Senior Estimator

Horizon Recruitment is recruiting for a Project Estimating Lead to support a portfolio of major capital projects. This is a senior, hands-on estimating role for someone who can develop reliable cost estimates, challenge assumptions, and provide the cost intelligence needed to support sound investment decisions. Projects range from approximately $5 million to $1 billion, giving this individual exposure to work of different sizes and levels of complexity. A key focus will be strengthening estimating practices through benchmarking, historical project data, market intelligence, and consistent AACE-based methodologies.

This is a contract opportunity with strong potential to convert to a permanent position. The role is based in Calgary with four days per week onsite at the corporate office.

Responsibilities

• Lead the development and validation of capital cost estimates from early project development through detailed engineering and execution.
• Build conceptual, screening, and Class VI through Class III estimates using the appropriate level of detail for each project's size, scope, and maturity.
• Develop estimating strategies, assumptions, methodologies, estimate development plans, and basis of estimate documentation.
• Prepare comprehensive estimates covering engineering, equipment, bulk materials, fabrication, construction labour, subcontracts, indirect costs, owner's costs, escalation, and contingency.
• Review engineering deliverables, quantities, labour hours, contractor estimates, vendor quotations, and supporting cost data.
• Use historical project information to benchmark new estimates, identify cost trends, highlight gaps, and improve future estimating accuracy.
• Help build and maintain estimating databases, benchmarking metrics, and cost intelligence.
• Assess labour rates, productivity, commodity and equipment pricing, inflation, and other market factors that can affect project costs.
• Lead estimate risk assessments, contingency development, and probabilistic analysis where appropriate.
• Identify cost risks and opportunities while supporting value engineering and constructability reviews.
• Evaluate contractor, subcontractor, and supplier estimates and quotations for completeness, competitiveness, and accuracy.
• Support business cases, capital approvals, stage gate reviews, forecasting, scheduling, and capital planning.
• Present estimate findings, risks, assumptions, and recommendations to project teams, sponsors, and senior leaders.
• Conduct estimate assurance reviews and help strengthen estimating standards, procedures, templates, and technology.
• Work closely with Engineering, Procurement, Construction, Finance, Project Management, contractors, and internal market intelligence teams.

Requirements

• 10+ years of hands-on project estimating experience, including significant responsibility for major capital project estimates.
• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Quantity Surveying, Project Management, Business, or a related discipline.
• AACE Certified Cost Professional (CCP), Certified Estimating Professional (CEP), PMP, or P.Eng. designation is preferred.
• Strong Canadian estimating and construction experience, with a practical understanding of Canadian market conditions, labour, and project execution.
• Oil & gas experience is strongly preferred. Experience in energy, midstream, utilities, or petrochemical projects is also relevant.
• Demonstrated experience estimating projects across different sizes and levels of complexity, ideally ranging from smaller capital projects through major projects approaching $1 billion.
• Strong knowledge of AACE estimating classifications, methodologies, and estimate development practices.
• Experience across project development and execution stages.
• Experience with benchmarking, historical cost databases, completed project analysis, and estimate performance metrics.
• Strong understanding of escalation, market intelligence, labour productivity, commodity pricing, and equipment cost trends.
• Experience reviewing and validating contractor-generated estimates, quantities, labour hours, and commercial submissions.
• Knowledge of risk based estimating, contingency analysis, cash flow forecasting, schedule integration, value engineering, and estimate assurance.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills. Experience with EcoSys and Power BI is valuable.
• Strong communication skills with the confidence to ask questions, challenge assumptions, and support recommendations with data.
• Collaborative, detail-oriented, adaptable, and comfortable working as a senior individual contributor without direct reports.
• Comfortable using modern estimating technology and interested in applying new digital and AI-enabled tools to estimating work.
• Owner/operator or EPC experience will be considered. Exposure to both environments is an asset.

Only candidates eligible to work in Canada will be considered

Horizon Recruitment Inc. is a specialized recruitment and search firm with two complimentary practice areas: Finance & Supply Chain.