Find & Apply For Landscape Architect Jobs in Healdsburg, California

POSITION SUMMARY

The Estimator owns the number. Every project we sell starts with a quantity takeoff, a labor assumption, and a price, and the quality of that work decides whether the job is profitable before a single shovel hits the ground. This role converts design intent and site conditions into accurate, buildable, defensible estimates for residential, commercial, and winery and estate landscape projects across Sonoma County. This is not a data-entry seat. The Estimator walks sites, questions scope, prices risk, and closes the loop between what we bid and what the job actually cost. The person in this role is the reason our margins are predictable.

CORE RESPONSIBILITIES

Takeoff and estimating Produce complete quantity takeoffs from design drawings, plant schedules, irrigation plans, grading plans, and field measurements. Build detailed estimates covering hardscape, softscape, plant material, soil amendments, irrigation, drainage, low-voltage lighting, masonry, carpentry, grading, and site prep. Develop and defend labor assumptions by crew type and production rate rather than applying a flat percentage to material cost. Price access, staging, haul-off, equipment mobilization, and site constraints explicitly. Hillside, estate, and vineyard properties routinely carry cost that never appears on a plan. Identify scope gaps, drawing conflicts, and missing information before pricing, and drive them to resolution with the designer or client. Apply contingency and risk allowances based on documented conditions, not gut feel. Site assessment Conduct site walks on every project above the agreed dollar threshold. Document soil, drainage, slope, existing utilities, tree protection, access width, and staging area. Photograph and log conditions that drive cost, and attach that record to the estimate file so production inherits it. Flag permitting, water efficiency, and defensible space requirements early, including California Model Water Efficient Landscape Ordinance (MWELO) documentation obligations and local jurisdiction review. Vendor and subcontractor pricing Solicit, level, and compare subcontractor and supplier bids. Confirm every sub is bidding the same scope before comparing numbers. Maintain current pricing for nursery stock, aggregate, stone, soil, irrigation components, and lighting from primary suppliers. Track lead times on specified material and surface any item that threatens the proposed schedule. Verify subcontractor license status, insurance, and, on prevailing wage work, applicable wage determinations. Proposal and handoff Produce client-facing proposals with clear scope, inclusions, exclusions, allowances, and assumptions written in plain language. Support the sales conversation with cost rationale and value-engineering options when a proposal comes back over budget. Run a formal estimate-to-production handoff on every sold job so the project manager and crew lead receive the budget, the assumptions behind it, and the known risks. Price change orders promptly and to the same standard as the original bid. Cost feedback loop Review estimated versus actual cost on completed jobs and document the variance drivers. Update production rates, unit costs, and burden rates on a defined cycle using our own job history, not published averages. Report recurring estimating misses to leadership with a proposed correction. Systems and standards Maintain the estimating templates, assemblies, and cost database in our estimating and job-costing software. Keep an auditable file for every bid: takeoff, source pricing, site notes, assumptions, and the version sent to the client. Contribute to standardizing how we scope and price recurring work so estimates stop depending on one person's memory. First 90 days Days 1 to 30: Learn our crews, production rates, supplier relationships, and current estimating file structure. Shadow site walks. Rebuild two closed jobs as practice estimates and compare against actuals. Days 31 to 60: Own estimates for maintenance enhancements and small installs end to end. Begin auditing the cost database against recent invoices. Days 61 to 90: Own full design/build estimates including estate and commercial work. Deliver a written assessment of the top three sources of estimating variance in the business and a plan to close them.

REQUIRED QUALIFICATIONS

Three or more years estimating landscape construction, site work, or a closely related trade, or five or more years in landscape field leadership with direct estimating responsibility. Demonstrated ability to read and take off from construction documents: planting plans, irrigation plans, grading and drainage plans, and details. Working knowledge of landscape construction means and methods, including hardscape installation, irrigation systems, drainage, and planting. Strong spreadsheet skill and comfort building and maintaining a structured cost database. Clear written communication. Proposals and scope documents are read by clients and enforced in disputes. Valid California driver license and an acceptable driving record. Reliable transportation for daily site travel across Sonoma County.

PREFERRED QUALIFICATIONS

Experience with landscape-specific estimating or job-costing platforms such as LMN, Aspire, or comparable systems. Familiarity with MWELO compliance and Sonoma County or municipal landscape permitting. Experience pricing prevailing wage or public works landscape projects. Background in high-end residential, winery, or estate properties where access, phasing, and client presence drive cost. Horticulture, landscape architecture, construction management, or civil engineering coursework or degree. Certification through NALP, ASIC, or IA, or CPE credential progress. Conversational Spanish.

COMPETENCIES WE SCREEN FOR

Precision under time pressure. Bids have deadlines and the number still has to be right. Intellectual honesty. Reports the estimate the data supports, including when it costs us the job. Curiosity about the field. Goes and looks rather than assuming the plan is accurate. Systems thinking. Improves the process, not just the individual estimate. Collaboration with production. Treats the crew leads as the primary source of truth on how long work takes.

WORK ENVIRONMENT AND PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

Split between office and active job sites and prospective properties, roughly 60 percent office and 40 percent field depending on bid volume. Regular outdoor work in variable weather, including uneven terrain, slopes, mud, and partially built sites. Ability to walk sites for extended periods, occasionally lift up to 25 pounds, and use measuring wheels, tape, and mobile measurement tools. Occasional extended hours during peak bid periods.

Pay:

$28.00 - $35.00 per hour

Benefits:

401(k) Dental insurance Health insurance Paid time off Vision insurance

Work Location:

Hybrid remote in Healdsburg, CA 95448