Sign Industry Estimator

**MUST BE AVAILABLE MONDAY THROUGH FRIDAY 8am-4pm MST

Position Overview

We are a custom sign manufacturing and installation company seeking an experienced Estimator to join our team remotely. In this role, you will read and interpret architectural and shop drawings, develop accurate cost estimates, and build winning bids for interior and exterior sign projects ranging from single-tenant signage to multi-location rollouts. You will work closely with sales, project managers, fabrication, and installation crews to ensure every estimate reflects true scope, true cost, and a margin we can stand behind.

This is a fully remote position with regular collaboration via Microsoft Teams. The right candidate is detail-obsessed, deadline-driven, and comfortable owning the numbers from takeoff through bid handoff.

Key Responsibilities

• Read and interpret drawings: Review architectural plans, elevations, site plans, shop drawings, electrical drawings, and landlord/municipal sign criteria packages to define accurate scope.
• Perform quantity takeoffs: Extract material types, square footage, linear footage, hardware counts, and electrical specs from drawings and RFP documents.
• Build complete estimates: Price materials, fabrication labor, finishing, freight, permitting, engineering, installation labor, equipment (lifts, cranes, traffic control), and applicable markups.
• Specify installation scope: Determine mounting methods, wall conditions, electrical requirements, lift or crane needs, permitting obligations, and crew sizing for both interior and exterior installs.
• Source and quote vendors: Solicit and evaluate quotes from material suppliers, sub-fabricators, electrical sign manufacturers, permit runners, and installation subcontractors.
• Maintain pricing data: Work with Purchasing to ensure material, labor, and burden rates are current
• Produce bid documents: Deliver clean, client-ready proposals with clear scope, inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, lead times, and payment terms.
• Collaborate cross-functionally: Work with sales on pursuit strategy, with production on buildability, and with project managers on smooth job handoff after award.
• Track and analyze: Maintain a bid log, hit-rate tracking, and post-job cost reviews to continuously sharpen estimating accuracy.

Required Qualifications

• Sign industry experience: 3+ years estimating in custom signage (channel letters, monuments, pylons, wayfinding, ADA, dimensional, vinyl/graphics, and electrical signage).
• Drawing literacy: Demonstrated ability to read architectural drawings, shop drawings, electrical schematics, and sign criteria packages without hand-holding.
• Pricing fluency: Strong working knowledge of sign materials (aluminum, acrylic, LEDs, power supplies, vinyl, hardware), fabrication processes, finishes, and labor burden.
• Installation knowledge: Practical understanding of interior and exterior install methods, wall types, mounting hardware, electrical hookup, lifts, cranes, and permitting workflows.
• Excel proficiency: Comfortable with formulas, lookups (VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP/INDEX-MATCH), pivot tables, and conditional logic; able to build and maintain estimating workbooks.
• ERP software: Hands-on experience with an ERP or job costing system (e.g., CYRIOUS Control, Shopify Sign, NetSuite, Sage, or similar). Must be able to enter and pull data confidently.
• Microsoft Teams: Comfortable working remotely through Teams for meetings, chat, file collaboration, and channel-based project communication.
• Communication: Clear written communication for proposals, scope clarifications, and vendor follow-ups; comfortable on video calls with internal teams and clients.
• Work environment: Reliable remote workspace, dedicated workstation with dual monitors recommended, and stable high-speed internet.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in estimating national rollouts or multi-site programs.
• Familiarity with UL listing requirements for electric signs.
• Working knowledge of local permitting processes and landlord criteria packages.
• Bluebeam, AutoCAD, or other PDF/CAD markup experience.
• Background in fabrication, project management, or field installation before moving into estimating.

What Success Looks Like in This Role

• Estimates are accurate, complete, and submitted on or before deadline.
• Bid hit rate improves quarter-over-quarter without margin erosion.
• Post-job cost variance stays within target on awarded work.
• Sales, production, and installation teams trust the numbers and the scope handoff.

Submit your resume along with a brief note describing: (1) the largest or most complex sign project you have estimated, (2) the ERP system you have used most, and (3) your approach to estimating an exterior illuminated channel letter set on an unfamiliar building. Strong candidates will be invited to a working session that includes a sample takeoff.