Estimating Manager

COMPANY OVERVIEW

Our client is Australia's largest and most established modular building company, operating at national scale with a broad footprint across manufacturing, installation and hire operations. With decades of experience delivering modular and relocatable buildings across some of Australia's most demanding sectors — including education, healthcare, defence, resources, government and commercial — the business has built a genuinely differentiated position in a market that is growing faster than almost any other segment of the Australian construction industry.

The business operates across two primary delivery lines — permanent modular builds (Sale) and short-to-medium-term relocatable structures (Hire) — giving the estimating function consistent and varied workload across a diverse portfolio of project types and client sectors. The national footprint, established supplier and subcontractor relationships, and in-house manufacturing capability place this organisation in a compelling position as offsite and modular construction continues to gain ground as the delivery method of choice for an increasing number of building programmes across Australia.

The company is now at a genuine inflection point in the development of its estimating capability. Investment is being made to transition from a traditional quoting model to a fully integrated, turnkey estimating function — and the Estimating Manager appointed to this role will own and lead that transformation. This is a rare opportunity to step into a nationally recognised brand, lead a structured team, and build something of lasting value within a high-growth sector.

WORKING ENVIRONMENT & PROJECTS

As Estimating Manager, you will take national leadership of a geographically dispersed team of up to 10 estimators, overseeing the quality, accuracy and timeliness of estimating output across both Sale and Hire lines of business. The role is as much about governance and people leadership as it is about technical estimating — you will be setting standards, developing your team, building and maintaining CostX systems, and personally leading the most complex and high-value tenders in the portfolio.

Modular construction has a distinctive estimating requirement that sets it apart from conventional building. Every project involves two distinct scopes — the factory (manufacturing and fabrication) component and the site (installation, civil and services) component — and the ability to delineate, price and manage both with precision is central to this role. Project values range from $500K through to multi-million-dollar programmes spanning modular education facilities, healthcare and aged care developments, defence infrastructure, resources and mining accommodation, and commercial and government builds.

CostX is the core platform across the business and you will be expected to work at an advanced level — developing and maintaining templates, scopes, system documents and BOQ frameworks that drive consistency and quality across the national team. The Brisbane office operates on a hybrid model, with three days per week in the office and two days from home after an initial settling-in period, providing a strong balance between team connection and flexible working.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Lead and manage a national team of up to 10 estimators, overseeing resource allocation, performance, quality of output and delivery timelines across a concurrent portfolio of tenders.
• Personally lead the preparation and review of complex, high-value tenders, ensuring accuracy of BOQs, scopes of work and cost plan submissions across both Sale and Hire lines.
• Develop, maintain and continuously improve CostX templates, scopes, system documentation and estimating frameworks to drive consistency and quality across the national function.
• Implement process improvements and governance frameworks that transition the estimating function toward a fully integrated, turnkey model.
• Manage stakeholder relationships with consulting engineers, building certifiers, suppliers, subcontractors and clients, providing clear and commercially sound estimating outputs at every stage.
• Interpret technical specifications, tender documents and building drawings, translating complex project requirements into accurate and competitive cost submissions to the business's agreed format.
• Ensure compliance with the National Construction Code, Ausco standards, and applicable architectural, design and quality requirements across all estimating outputs.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives, identifying opportunities to enhance estimating efficiency, accuracy and commercial competitiveness across the portfolio.

WHAT YOU NEED

• 10+ years' experience creating and editing BOQs and cost plans within the building or construction industry — essential.
• Minimum 5 years' experience managing estimating teams and complex, concurrent project pipelines in a leadership or senior estimating capacity.
• Advanced CostX proficiency — 5+ years' experience in the latest version is required; this is a non-negotiable technical requirement of the role.
• Civil and site experience — a solid understanding of the site installation and civil component of construction is essential to delineate factory and site scope accurately.
• Degree qualified in Quantity Surveying, Construction Management, Civil Engineering or a related discipline.
• Strong commercial acumen and an understanding of competitive tender environments, D&C, ECI and government framework contracts.
• Experience in modular, relocatable, offsite or prefabricated building environments preferred; candidates from main contractor or large-format commercial construction backgrounds with strong estimating leadership experience are also well placed.
• Advanced BIM capability — Autodesk Revit desirable alongside CostX.

WHAT YOU'LL GET IN RETURN

This role offers a base salary of $190,000–$230,000 plus Superannuation and a 10% Short-Term Incentive tied to team performance and business outcomes — meaning the better you build the function, the more you earn. You will be joining the market leader in Australian modular construction at a pivotal moment, with genuine authority to shape the estimating function, a structured team to develop, and a clear progression pathway toward a National PreConstruction or Technical Services leadership position. The hybrid working arrangement and access to Brisbane's growing construction market complete a compelling overall package for an experienced estimating leader ready to make their mark at national level.

HOW TO APPLY

To explore this opportunity in confidence, please forward your CV or project profile to ***email_hidden*** or contact 07481 954446 for an initial conversation.