Senior Manager - Estimating

Location: Remote, Houston, TX

Are you ready to build something from the ground up and leave your mark on a growing technical services platform? A rapidly expanding marine-focused fire and life safety organization is investing heavily in leadership, systems, and scalable processes, and they are seeking a Senior Manager - Estimating to architect and lead a high-impact estimating function.

This is not a maintenance role. It is a platform-building opportunity. With strong market reputation, steady inbound demand, and private equity backing focused on growth, this organization is poised for its next chapter. The Senior Manager - Estimating will play a central role in driving margin discipline, accelerating quote turnaround, improving bid strategy, and partnering cross-functionally with Sales and Operations to fuel profitable expansion.

The organization currently manages a high volume of inbound requests, and this leader will introduce standardized methodologies, improve margin confidence, streamline workflows, and strengthen collaboration with Operations around scheduling and resource planning.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and standardize the estimating function, implementing repeatable and margin-driven quoting processes that replace informal or inconsistent pricing approaches.
• Develop structured labor models, travel calculations, expense frameworks, and cost validation methods to improve accuracy and protect margin targets.
• Oversee preparation and approval of complex, multi-year, multi-system, and government bids, ensuring thorough documentation of assumptions, exclusions, and risk factors.
• Lead and mentor a team of account managers, elevating performance expectations, improving discipline around follow-up, and reducing quote turnaround time to same day or next day standards when feasible.
• Personally manage high-dollar or technically complex estimates, including multi-system inspections, large vessel projects, and long-term service agreements.
• Partner closely with Operations leadership to improve scheduling coordination, capacity planning, and scope alignment once projects are awarded.
• Implement structured quote workflows, approval checkpoints, and change order processes to improve financial control and visibility.
• Support system enhancements including CRM rollout, ERP integration, and future technician management platforms, ensuring estimating processes are aligned with new tools.
• Track and analyze estimating metrics including turnaround time, win rates, margin performance, and estimate-to-actual variance, presenting insights to leadership.
• Participate in customer discussions and negotiations as needed to support complex proposals.

What We Are Looking For

• Eight or more years of progressive estimating experience within marine fire and life safety or a closely related technical services environment. Strong marine experience is highly preferred due to the complexity of vessel-specific and OEM-driven scopes.
• Minimum three years of leadership or team oversight experience, with a demonstrated ability to coach, influence, and elevate performance.
• Deep understanding of labor productivity modeling, subcontractor pricing, indirect cost allocation, overhead structures, and risk-adjusted pricing strategies.
• Experience building or improving estimating systems, workflows, tools, or process automation initiatives.
• Comfort operating in an evolving environment where structure is being built, not inherited.
• Strong analytical capability with confidence in defending pricing logic and margin strategy.
• Excellent communication skills with the ability to collaborate cross-functionally and engage with executive stakeholders.
• Willingness to travel up to 25 percent as needed for customer meetings or leadership sessions.

Why This Opportunity Stands Out

• High inbound demand and strong market reputation.
• Opportunity to build systems and structure in a business transitioning into its next growth phase.
• Direct impact on revenue growth, margin improvement, and operational performance.
• Private equity backed platform with investment in leadership, systems, and scalability.
• Visible role with influence across Sales, Operations, and Executive Leadership.

Compensation

• Competitive base salary depending on experience. This role is eligible for performance-based incentives tied to key business metrics.
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical coverage, retirement options, and paid time off.

If you are motivated by building process, driving margin excellence, and leading through influence in a high-demand technical services environment, we would welcome the opportunity to connect confidentially.

About Blue Signal:  

Blue Signal is an award-winning, executive search firm specializing in various specialties. Our recruiters have a proven track record of placing top-tier talent across industry verticals, with deep expertise in numerous professional services. Learn more at bit.ly/46Gs4yS