Construction Estimator and Project Cost Manager

JAS Builders is a licensed general contractor based in St. Petersburg, Florida. We specialize in house lifting, flood mitigation, foundation reconstruction, structural work, and residential construction.

Our work focuses on protecting homes from future storm damage by elevating structures, rebuilding foundations, and delivering construction solutions designed for Florida’s coastal conditions. We regularly work through complex engineering, permitting, FEMA related requirements, structural challenges, and coastal construction conditions.

We are looking for someone who is detail oriented, organized, and capable of helping us build accurate budgets and protect project profitability.

This is a full time, on site role for a Construction Estimator and Project Cost Manager based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The person in this role will be responsible for preparing accurate quantity takeoffs, building detailed project budgets, coordinating vendor and subcontractor pricing, and helping ensure projects stay within budget from preconstruction through completion.

This role requires more than preparing estimates. The estimator will work closely with project managers and company leadership to identify scope gaps, pricing risks, budget overruns, missing cost items, and change order opportunities before they become larger problems.

• Review construction plans, engineering drawings, specifications, scopes of work, and project documents
• Perform quantity takeoffs for residential construction, house lifting, foundations, concrete, CMU, steel, framing, finishes, helical piles, and related scopes
• Prepare detailed project budgets based on plans, vendor pricing, subcontractor proposals, field conditions, and internal cost assumptions
• Solicit, organize, and compare vendor and subcontractor pricing
• Identify missing scope, unclear scope, exclusions, conflicts, and pricing risks before budgets are issued
• Assist with value engineering when project costs exceed the owner’s budget
• Track estimated costs against actual project costs during construction
• Work with project managers to identify budget issues, pending change orders, and cost overruns
• Prepare or assist with change order pricing when scope changes occur
• Maintain historical cost data to improve estimating accuracy over time
• Support leadership with project profitability reviews and budget performance analysis
  

• Experience in construction estimating, quantity takeoffs, budgeting, or project cost management
• Ability to read and interpret construction plans, engineering drawings, and specifications
• Strong understanding of construction materials, labor, subcontractor pricing, and project sequencing
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Ability to communicate clearly with project managers, vendors, subcontractors, and leadership
• Proficiency with Excel and construction management or estimating software
• Experience with residential construction, structural work, coastal construction, or foundation work is preferred
• Experience with Buildertrend, QuickBooks, Bluebeam, PlanSwift, STACK, or similar software is a plus
• Experience with FEMA related work, permitting, or house lifting projects is a bonus
• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or a related field is preferred, but equivalent field or estimating experience will be considered
  

The ideal candidate understands that a construction budget is not just a number. It is the financial roadmap for the project.

We are looking for someone who can:

• Catch missing scope before it becomes a problem
• Build budgets that are clear, accurate, and defendable
• Help project managers stay ahead of cost overruns
• Push back when something does not make sense
• Improve estimating accuracy over time
• Help protect company profitability
  

Interested candidates can apply through LinkedIn or send their resume to: info@jasbuilder.com