Assistant Project Manager (Estimating Focused)

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Overview

A premier high-end residential builder is seeking a Project Engineer / Assistant Project Manager (Estimating-Focused) to support complex custom homes across the San Francisco Bay Area. This is an early-career role for a curious builder who wants hands-on exposure to estimating, project controls, and day-to-day project management. You’ll work closely with Project Managers and company leadership on budgets, bid coordination, RFIs, and drawing control, gaining rare insight into how scopes, costs, and schedules come together at the highest level of residential construction, with a clear growth path into deeper estimating or full project management over time.

Role Overview

The Project Engineer / Assistant Project Manager (Estimating-Focused) sits at the intersection of estimating, project controls, and project management support. You will support high-end residential projects with drawing control, RFIs and submittals, bid coordination, and meeting logistics, while also playing a meaningful role in preconstruction and budgeting alongside senior leadership and PMs.

You’ll work directly with Project Managers day-to-day and partner with company leadership on estimating and project analysis. Over time, the role can increase in estimating responsibility, support a greater number of projects, or grow into a full PM track, depending on your strengths and interests.

Work authorization: Candidates must be authorized to work in the United States now and in the future. We are unable to offer visa sponsorship or visa transfer support for this role.

Work Environment

• Location: San Francisco office, with regular travel to job sites across the San Francisco Bay Area
• Schedule: Full-time, hourly, with standard business hours and flexibility tied to project and meeting needs
• Office / field mix: Primarily office-based (estimating, project controls, coordination) with recurring field visits to stay close to how the work is built
• Collaboration: Daily interaction with Project Managers, Superintendents, and accounting/operations, with occasional direct partnership with company leadership on estimating and special efforts

Key Outcomes

1) Estimates that reflect real scope, not just numbers

• Pull and organize historic cost and duration data and prior project budgets into usable inputs for new estimates
• Perform room-by-room and system-by-system takeoffs (CAD/Bluebeam) and translate them into structured estimating spreadsheets
• Coordinate with subcontractors for budget pricing and scope clarifications, documenting assumptions so decisions are made with eyes open

2) Project information is current and reliable

• Maintain drawing sets, revisions, and logs in Procore so field teams and PMs are always working from the latest information
• Draft and route RFIs and submittals with PM oversight, track responses, and ensure decisions are reflected in documents and logs
• Keep core logs (RFIs, submittals, issues, decisions) clean and current so leaders can quickly see what’s open, resolved, or at risk

3) Bid coordination and procurement run smoothly

• Help structure and issue clear bid packages
• Track incoming bids and organize questions/clarifications so comparisons are accurate and complete
• Support PMs and leadership in aligning bids with historic cost data and project constraints to inform award decisions

4) Project financials and historic data connect to reality

• Partner with PMs and the accounting team (job cost, payroll, accounting systems) to ensure budgets, commitments, and changes stay aligned
• Review and help interpret basic job-cost and cost-to-complete reports, connecting what’s in the system to what’s happening on site and in Procore
• Help reconcile estimating assumptions, buyout decisions, and in-field changes so the financial picture of each project stays clear

5) Meetings drive decisions and follow-through

• Prepare concise agendas and packets for OAC and internal coordination meetings (updates, decisions needed, financial/estimating context)
• Capture decisions, action items, and directives during meetings, then close the loop with clear, timely follow-up
• Ensure what’s agreed in meetings shows up in schedules, logs, and next-step tasks (not just in people’s heads)

6) Historic data and tools are used thoughtfully, not blindly

• Learn and maintain internal tools for cost-per-square-foot, durations, and cost history
• Know when a high-level benchmark is sufficient vs. when a deeper line-item estimate is required
• Flag situations where historical analogs don’t fit (new assemblies, unusual sites, atypical scopes) rather than forcing mismatched comparisons

Qualifications

Experience & Background

• 2–5 years of experience in a Project Engineer, Assistant Project Manager, Field Engineer, or similar role (adjacent or stronger backgrounds considered)
• Experience in a GC environment; exposure to high-end custom residential is a plus but not required
• Comfort working on complex, multi-stakeholder projects (multiple consultants, tight sites, high-detail interiors, or similar complexity)

Technical Skills

• Ability to interpret architectural and consultant drawings
• Familiarity with RFIs, submittals, and basic construction logs
• Strong spreadsheet skills and an organized approach to structuring scope and cost information
• Proficiency in Excel / Google Sheets; comfort with Bluebeam (or comparable) for takeoffs and markups
• Working understanding of estimating fundamentals
• Comfort collaborating with an accounting team and reading basic job-cost / cost-to-complete reporting

Soft Skills & Traits

• Curious builder mindset: wants to understand how complex homes actually go together, not just move paperwork
• Strong organization and follow-through: keeps information tidy, closes loops, and builds trust through reliability
• Clear, direct communicator: leaves no room for confusion about what is and is not included
• Low-ego, collaborative style: comfortable supporting multiple PMs and working closely with leadership, supers, accounting, and subcontractors

Education & Credentials

• Degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or related field preferred (or equivalent practical experience)
• Relevant GC or high-end residential internships/co-ops strongly preferred

Compensation & Benefits

• Pay structure: The company pays all roles hourly, including this one
• Target range: $55–$65 per hour, depending on experience and fit (higher rates considered for exceptional candidates)
• Bonus / profit sharing: Eligibility for an annual bonus / profit-sharing program aligned with company practices for PM/PE/APM-level roles
• Retirement: Participation in the company’s retirement program (plan details shared during the process)
• Health insurance: The company does not currently offer a company medical plan; compensation is structured with this in mind and many employees use spouse coverage or the individual market
• Other benefits: PTO and perks such as parking or toll reimbursement; benefit details will align with company-wide programs at the time of hire

Culture & Values

The company’s team philosophy centers on building and maintaining high-quality homes while providing white-glove service, and doing it in a way that keeps employees’ welfare and concerns central to management decisions. The goal is a safe, pleasant, productive work environment where everyone is treated with dignity and respect, and where employees feel like valued members of the team.

Core values emphasize:

• Quality – attention to detail, perseverance, hard work, and skill
• Satisfaction – delivering results for clients and for the team
• Culture – a “one team” mentality, growth and development, and a family feel
• Transparency – honesty, trust, and clear communication
• Aptitude & Drive – bringing talent, competence, and commitment to both the work and the process

Project Engineers / Assistant PMs are expected to lean into an open-door, suggestion-friendly culture: surfacing issues early, collaborating on solutions with PMs, supers, accounting, and leadership, and offering ideas to improve systems and processes as they learn the business.