What does an Engineer/Estimator do?
When it comes to estimating the costs and budget of any infrastructure, the engineer/estimator is the right personnel to talk to. They work alongside clients, contractors, engineers, and sometimes architects to estimate the project cost, acquire the necessary materials and machines to fulfill the project, hire staff, estimate the project's duration, and record daily goals. They also attend biddings and recommend sources per choice. During the entire project construction, they should communicate with the client to reports on the project progress.
Engineer/estimator responsibilities
Here are examples of responsibilities from real engineer/estimator resumes:
- Manage the estimating of a commercial & industrial plumbing and mechanical contracting business.
- Establish sustained relationships with international customers and domestic suppliers of HVAC equipment.
- Participate in a team environment engineering and estimating commercial, residential and industrial HVAC projects for new and existing buildings.
- Prepare proposals for hydroelectric retrofit and rehabilitation projects as well as various other domestic and international projects.
Engineer/estimator skills and personality traits
We calculated that 10% of Engineers/Estimator are proficient in Cost Estimates, Project Management, and Sketch. They’re also known for soft skills such as Analytical skills, Communication skills, and Detail oriented.
We break down the percentage of Engineers/Estimator that have these skills listed on their resume here:
- Cost Estimates, 10%
Observed and translated manufacturing processes to establish parameters into cost models and cost estimates.
- Project Management, 9%
Project management and coordinate logistics with teammates to determine methods and directions.
- Sketch, 8%
Provide take-offs using; Microstation, On Screen Take-Off, AGTEK, and Google Sketch Up software.
- Quantity Take-Offs, 7%
Performed quantity take-offs, solicited sub-contractors and formulated a cost estimate for tunneling and boring projects.
- Construction Drawings, 6%
Change Order based on Construction Drawing Issued against Bid Contract Drawings '- MT.
- GMP, 6%
Completed a GMP for repairs and additions to Springfield High School in Robertson Co, TN, valued at $17.5M.
Common skills that an engineer/estimator uses to do their job include "cost estimates," "project management," and "sketch." You can find details on the most important engineer/estimator responsibilities below.
Analytical skills. One of the key soft skills for an engineer/estimator to have is analytical skills. You can see how this relates to what engineers/estimator do because "cost estimators must review and evaluate different construction and manufacturing methods to find cost-effective options." Additionally, an engineer/estimator resume shows how engineers/estimator use analytical skills: "review project costing reports in order to update/revise cost data for future estimates. "
Detail oriented. This is an important skill for engineers/estimator to perform their duties. For an example of how engineer/estimator responsibilities depend on this skill, consider that "cost estimators must be precise, because minor changes may greatly affect the overall expense of a project or product." This excerpt from a resume also shows how vital it is to everyday roles and responsibilities of an engineer/estimator: "prepare detailed estimates for billing, payroll various project costs. ".
Math skills. A big part of what engineers/estimator do relies on "math skills." You can see how essential it is to engineer/estimator responsibilities because "cost estimators need excellent math skills to calculate labor, material, and equipment estimates for construction projects." Here's an example of how this skill is used from a resume that represents typical engineer/estimator tasks: "developed detailed schedules and quantitative cost projection models for large, complex construction projects. "
Time-management skills. A commonly-found skill in engineer/estimator job descriptions, "time-management skills" is essential to what engineers/estimator do. Engineer/estimator responsibilities rely on this skill because "cost estimators must plan in advance and work efficiently to meet their deadlines." You can also see how engineer/estimator duties rely on time-management skills in this resume example: "managed eight body technicians repair process so that vehicles' repairs were completed on time. "
The three companies that hire the most engineer/estimators are:
- FirstEnergy6 engineers/estimator jobs
- Turner Construction4 engineers/estimator jobs
- Builders FirstSource3 engineers/estimator jobs
Choose from 10+ customizable engineer/estimator resume templates
Build a professional engineer/estimator resume in minutes. Our AI resume writing assistant will guide you through every step of the process, and you can choose from 10+ resume templates to create your engineer/estimator resume.
Compare different engineers/estimator
Engineer/estimator vs. Estimating assistant
An estimator project manager is responsible for analyzing cost estimates by gathering cost information from suppliers and other third-party vendors. An estimator project manager must have excellent analytical and critical-thinking skills, especially with measurement accuracy and evaluating important project metrics. Estimator project managers research the general market pricing of materials and labor costs, estimate production times, and follow the project timetable without compromising the quality and the client's specifications. They create estimate reports and risk analyses to discuss with the client and the project team.
There are some key differences in the responsibilities of each position. For example, engineer/estimator responsibilities require skills like "project management," "sketch," "construction drawings," and "gmp." Meanwhile a typical estimating assistant has skills in areas such as "purchase orders," "worksheets," "subcontractor database," and "sub contractors." This difference in skills reveals the differences in what each career does.
Estimating assistants tend to make the most money working in the technology industry, where they earn an average salary of $56,112. In contrast, engineers/estimator make the biggest average salary, $107,136, in the energy industry.The education levels that estimating assistants earn slightly differ from engineers/estimator. In particular, estimating assistants are 5.3% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree than an engineer/estimator. Additionally, they're 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Engineer/estimator vs. Assistant estimator/project manager
Each career also uses different skills, according to real engineer/estimator resumes. While engineer/estimator responsibilities can utilize skills like "sketch," "gmp," "material costs," and "historical data," assistant estimator/project managers use skills like "subcontractor bids," "purchase orders," "cad," and "construction management."
On average, assistant estimator/project managers earn a lower salary than engineers/estimator. Some industries support higher salaries in each profession. Interestingly enough, assistant estimator/project managers earn the most pay in the manufacturing industry with an average salary of $69,857. Whereas engineers/estimator have higher pay in the energy industry, with an average salary of $107,136.assistant estimator/project managers earn similar levels of education than engineers/estimator in general. They're 4.4% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree and 0.4% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Engineer/estimator vs. Estimator/project coordinator
The required skills of the two careers differ considerably. For example, engineers/estimator are more likely to have skills like "project management," "sketch," "construction drawings," and "gmp." But a estimator/project coordinator is more likely to have skills like "general contractors," "cad," "purchase orders," and "sub contractors."
Estimator/project coordinators make a very good living in the construction industry with an average annual salary of $57,269. On the other hand, engineers/estimator are paid the highest salary in the energy industry, with average annual pay of $107,136.estimator/project coordinators typically earn similar educational levels compared to engineers/estimator. Specifically, they're 4.5% less likely to graduate with a Master's Degree, and 0.6% less likely to earn a Doctoral Degree.Engineer/estimator vs. Estimator project manager
Types of engineer/estimator
Updated January 8, 2025
