HVAC/MEP Estimator

You are here:
  1. Home
  2. HVAC/MEP Estimator

JOIN ENGINEERED COMFORT SOLUTIONS

Own the Number. Win the Work. Grow With Us.

Most estimator jobs end when the bid goes out. This one doesn’t. At ECS, the estimator owns the number from the first takeoff to the final labor hour on the job. If you want to send bids and move on, this isn’t your role. If you want to watch your estimate become a profitable project, learn from every variance, and grow as fast as your results allow, keep reading.

Position

HVAC/MEP Estimator

Company

Engineered Comfort Solutions (ECS)

Pay

$75,000 – $120,000 per year, based on experience and results

Industry

HVAC/MEP, Energy Management Controls, Industrial & Power Generation (Commercial and Industrial)

Office

Taylor, MI

Project Regions

Southeast Michigan & the Midwest

Schedule

Full-time, Monday–Friday, 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM

The opportunity

ECS is a growing mechanical contractor headquartered in Taylor, MI. We deliver HVAC/MEP, energy management controls and control system solutions for commercial and industrial facilities across Southeast Michigan and the Midwest, and our reputation is built on precision, innovation and superior client service.

We are growing, and accurate estimating sits at the center of that growth. Your numbers decide which jobs we win, and which of those jobs make money. You’ll work directly with ownership, operations and project management at the exact point where a good bid becomes a good project.

Explore more at www.ecshvac.com

What You'll Own

  • The estimate, start to finish. Analyze plans, specifications and addenda, and build complete material takeoffs and labor estimates for sheet metal, piping, controls and equipment.
  • The labor hours. Your labor budget becomes the field’s target. You’ll hand it off at project kickoff so the project manager and foreman know the hours before the first day on site.
  • Subcontractor and vendor pricing. Solicit, level and evaluate quotes so every number in the bid is real and current.
  • Scope and risk. Clarify scope with project managers, engineers and clients, call out exclusions, and bring value-engineering options to the bid.
  • Bid vs. actual. Review awarded jobs against your estimate at key milestones and at closeout, and feed what you learn into our historical cost data.
  • The pipeline. Track every bid, result and win/loss reason so leadership always knows what’s coming.
  • Bid packages and handoffs. Prepare bid packages, lead bid reviews and run clean handoffs to operations, using Procore or similar tools and Excel.

YOUR SCOREBOARD

You’ll always know how you’re doing. These are the numbers that define success in this seat:

  • On-time bids: complete, accurate bids delivered on or before deadline.
  • Hit rate: bids won compared to bids submitted.
  • Estimate accuracy: actual labor hours and costs compared to your estimate on awarded jobs.
  • Margin delivered: the profit earned on the jobs you estimated.
  • Cost history: a current, usable database of historical costs and productivity.

Targets are set with leadership in your first 30 days, and you’ll review your numbers regularly with the team.

Your First 90 Days

  • Days 1–30: Learn our systems, cost history and bid process. Shadow live bids, review completed jobs against their original estimates, and set your scoreboard targets with leadership.
  • Days 31–60: Own bids end to end with review and sign-off, and lead your first kickoff handoff to a project team.
  • Days 61–90: Run your own bids, track your scoreboard, and present your first bid-vs-actual review to leadership with what you would change.

Where this can go

  • A path, not just a position. As ECS grows, we need leaders in preconstruction. Strong estimators here grow into bigger projects, more responsibility and leadership. 
  • Pay that follows performance. The $75,000–$120,000 range rewards experience and results. Win profitable work and your earning potential grows with it.
  • Real development. Tuition reimbursement and professional development support, including estimating, code and software training.
  • A seat at the table. Direct exposure to ownership and operations leadership, and a voice in how we bid, price and build.

Who Thrives Here

We hire for the 10 characteristics that great producers share. If you read this table and see yourself, we want to talk to you.

What we hire for

What it looks like in this seat

Financially Motivated

You want to earn more, and you know it comes from producing more. A sharp estimate that wins profitable work is how you move up the pay range.

Successful Attitude

You lose a bid and want to know why, not who to blame. You walk into the next one better.

Consistent

Your 40th bid gets the same care as your first. Deadlines are met every time, not most of the time.

Personal Accountability

When a job runs over your labor hours, you’re the first one asking, “What did I miss?”

Persistence

You chase the missing sub quote, the unclear spec and the late addendum until the number is right.

Following a Script

You follow the estimating process and checklist on every bid, and you improve the process instead of skipping steps.

Discipline

You do the takeoff the right way when the deadline is tight, because that’s when mistakes cost the most.

Know Your Math

Labor rates, productivity factors, overhead and margin. You can defend every line of your estimate.

Continued Personal Development

You keep learning codes, systems and software without being told to.

Financial Intelligence

You know a job isn’t profitable until it’s built on budget, billed and collected, and you estimate like it.

Qualifications

  • 3–5 years of HVAC/MEP or mechanical estimating experience required.
  • Strong understanding of HVAC/MEP systems, ductwork, hydronics, air handling and controls.
  • Proficiency with construction estimating software (e.g., Procore) and MS Excel.
  • Familiarity with local mechanical codes, ASHRAE standards and SMACNA guidelines.
  • Ability to interpret complex blueprints and project specifications.
  • Strong organization, time management and attention to detail.
  • Clear written and verbal communication with clients, engineers and field teams.
  • Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, Construction Management or a related field preferred. Equivalent experience accepted.

Benefits

  • Competitive salary based on experience and results
  • 100% employer-paid medical insurance for employees
  • Dental, vision, life and disability insurance options
  • HSA and FSA programs
  • 401(k) with employer match
  • 100% employer-contribution retirement “Cash Plan”
  • Paid time off: vacation, sick leave and holidays
  • Tuition reimbursement and professional development
  • Safety training, uniforms and PPE provided
  • Smartphone and tablet provided
  • Mileage reimbursement for project site visits

Schedule & Location

  • Full-time, Monday–Friday, typically 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM
  • Occasional evening or weekend work around bid deadlines
  • Office in Taylor, MI, with local project site visits as required for bid development

How to Stand Out

We read every application. To move to the front of the line, answer these three questions in your cover note:

  1. Tell us about an estimate that missed. What happened, and what did you change afterward?
  2. What was your bid hit rate over the last 12 months, and how do you track it?
  3. Where do you want to be in three years, and what are you doing now to get there?

Our process: phone screen → self-assessment on the 10 characteristics we hire for → interview with leadership, including a short estimating exercise.

EQUAL EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other legally protected status.

Win the bid. Protect the margin. Own the number.

Apply now and build your career with ECS.

Apply now for this Job
Back to Careers