Director of Sales & Estimating – Structural Steel

Location: St. Louis, MO (Onsite)

Compensation: Up to $180K + Relocation Assistance

Position Summary

We are partnering with a 100+ year leader in structural steel fabrication to hire a Director of Sales & Estimating—a senior leadership role responsible for driving revenue growth, leading estimating operations, and securing profitable project awards.

This position owns the full project acquisition lifecycle—from identifying and pursuing opportunities to overseeing estimating strategy and converting bids into awarded work. The role is critical to ensuring a strong backlog, disciplined pricing, and sustained profitability.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Strategy

• Lead and develop the sales and estimating teams, setting clear performance expectations
• Establish and standardize bid management processes, workflows, and execution strategy
• Partner with executive leadership to drive growth initiatives and backlog development
• Improve win rates through disciplined pursuit strategy and bid selection

Estimating Leadership

• Oversee all estimating activities to ensure accuracy, completeness, and competitiveness
• Review drawings, specifications, and bid documents to identify scope, risks, and opportunities
• Drive pricing strategy aligned with margin targets and market conditions
• Implement best practices in takeoffs, labor forecasting, and cost analysis

Sales & Business Development

• Build and maintain strong relationships with general contractors, developers, and key clients
• Identify and pursue high-value project opportunities aligned with company capabilities
• Lead pre-bid meetings, client presentations, and negotiation efforts
• Drive conversion of bids into awarded projects and long-term client partnerships

Financial & Operational Performance

• Own bid-level financial outcomes, including margin strategy and cost assumptions
• Lead value engineering efforts to enhance competitiveness without sacrificing profitability
• Monitor material pricing, labor trends, and market conditions to inform bid strategy
• Ensure consistent pipeline visibility and backlog forecasting

Cross-Functional Collaboration

• Partner closely with project management, fabrication, and operations teams
• Ensure smooth transition from estimating to project execution
• Align sales and estimating efforts with production capacity and operational goals

Required Qualifications

• 8–15+ years of experience in structural steel estimating, sales, or construction leadership
• Proven track record of winning work and driving revenue growth
• Strong knowledge of steel fabrication, detailing, and erection processes
• Experience leading estimating and/or business development teams
• Deep understanding of construction drawings, specifications, and bid processes
• Strong financial acumen (pricing strategy, margins, cost control)
• Bachelor’s degree required (MBA or advanced degree preferred)

Project Environment

• Structural steel projects across commercial, industrial, and design-build sectors
• Integrated fabrication and production capabilities
• Fast-paced, production-driven environment with a strong and growing backlog