Estimating & Benchmarking Manager (Direct Hire)

Location: Houston, TX 77024 (Onsite)
Pay Rate: Starting at $116K+ (DOE, open to discuss)

Position Summary

The Estimating & Benchmarking Manager is responsible for developing and validating conceptual, budgetary, and detailed capital cost estimates for industrial projects throughout the project lifecycle. This role ensures estimates are accurate, risk-adjusted, benchmarked against industry standards, and aligned with project scope, execution strategies, and total cost of ownership (TCO) considerations.

The position serves as a key advisor to project teams and business stakeholders by providing cost intelligence, benchmarking data, risk analysis, and estimating leadership to support investment decisions, project development, and commercial negotiations.

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Key Responsibilities

Capital Estimating & Cost Analysis

• Develop conceptual, budgetary, and detailed capital cost estimates for industrial projects.
• Prepare comprehensive estimates covering:
  • Inside Battery Limits (ISBL)
  • Balance of Plant (BOP)
  • Outside Battery Limits (OSBL)
  • Owner's Costs
• Ensure alignment between estimates and project scope, engineering deliverables, execution strategies, and risk profiles.
• Produce estimates for Engineering Procurement (EP) and Engineering Procurement Construction (EPC) execution models.
• Validate estimate inputs, assumptions, methodologies, and final deliverables.

Cost Benchmarking & Competitiveness

• Conduct benchmarking studies to validate project capital costs.
• Analyze project competitiveness and provide recommendations to improve cost effectiveness.
• Support value engineering, design-to-cost initiatives, and cost optimization efforts.
• Maintain and enhance cost reference databases and benchmarking tools.
• Contribute to continuous improvement of estimating methodologies and procedures.

Risk & Uncertainty Analysis

• Perform quantitative risk assessments and Monte Carlo analyses to establish project cost ranges and confidence levels.
• Evaluate estimate accuracy and develop P50 cost positions.
• Participate in project risk reviews and recommend mitigation strategies.

Stakeholder Collaboration

• Partner with engineering, construction, project controls, procurement, and business teams to develop complete and accurate estimates.
• Coordinate inputs from multiple disciplines and external stakeholders.
• Lead scope and estimating clarification meetings with internal and external partners.
• Support management reviews, investment evaluations, and commercial negotiations.

Market & Cost Intelligence

• Monitor market conditions, labor trends, material pricing, and contractor performance.
• Gather and analyze market intelligence to improve estimate accuracy.
• Evaluate project performance data and lessons learned to strengthen future estimating efforts.
• Analyze win/loss data and cost outcomes to drive continuous improvement.

Process Improvement

• Develop and maintain estimating procedures, standards, tools, and training materials.
• Identify opportunities to improve estimating efficiency and consistency.
• Support implementation of best practices for estimating and benchmarking activities.

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Required Qualifications

Education

• Bachelor's degree in Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Civil Engineering, or a related engineering discipline.

Experience

• 5-10 years of experience in capital project estimating with a strong focus on industrial construction projects.
• Experience developing conceptual, FEL, budgetary, and detailed cost estimates.
• Experience supporting large capital projects in industrial manufacturing, chemical processing, energy, utilities, oil & gas, industrial gases, power generation, or similar industries.
• Experience performing cost analysis, estimating validation, and benchmarking studies.
• Experience working with EPC contractors, suppliers, and multidisciplinary engineering teams.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of capital project estimating methodologies.
• Experience with risk-based estimating and Monte Carlo cost analysis.
• Knowledge of project development phases and stage-gate project delivery processes.
• Understanding of construction execution strategies and industrial project cost structures.
• Familiarity with industrial equipment, construction labor, material takeoffs, and contractor pricing.
• Strong analytical and quantitative problem-solving capabilities.

Professional Skills

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to influence stakeholders and present cost information to leadership.
• Strong organizational and project management skills.
• Ability to work independently and make sound business decisions.
• Strong collaboration and relationship-building skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities in a fast-paced environment.

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Preferred Qualifications

These qualifications will provide additional value but are not required for successful performance in the role.

• Experience within industrial gases, chemicals, LNG, refining, petrochemical, hydrogen, energy transition, or process manufacturing industries.
• Experience performing benchmarking and cost integrity assessments.
• Familiarity with Aspen Capital Cost Estimator (ACCE), Cleopatra Enterprise, EcoSys, Primavera P6, @Risk, or similar estimating and risk tools.
• Experience supporting international projects and global engineering teams.
• Knowledge of value engineering and design-to-cost methodologies.
• Exposure to capital investment reviews and business case development.
• Understanding of Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) methodologies.
• Additional language capabilities (French, German, or other business languages).

Candidates should ideally possess:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering or related technical field.
• 5-10 years of industrial project estimating experience.
• Capital project estimating experience involving construction activities.
• Experience developing project cost estimates from conceptual through detailed phases.
• Knowledge of risk-based estimating methodologies.
• Industrial/manufacturing/energy/process plant project exposure.