Job Overview:

Our client is seeking an experienced Residential Estimator and Contracts Administrator to price, administer, and coordinate residential projects from concept through to construction. This hybrid commercial and technical role suits someone who can estimate and administer residential building work while also producing practical design and 3D visualisation material to support pricing, client presentations, and construction.

Responsibilities include quantity take-offs and estimating, obtaining and comparing subcontractor and supplier pricing, administering contracts, variations, purchase orders, and progress claims, and coordinating information to move projects from quotation into construction.

This is not a pure drafting, rendering, or standalone quantity surveying role. The focus is on accurate residential estimating, disciplined contractor administration, and the practical design and 3D work that supports both.

Primary Objective:

To produce accurate, competitive, and well-documented residential estimates, and to administer contractors, subcontractors, and suppliers so that projects are priced correctly, procured efficiently, and delivered within budget. The role bridges design, estimating, procurement, and contract administration.

Working Arrangement:

Remote position working Australian business hours in support of the Australian-based team, working directly with the business owner, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and consultants on Australian residential projects.

Schedule:

• Monday to Friday, 8:00 am to 5:00 pm (Australian Eastern Time, 40 hours per week)

Key Responsibilities:

Estimating & Quantity Take-Offs

• Prepare detailed quantity take-offs from architectural, structural, and consultant drawings.
• Build and maintain estimates in ProCalc and Excel, covering labour, materials, plant, preliminaries, and margin.
• Price new builds, extensions, renovations, and design-and-construct projects.
• Maintain rate libraries, cost databases, and standard inclusions/exclusions.
• Identify scope gaps, ambiguities, and risks before pricing.
• Prepare clear quotations and cost breakdowns, and compare costs between design options.

Subcontractor & Supplier Procurement

• Package scopes and issue trade packages for pricing.
• Source, invite, and follow up on subcontractor and supplier quotations.
• Provide current drawings and documentation, and clarify scope during pricing.
• Level quotations against scope, drawings, and allowances, identifying gaps and inconsistencies.
• Negotiate revisions where pricing does not align with scope or budget.
• Maintain organised records of trade packages and pricing correspondence.

Contract Administration

• Prepare and issue subcontractor agreements, purchase orders, and scope schedules.
• Administer variations end-to-end, including pricing, documentation, approval, and register maintenance.
• Process progress claims and reconcile against works completed.
• Track budgets against committed and actual costs and report variances.
• Maintain contract registers, RFIs, and correspondence.
• Monitor insurances, licences, and compliance documentation.
• Support cost reporting and forecasting to the business owner.

Design, Drafting & 3D Visualisation

• Produce and maintain SketchUp models for pricing, client presentation, and construction.
• Prepare 3D visuals and walkthroughs to help clients understand layouts, finishes, and design intent.
• Produce and update concept plans, elevations, sections, and details.
• Use models to test buildability and identify design issues before pricing is finalised.
• Prepare visual material for design reviews and client meetings, incorporating feedback.

Pre-Construction & Buildability Support

• Review designs from a practical construction and cost perspective.
• Consider materials, methods, sequencing, and site conditions when pricing.
• Coordinate architectural, structural, hydraulic, and electrical consultant information.
• Identify constructability and coordination issues before construction.
• Support handover from estimating into construction, including budget and scope briefing.
• Assist the site team in understanding scope and design intent.

Process Improvement

• Maintain organised project cost files, models, drawings, and documentation.
• Develop reusable estimating templates, trade scope templates, and standard inclusions.
• Improve the design-to-quote-to-contract workflow.
• Contribute to SOPs and systems that improve accuracy and turnaround.

Role Functions:

The successful candidate will take information such as client requirements, site information, sketches and concepts, architectural and structural drawings, consultant documentation, supplier rates, and contractor feedback — and turn it into accurate estimates, trade packages, and contract documentation.

They will then administer the resulting contracts through procurement, variations, progress claims, and cost reporting, while producing the SketchUp models and drawings needed to support pricing and client decision-making.

How the Role Will Be Used:

Concept Design → SketchUp Modelling & Visualisation → Client Review → Quantity Take-Off → Estimate Build-Up → Trade Packaging & Subcontractor Pricing → Quote Coordination → Client Quotation → Contract & Purchase Orders → Variations, Progress Claims & Cost Control → Construction Support

Essential Requirements:

• 3+ years' experience in residential construction estimating.
• Demonstrated experience in Australian residential construction, standards, and pricing conventions.
• Proven ability to produce accurate quantity take-offs from drawings.
• Experience administering subcontractors — agreements, purchase orders, variations, and progress claims.
• Strong commercial awareness and understanding of margin, budget, and cost control.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel skills.
• Demonstrated ability to learn new estimating software quickly.
• Ability to interpret architectural, structural, and consultant drawings.
• Strong understanding of residential construction methods and buildability.
• Excellent written and verbal English, and confidence dealing directly with contractors and suppliers.
• Exceptional attention to detail and document accuracy.
• Ability to manage multiple projects, revisions, and deadlines with minimal supervision.
• Ability to work Australian business hours.

Highly Desirable Requirements:

• SketchUp modelling and 3D visualisation (strongly favoured — the role includes regular design and visualisation work).
• Experience with ProCalc or comparable residential estimating software.
• Concept residential design and drafting.
• Design-and-construct residential project experience.
• Experience working directly with a small builder or owner-operated building business.
• Experience preparing client-facing quotations and presentations.

Preferred Software

Essential:

• Microsoft Excel (advanced)
• Microsoft Office and Outlook

Highly Desirable:

• SketchUp
• ProCalc or comparable residential estimating software
• Construction or project management software
• Accounting or job-costing software exposure

Ideal Candidate Profile:

The ideal candidate is a commercially minded residential estimator who understands construction, not someone whose experience is limited to producing numbers or drawings.

They should be comfortable moving between: Estimating → Procurement → Contract Administration → Design & 3D Visualisation → Construction Support.

They should be able to look at a design and identify what it will cost, how it will be constructed, what a contractor needs in order to price it accurately, where the scope gaps and risk items are, and how the design can be communicated visually to the client.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, practical, proactive, organised, and commercially aware, with the ability to communicate effectively with both technical and non-technical stakeholders.

What Success Looks Like:

• Estimates are accurate, competitive, and delivered on time.
• Trade packages are complete, and subcontractor pricing is properly levelled against scope.
• Discrepancies between drawings, scope, and pricing are identified before contracts are issued.
• Variations, progress claims, and purchase orders are documented and tracked without gaps.
• Projects are delivered within budget, with cost variances identified early.
• SketchUp models and visuals help clients make decisions faster.
• The design-to-quote-to-contract process becomes faster, more repeatable, and more reliable.

Independent Contractor Perks

• Permanent work from home
• Immediate hiring
• Health Insurance Coverage for eligible locations

Note:

Please click the Apply Now button to complete your application, including the assessment questions, technical check, and voice recording. Your hourly pay rate will be established based on your performance in the application process; submissions with all requirements fulfilled will receive priority review.

Important Disclaimer:

BruntWork never charges fees for applying or any part of the hiring process—it is 100% free. If you are ever asked for payment, please stop and report it immediately to our official email address through the ‘Contact Us’ form on our official BruntWork website.