Senior Electrical Estimator

This Opportunity 

WSP is seeking a Senior Electrical Estimator to support WMATA capital projects as part of the owner’s project controls and estimating team. The successful candidate will serve as an electrical estimating subject matter expert and independently prepare, review, reconcile, and defend cost estimates for transit facilities and rail systems from early concept through construction and change control. This is a remote position with some travel. 

This role requires substantial electrical construction knowledge, disciplined basis-of-estimate documentation, and the ability to evaluate incomplete design information while clearly identifying assumptions, exclusions, risks, and required clarifications.

Your Impact 

Primary Responsibilities:

• Develop independent conceptual, planning, design-stage, bid, issued-for-construction, change-order, and construction cost estimates for electrical and related systems.
• Perform quantity takeoffs and develop labor, material, equipment, subcontract, testing, commissioning, temporary-work, escalation, contingency, markup, and indirect-cost components.
• Prepare crew-based and unit-price estimates using drawings, specifications, narratives, site information, as-built records, technical requirements, vendor quotations, and stakeholder input.
• Evaluate constructability, phasing, outages, limited work windows, access restrictions, maintenance of operations, testing, commissioning, and interfaces with civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, rail, and systems work.
• Prepare basis-of-estimate narratives, assumptions, exclusions, clarifications, estimate classifications, cost risks, and reconciliation documentation.
• Review consultant, contractor, and peer estimates for scope completeness, quantity accuracy, labor productivity, pricing, markups, escalation, contingency, and compliance with estimate requirements.
• Develop and maintain historical cost data, benchmarks, bid tabs, vendor quotations, labor rates, productivity factors, and estimate audit trails.
• Lead estimate reviews and cost reconciliation meetings and explain estimate methodology and major cost drivers to project managers, engineers, procurement staff, change-control personnel, and senior leadership.
• Identify missing or conflicting design information and prepare requests for information and estimating clarifications.
• Provide technical direction, workload coordination, mentoring, and quality-control support to electrical estimators and multidisciplinary estimating teams.
• Comply with WMATA, WSP, project controls, document-control, safety, ethics, and confidentiality requirements.

Who You Are

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, or a closely related discipline; or an equivalent combination of relevant education, electrical trade training, and directly applicable electrical estimating experience.
• Minimum 10 years of progressively responsible electrical construction estimating experience, including at least 5 years estimating major transit, rail, utility, transportation, industrial, or similarly complex public infrastructure projects.
• Demonstrated experience as an electrical estimator. General building, civil, architectural, structural, or mechanical estimating experience alone does not satisfy this requirement.
• Demonstrated ability to independently develop detailed conceptual through bid or issued-for-construction estimates, including quantity takeoff, crew-based labor, material pricing, equipment, subcontract costs, indirect costs, escalation, contingency, markups, and schedule or phasing impacts.
• Hands-on estimating experience with multiple electrical scopes, such as medium- and low-voltage distribution, substations, switchgear, transformers, generators or standby power, UPS and batteries, grounding and bonding, lighting, fire alarm, traction power, automatic train control or signaling interfaces, communications, SCADA or controls, CCTV, access control, security, and associated raceway and cabling.
• Ability to interpret electrical single-line diagrams, plans, specifications, technical reports, design narratives, equipment schedules, as-built documents, and construction sequencing. Working knowledge of the NEC and other codes and standards applicable to electrical construction.
• Experience reviewing contractor or consultant estimates, identifying scope gaps and pricing discrepancies, documenting findings, and supporting estimate reconciliation or change-order evaluation.
• Ability to prepare clear basis-of-estimate narratives, assumptions, exclusions, clarifications, cost-risk discussions, and estimate backup suitable for management and audit review.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel and at least one electronic takeoff platform such as Bluebeam Revu, PlanSwift, or On-Screen Takeoff. Ability to learn and use client estimating, project-management, change-control, and document-control systems.
• Ability to lead estimate reviews, communicate technical and cost issues to varied audiences, prioritize concurrent assignments, and produce defensible work with limited supervision.
• Ability to visit active construction sites and transit facilities, comply with required safety and access rules, and satisfy client background, badging, and system-access requirements.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Direct experience supporting an owner, program manager, construction manager, independent cost estimator, or transit authority.
• Experience estimating WMATA or comparable transit-agency facilities and systems, including traction power, AC power, automatic train control or signaling interfaces, communications, SCADA, fire and life safety, security, station systems, tunnels, rail yards, or maintenance facilities.
• Electrical field, supervisory, project-management, or contractor-estimating experience supporting practical knowledge of means and methods, productivity, work restrictions, outages, and commissioning.
• Experience with change-order estimates, claims support, cost reconciliation, cost and price analysis, or negotiation support
• Experience developing early-design estimates and applying AACE estimate classification, uncertainty, contingency, escalation, and risk principles.
• Advanced Excel proficiency and experience with electrical or heavy-construction estimating platforms such as Trimble Accubid, Conest IntelliBid, McCormick Systems, Vison Infosoft Electrical Bid Manager, Destiny Estimator, Trade Service Pricing, EPIC Pricing Serivce, HCSS HeavyBid, Sage Estimating, CostX, Success Estimator, RSMeans, or comparable applications.
• Familiarity with project and document systems such as Procore, SharePoint, or comparable change-control and collaboration platforms.
• Knowledge of NECA labor units, prevailing-wage or Davis-Bacon requirements, union labor agreements, market-based material pricing, vendor quotation analysis, and public-sector procurement practices.
• Professional credential such as AACE Certified Estimating Professional, AACE Certified Cost Professional, ASPE Certified Professional Estimator, PMI Project Management Professional, Certified Construction Manager, or Professional Engineer.
• Experience mentoring estimators, coordinating on-call estimating resources, or serving as electrical discipline lead for multidisciplinary estimates.

WSP Benefits: 

WSP provides a comprehensive suite of benefits focused on a providing health and financial stability throughout the employee’s career. These benefits include coverage related to medical, dental, vision, disability, and life; retirement savings; paid sick leave; paid vacation (or other personal time); paid parental leave; and paid time off for purposes of bereavement, voting, and/or attendance at naturalization proceedings. 

Compensation:

Expected Salary (all locations): $165,000-$185,000/year

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and offer for this position, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local, state, and/or federal law.

Expected Salary (Colorado only): $165,000-$185,000/year

WSP USA is providing the compensation range that the company in good faith believes it might pay and/or offer for this position within the state of Colorado, based on the successful applicant’s education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities in addition to internal equity and specific geographic location. WSP USA reserves the right to ultimately pay more or less than the posted range and offer additional benefits and other compensation, depending on circumstances not related to an applicant’s sex or other status protected by local