Position Title: Lead Estimator

Company: Federated Service Solutions

Location: Plymouth, Michigan (Hybrid)

Reports To: Engineering Manager

Job Type: Full Time, Exempt

Who We Are Looking For:

Federated Service Solutions is looking for a Lead Estimator who can turn complex technical opportunities into accurate, competitive, and executable proposals.

This role is responsible for developing bid strategy, understanding customer needs, protecting proposal accuracy, collaborating closely with Sales, and using market intelligence to strengthen how we pursue work. The Lead Estimator must understand how low-voltage installation work is delivered in the field and how labor, materials, logistics, risk, schedule, and customer expectations affect the final price.

The strongest candidate will combine hands-on industry knowledge with commercial judgment. They will be comfortable asking detailed questions, challenging assumptions, making pricing decisions, and standing behind the quality of the final estimate.

About Federated Service Solutions

Federated Service Solutions helps national customers execute complex technology installations and rollouts. Our work includes low-voltage systems, network infrastructure, camera systems, telematics, and other technologies our customers rely on to operate effectively.

We expect people to take ownership, communicate clearly, follow through on commitments, and address issues before they become larger problems. This is a role for someone who takes pride in getting the details right while keeping the customer’s broader success in view.

Responsibilities

• Develop bid strategies for complex opportunities by evaluating scope, labor, materials, logistics, schedule, margin, risk, competitive positioning, and customer requirements.
• Participate in customer discovery and exploratory calls to understand technical needs, operational goals, site conditions, decision criteria, and commercial expectations.
• Own the accuracy and completeness of estimates and proposals, ensuring assumptions, exclusions, pricing, labor models, technical scope, and supporting documentation are clear and defensible.
• Partner with Sales throughout the opportunity lifecycle to shape solutions, evaluate options, clarify requirements, strengthen positioning, and improve the probability of winning profitable work.
• Research market conditions, labor trends, material costs, vendor capabilities, competitive factors, and emerging technologies to inform pricing and pursuit strategy.

What You’ll Do

• Estimate low-voltage, network infrastructure, camera system, national rollout, and other technology installation projects.
• Provide estimating support to the telematics business when needed.
• Review drawings, statements of work, customer documentation, site information, and technical requirements.
• Build and maintain estimates using FSS’s Excel-based bidding tools.
• Evaluate labor assumptions, material costs, subcontractor pricing, freight, travel, equipment, taxes, contingency, and project risk.
• Approve pricing, margin, and final bids valued below $50,000.
• Escalate larger, higher-risk, or strategically sensitive bids for additional review and approval.
• Direct the Sales Estimator’s daily priorities, workload, quality standards, and professional development.
• Coordinate with Engineering, Sales, Operations, Project Management, vendors, and other stakeholders to validate scope and delivery assumptions.
• Identify missing information, unclear requirements, scope gaps, and risks before a proposal is submitted.
• Support proposal presentations, customer discussions, and negotiations when needed.
• Use AI-enabled tools to improve research, analysis, proposal development, consistency, and turnaround time.
• Manage multiple active estimates while meeting customer deadlines and internal review requirements.
• Occasionally work beyond normal business hours when required to meet a firm proposal deadline.
• Travel less than once per month for customer meetings, site visits, internal collaboration, or project discovery.

 What you bring:

• At least 3 years of experience estimating low-voltage installation projects.
• Strong understanding of low-voltage, network infrastructure, surveillance, or related technology installations.
• Experience gained through estimating, field installation, project management, engineering, technical leadership, or solutions architecture.
• Strong Excel skills, including formulas, pricing models, and large bid workbooks.
• Ability to evaluate labor, materials, logistics, scheduling, margins, and project risk.
• Experience reviewing technical drawings, scopes of work, customer requirements, and proposal documentation.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining accuracy under tight deadlines.
• Valid driver's license.

Preferred Qualifications

• 5+ years of estimating experience.
• Experience with telematics installations.
• Experience with multi-site deployments or national rollouts.
• Experience with structured cabling, network infrastructure, camera systems, or access control systems.
• Experience negotiating with vendors and subcontractors.
• Familiarity with market-based pricing strategies.
• Experience with AI-assisted estimating tools and proposal automation.
• Bachelor's degree in a related field.