

• Develop conceptual, parametric, preliminary, detailed, and engineer's estimates for major transportation and transit capital projects.
• Prepare construction cost estimates throughout design development, including conceptual, 30%, 60%, 90%, 100%, bid, and construction-phase estimates.
• Develop detailed estimates from design criteria, drawings, specifications, quantity takeoffs, technical reports, site conditions, construction phasing, and other project information.
• Prepare estimates across multiple transportation disciplines, including civil/site work, structures, stations and facilities, track, utilities, traction power, train control/signals, communications, and MEP systems.
• Perform detailed quantity takeoffs and develop unit-price analyses incorporating labor, equipment, materials, productivity, subcontractor pricing, indirect costs, and applicable markups.
• Develop comprehensive Basis of Estimate (BOE) documentation clearly identifying estimate methodology, scope, assumptions, exclusions, qualifications, pricing sources, escalation, contingency, and risk provisions.
• Develop total construction cost estimates incorporating direct and indirect construction costs, allowances, escalation, contingency, provisional sums, risk provisions, and other applicable project costs.
• Establish and maintain estimating structures aligned with the project's Work Breakdown Structure (WBS), cost breakdown structure, bid packages, and contract strategy.

Engineer's Estimates & Independent Cost Estimates

• Prepare and validate engineer's estimates to support construction procurement and bid evaluation.
• Prepare detailed Independent Cost Estimates (ICEs) for construction changes, change orders, contract modifications, amendments, and other commercial actions.
• Evaluate contractor and consultant estimates for completeness, reasonableness, quantities, labor productivity, equipment, materials, subcontractor pricing, overhead, markups, and alignment with project scope.
• Develop independent pricing positions and recommendations to support project management and senior leadership.
• Establish appropriate pricing thresholds and identify significant deviations from anticipated market pricing.

Estimate Review, Validation & Reconciliation

• Independently review estimates prepared by designers, consultants, contractors, and third-party estimators.
• Evaluate estimates for scope completeness, quantities, unit rates, constructability assumptions, escalation, contingency, risk, market conditions, and consistency with design maturity.
• Lead and participate in estimate validation and reconciliation workshops with project teams, designers, construction managers, consultants, and other stakeholders.
• Reconcile differences between independent estimates, consultant estimates, contractor pricing, and project budgets and document the basis for agreed adjustments.
• Identify cost gaps, scope omissions, inconsistencies, duplicate costs, unrealistic assumptions, and emerging cost trends.
• Develop clear recommendations regarding estimate reliability, cost exposure, and areas requiring further evaluation.

Construction Change & Commercial Estimating

• Prepare cost-impact analyses for potential changes, directed changes, design revisions, field conditions, and contract modifications.
• Evaluate contractor change proposals and independently assess labor, equipment, material, subcontractor, overhead, markup, schedule-related, and other proposed costs.
• Support project teams during change-order and contract-amendment negotiations through development of independent cost positions and supporting documentation.
• Coordinate with design and construction teams and conduct site visits when required to validate actual field conditions, quantities, access constraints, construction methods, and change scope.
• Support evaluation of claims and commercial impacts by providing independent cost analysis and documentation.

Construction Market Intelligence & Cost Benchmarking

• Research and monitor Seattle and Pacific Northwest construction market conditions, including labor availability, prevailing wage rates, material pricing, equipment costs, subcontractor capacity, escalation, supply-chain conditions, and contractor market activity.
• Develop and maintain historical and current construction cost databases using bid results, completed projects, current market pricing, industry-standard databases, and other reliable sources.
• Benchmark project costs against comparable transportation and transit projects.
• Develop and maintain unit-cost information for major civil, structural, rail, systems, utilities, facilities, and other transportation work.
• Analyze bid results and market trends to continually improve estimating accuracy.
• Advise project leadership regarding potential impacts of market conditions, escalation, procurement timing, and construction packaging on project cost.

Risk, Contingency & Escalation

• Participate in project risk assessments and identify cost risks and opportunities associated with design development, construction, procurement, market conditions, interfaces, and project delivery.
• Develop and support cost contingency and escalation analyses appropriate to project maturity and risk.
• Perform or support Quantitative Cost Risk Analysis (QCRA) and probabilistic cost modeling using Monte Carlo simulation.
• Use @RISK, Crystal Ball, or comparable risk-analysis tools where appropriate.
• Support development of project contingency recommendations and confidence-level cost forecasts.
• Evaluate the potential cost consequences of identified project and program risks.
• Coordinate closely with risk managers, schedulers, project managers, and project controls staff to align cost risk with schedule risk and overall program forecasts.

Cost & Schedule Integration

• Work closely with project schedulers to align estimates with construction sequencing, durations, phasing, access requirements, procurement strategies, testing requirements, and project milestones.
• Develop time-phased cost forecasts and cash-flow projections based on project schedules.
• Evaluate the cost implications of alternative construction sequencing, phasing, packaging, and delivery strategies.
• Integrate estimating information with scope, schedule, risk, change, and project controls data to support comprehensive project forecasting.
• Support cost and schedule scenario analyses for potential design, construction, procurement, and delivery alternatives.

State of Good Repair & Operating Transit Environments

• Develop estimates for State of Good Repair, rehabilitation, replacement, and modernization projects within active transit operating environments.
• Evaluate cost impacts associated with limited work windows, rail access, outages, shutdowns, temporary systems, maintenance-of-service requirements, mobilization, staging, and operational constraints.
• Incorporate appropriate productivity assumptions and cost allowances for work performed within active rail and transit environments.
• Coordinate with operations, maintenance, systems, construction, and scheduling personnel to understand access and operational constraints affecting construction costs.

Reporting & Stakeholder Coordination

• Prepare clear and defensible estimate reports, cost summaries, Basis of Estimate documents, reconciliation reports, cost analyses, and executive presentations.
• Present estimate results, assumptions, risks, and recommendations to project managers, technical teams, client representatives, and executive leadership.
• Participate in design reviews, constructability reviews, value engineering studies, risk workshops, project controls meetings, and cost review sessions.
• Communicate complex construction and cost information effectively to both technical and non-technical audiences.
• Mentor junior estimators and project controls professionals and provide technical guidance on estimating methodologies, tools, and practices.
• Support continuous improvement of Cordoba's estimating standards, procedures, templates, cost databases, and tools.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, Quantity Surveying, or a closely related field, or an equivalent combination of education and directly relevant professional experience.
• 7+ years of progressively responsible construction cost estimating experience supporting major capital projects.
• Demonstrated experience preparing conceptual through detailed construction cost estimates at multiple stages of design development.
• Experience estimating large, complex civil, transportation, transit, or comparable public infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated experience developing:
• Conceptual and parametric estimates
• Detailed construction estimates
• Quantity takeoffs
• Unit-price analyses
• Basis of Estimate documentation
• Engineer's estimates
• Independent Cost Estimates
• Change-order estimates
• Strong understanding of construction means and methods, labor productivity, equipment utilization, material pricing, subcontractor pricing, indirect costs, escalation, contingency, and market conditions.
• Demonstrated ability to read and interpret engineering drawings, specifications, design criteria, technical reports, construction documents, and contract requirements.
• Working knowledge of civil, structural, architectural, utility, and infrastructure construction.
• Experience reviewing and independently evaluating estimates prepared by consultants, designers, or contractors.
• Experience participating in or leading estimate validation and reconciliation.
• Strong proficiency with Microsoft Excel and experience working with large and complex estimating datasets.
• Experience using industry-standard construction estimating software and cost databases.
• Strong analytical and numerical skills with demonstrated attention to detail and estimate traceability.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills with the ability to clearly explain estimate assumptions, methodologies, findings, risks, and recommendations.

Preferred Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressively responsible construction cost estimating experience supporting major transportation, transit, rail, or other complex public infrastructure programs.
• Direct estimating experience with light rail, commuter rail, heavy rail, State of Good Repair, rail systems, transit facilities, or major transportation capital programs.
• Experience supporting an owner or owner's representative and independently evaluating designer, consultant, and contractor estimates.
• Experience developing estimates across multiple rail and transit disciplines, including civil, structural, stations, track, utilities, traction power, signals/train control, communications, and MEP systems.
• Experience developing engineer's estimates for public construction procurement.
• Significant experience preparing Independent Cost Estimates for change-order and contract-amendment negotiations.
• Demonstrated understanding of the Seattle/Pacific Northwest construction market, including prevailing wage rates, labor conditions, material pricing, escalation, contractor capacity, and regional construction practices.
• Experience with FTA-funded transit programs, including preparation or conversion of estimates into applicable FTA cost formats.
• Experience supporting alternative delivery methods, including Design-Build, Progressive Design-Build, GCCM/CMGC, and other collaborative delivery models.
• Experience estimating work within active rail or transit operating environments, including SOGR, rehabilitation, system replacement, and modernization programs.
• Experience performing QCRA, Monte Carlo simulation, contingency modeling, escalation analysis, and probabilistic cost forecasting.
• Experience integrating cost estimate