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Lead Cost Estimator

Jacobs Associates

Cleveland, OH · FlexibleJob$160–290K/yrSeen 5 days agoSeen in employer's feed 1 day ago

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At a glance

Compensation
$160–290K/yr
Location
Cleveland, OHFlexible
Work Authorization
Not specified

Olive lists jobs from US employers, including remote roles you can work from the United States.

Job overview

Delve Underground is seeking a Lead Cost Estimator for its North American offices to lead estimating on complex civil, structural, and tunnel projects and guide a group of project cost estimators. The role includes developing and reviewing estimates and schedules, supporting risk assessments, reviewing designs and specifications for constructability, and providing quality assurance. The posting requires at least 10 years of direct field experience on heavy civil tunnel projects; 20+ years is preferred.

Skills & qualifications

RequiredNice to have

Skills

Cost EstimatingHeavy Civil TunnelingCost Estimating and PricingConstruction Claims PricingChange Order Pricing

Qualifications

10+ Years Tunnel Field Experience20+ Years Heavy Civil Tunnel ExperienceHeavy Civil Contractor ExperienceAccredited Undergraduate Degree

Benefits

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
401(k) Match
Paid Time Off

Full job description

About Delve Underground Delve Underground is a leader in underground and heavy civil engineering serving the transportation, water, wastewater, and energy industries. Specializing in tunnel design, we provide practical solutions to the most challenging underground problems. We offer comprehensive design, construction management, and construction claims services, with expertise extending across a wide range of engineering disciplines, including civil, structural, and geotechnical engineering. Our primary focus is to make a significant impact on the advancement of infrastructure projects, which in turn shape and enhance the communities we serve. Founded in 1954, as Jacobs Associates, Delve Underground is an employee-owned firm with 25 offices and 350 team members throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. We want our employees to make a career doing what they love to do . We encourage an entrepreneurial spirit and help our team members forge their own path within the company. We support their efforts to stay on the cutting edge of technology while fostering a great work-life balance . In addition to working hard, we also have fun . We socialize and celebrate achievements at summer picnics, holiday parties, and company outings . Lead Cost Estimator Benefits: Full Benefits Program consisting of Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Disability, FSA or HSA, EAP, 401(k), ESOP, and company stock ownership program, 9 Paid Holidays, generous paid-time-off program, Work from home flexibility, and Health & Wellness Reimbursement Starting Pay: $160,025 - $290,156 About the role Delve Underground has an opening for a Lead Cost Estimator based in any of Delve Underground's North American office locations. What you'll do - Lead cost estimating efforts on complex civil, structural and tunnel projects. - Lead a group of project cost estimators. - Perform and oversee cost estimating efforts, including: - - Conceptual estimates using a combination of unit price and production-based methods; - Production based estimates and schedules for interim design deliverables; - Take-off and quote solicitations; - Maintenance of estimating database; - Occasional field visits to Delve and other projects to observe latest construction means/methods, including crewing and equipment spreads and disseminate this information. - Collaborate with and provide basic input to risk assessments that quantify project risks, including clear divisions between estimating uncertainty and embedded construction risk in estimates. - Review in-progress design drawings for constructability issues. - Review specifications for cost-related constructability issues and to evaluate blend between prescriptive language and performance standards. - Provide QA review on work by others. Qualifications Minimum 10 years' direct field experience on one or more heavy civil tunnel projects; 20+ years' experience in heavy civil tunnel projects preferred. Past experience with a heavy civil contractor with an underground portfolio is highly desirable. Exposure to cost estimating and pricing work. Exposure to construction claims or change order pricing. Accredited undergraduate degree in En

How this job compares

Set against the 927 open Cost Estimator jobs on Olive Jobs, counted October 28, 2026.

Pay
  • This posting$160–290K/yr
  • US median$90–159K/yr724 salary ranges

This range's midpoint, $225K, is 90% above the US median midpoint ($118K) — in the top quarter of Cost Estimator salary ranges across the US.

Openings
Olive Jobs lists 27 open Cost Estimator jobs in Ohio and 927 across the US. 5% of them nationwide are listed as remote or flexible.
Hiring the most in Ohio
Experience
This posting asks for at least 10 years of experience — more than three in four Cost Estimator postings that state a minimum ask for (median 5 years, across 879 postings).
Education
448 of the 927 open Cost Estimator jobs (48%) ask for a bachelor's degree or higher.

Counted across the open, public US postings on Olive Jobs on October 28, 2026. Pay medians are the middle values of the low ends and of the high ends of postings that list both ends of a range in the same cadence (a yearly salary or an hourly rate); a range's midpoint is halfway between its ends. Pay and experience figures resting on fewer than 20 postings are left out.

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