Construction - Director of Estimating & Sales (Sales/Lead Estimator) - Bakersfield CA

Director of Estimating & Sales (Sales/Lead Estimator) — Bakersfield, CA
Full-time | On-site | $180,000–$250,000 base + annual bonus + ESOP

About the Opportunity
Our client is a 76-year-old, employee-owned general contractor headquartered in Bakersfield, California, with roughly $200M in annual revenue and a clear plan to reach $300M. They build multi-family (60–700 units), K-12 and institutional (schools, religious, medical, $1–$50M), commercial ($1–$50M), and industrial (aviation, agriculture) projects across the Central California corridor from Santa Barbara to Fresno, plus the Antelope Valley.

They have created a new executive-level seat to lead estimating and business development. This is not a traditional estimator role. You will partner directly with the Company President to find, price, and win the work that keeps the backlog full, lead a team of three estimators and an estimating assistant, drive value engineering, and be the face of the company in client negotiations. First-year priorities include implementing a CRM, expanding into new market sectors, increasing bid volume, and broadening the subcontractor base beyond the company's traditional referral and negotiated-contract model.

What You Will Do

• Backfill backlog by identifying and pursuing new opportunities; maintain a steady cadence of bid pursuits (target: at least 6 bids per month); build relationships with commercial real estate firms, architects, engineers, and the Builder's Exchange.
• Own bid strategy: bid/no-bid, pricing, and risk posture; prepare executive-level bid summaries and risk/return assessments.
• Lead the complete estimating process for complex projects across conceptual, design-development, design-build, and hard-bid phases; supervise takeoffs, hard-cost and trade pricing, subcontractor selection, and value engineering.
• Lead, mentor, and develop the estimating team; set goals, assign workloads, and ensure accurate, on-time estimates.
• Build and maintain a strategic, prequalified subcontractor pool; lead prequalification, bid solicitation, and negotiation.
• Deliver complete turnover packages to Project Managers on award, and track win rate, cycle time, accuracy, cost per square foot, and profitability.
• Collaborate with Risk Management, Finance, Safety, Field Operations, and Scheduling; attend industry and association events for business development.

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or related field; CMAA, AACE, or CCS certification a plus.
• 10+ years of construction estimating at a general contractor with a track record across multi-family (60–700 units), school projects up to $50M, and commercial projects up to $50M.
• Experience leading a small estimating team.
• Proficiency with estimating software (Sage Estimating, ProEst, PlanSwift, Bluebeam, Autodesk Takeoff, RSMeans, or similar) and an interest in AI-assisted takeoff.
• Design-build proposal development from conceptual plans and performance specifications; working knowledge of California building code across multi-family, school, and commercial work.
• Strong cost knowledge across concrete, structural, MEP, interior fit-out, and site work; competence in value engineering, risk assessment, and subcontractor procurement.
• Advanced financial modeling; ability to analyze profitability, margins, and risk.
• Strong negotiation skills and a client-facing presence; excellent written and verbal communication.

What They Offer

• Base salary of $180,000–$250,000 plus an annual discretionary bonus.
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) — you become an owner.
• Company-paid medical (Anthem PPO or Kaiser HMO) and dental for the employee; vision; FSA; 401(k) with dollar-for-dollar match up to 4%.
• Negotiable PTO, 8 paid holidays, professional development and certification reimbursement.
• A stable, collaborative, open-door culture with a strategic backlog and diversified market exposure, run on the Entrepreneurial Operating System (EOS).

Location
This role is based full-time in the Bakersfield, CA office with travel to client meetings within the service area. Candidates relocating from Los Angeles, Orange County, the Central Valley, or elsewhere in California are encouraged to apply.

How to Apply
Submit your resume along with a short summary of your multi-family, school, and commercial estimating experience, your leadership background, and notable projects where you led the estimate. All inquiries are confidential.

Velocity Search Group is an executive search firm. Our client is an Equal Opportunity Employer.