Vice President of estimating

Vice President of estimating Appleton Finn - 5.0 Louisville, KY Job Details Full-time $190,000 - $235,000 a year 4 hours ago Benefits Fuel reimbursement 403(b) matching Health savings account AD&D insurance Relocation assistance Health insurance Dental insurance 401(k) Flexible spending account Tuition reimbursement Paid time off 401(k) 4% Match Parental leave Vision insurance 401(k) matching Employee discount 403(b) Professional development assistance Flexible schedule Life insurance Referral program Qualifications Strategic management Team leadership Process improvement Process management General management Certified Construction Manager Senior leadership Full Job Description VP of Estimating / Preconstruction Confidential | Louisville, KY Regional Heavy Civil Contractor | Part of a $500M Revenue Construction Group About the Company This is a confidential search on behalf of a leading heavy civil general contractor based in Louisville, Kentucky. The company is a regional authority in water and wastewater treatment infrastructure, pump stations, municipal streetscapes, and complex civil projects operating across Kentucky, Indiana, and Ohio. With approximately 80% of all work self-performed, the organisation carries a level of operational capability and workforce depth that most regional contractors simply cannot match. The company is a member of a multi-brand construction and infrastructure group generating a combined $500 million in annual revenue, providing the financial backing, shared resources, and organisational infrastructure of a major enterprise while retaining the culture, agility, and decision-making speed of a privately held regional contractor. This combination is genuinely rare and is a significant part of what makes this opportunity compelling. The Opportunity The company is seeking a Vice President of Estimating and Preconstruction to join its senior leadership team. This is an executive role with real weight behind it, created not to fill a gap but to elevate a function that is central to the next phase of the company's growth. This is a role for someone who is ready to stop being the second name on the org chart and start being the person who shapes strategy. If you have been operating at Director level and feel like the ceiling above you is closer than the floor below, or if you are a strong number two in a larger organisation wondering when your turn comes, this is worth a serious conversation. The company is growing deliberately and quickly, and the preconstruction function needs an executive who can build alongside it. The Career Case for This Role This deserves more than a bullet point. Here is the honest version of why this opportunity stands out. A genuine path to C-Suite The holding group operates across multiple construction brands with a combined revenue footprint of $500 million and growing. As the group scales, the natural evolution of this role is toward a Chief Preconstruction Officer or equivalent position at the group level, with oversight across all brands and a seat at the table for enterprise-wide strategy. That is not a promise written into a job description, it is the logical outcome for the right person who performs in this role and demonstrates the vision to operate at that level. The organisation is structured in a way that rewards performance with genuine advancement, not just title changes. You will build something, not inherit something The preconstruction function here has a solid foundation but it has not yet been built to match the scale this company is heading toward. You will have the authority and the resources to build a department, establish standards, and leave a fingerprint on how this organisation approaches every project it pursues going forward. That kind of ownership is increasingly difficult to find as companies grow and roles become more narrowly defined. The scale is already there, the infrastructure is not yet A $500 million group with the ambition this organisation has does not need you to generate the opportunity, it needs you to build the capability to capture it properly. The pipeline is real, the clients are established, the reputation is earned. What is missing is the executive who can bring the preconstruction function in line with where the business already is and where it is going. That is a very different challenge from building from zero, and for many experienced leaders it is the more attractive one. Autonomy without chaos This is not a startup where everything is uncertain and resources are thin. There is genuine organisational backing, an experienced President, and a leadership culture that trusts its people to operate. You will have authority without ambiguity and support without micromanagement. That balance is harder to find than most people admit. Kentuckiana is an infrastructure market with real momentum Municipal water and wastewater infrastructure investment across Kentucky and Indiana is not slowing down. Federal infrastructure funding, aging systems requiring replacement, and growing municipal demand create a sustained project pipeline that is not cyclical in the way commercial construction is. This company is exceptionally well positioned within that market and the VP of Preconstruction will play a direct role in how aggressively it pursues and captures that work. What You Will Own Bid Strategy and Win Rate Own the pursuit strategy across the full project pipeline. Decide what gets bid, how it gets priced, and how the company positions itself to win. Drive measurable improvement in win rate through smarter go/no-go decisions, more accurate cost modelling, and tighter alignment between preconstruction and operations. Team Leadership and Development Build, recruit, and mentor an estimating team capable of scaling with the company. You are not here to be the best estimator in the room, you are here to build a room full of great estimators. Executive Collaboration Work directly alongside the President and senior operations leadership to align preconstruction output with overall company strategy. Provide executive-level visibility into pipeline, backlog targets, and market positioning across all active geographies. Process and Systems Evaluate current estimating tools, workflows, and reporting structures. Implement the standards and infrastructure that create consistency and scalability as volume grows. Client and Owner Relationships Represent the company at the preconstruction stage with municipal clients, engineers of record, and project owners. Build the kind of trusted relationships that generate opportunity ahead of formal procurement. Cross-Brand Opportunity As a member of a multi-brand holding group, there is the additional opportunity over time to extend preconstruction leadership and best practices across sister companies, a natural step toward the group-level role this position can grow into. What We Are Looking For 10 or more years in estimating or preconstruction within heavy civil, water and wastewater, municipal infrastructure, or a closely adjacent market. Director-level or senior management experience required. A background that includes genuine field familiarity alongside executive capability is highly valued given the self-perform nature of the business. Beyond the technical profile, this role calls for a leader with presence, communication ability, and genuine ambition. Someone who can engage equally with a field superintendent and a city engineer. Someone whose team will follow them because of how they lead, not because of their title. Louisville, KY based or willing to relocate. Compensation Executive-level base salary commensurate with experience, performance-based incentive structure tied to company growth and preconstruction performance, and a full benefits package. Compensation is discussed in full confidence with qualified candidates. This is a confidential search. All enquiries and applications are handled with complete discretion. The company name and further detail are shared directly with qualified candidates following an initial conversation.

INDAF Pay:

$190,000.00 - $235,000.00 per year

Benefits:

401(k) 401(k) 4% Match 401(k) matching 403(b) AD&D insurance Dental insurance Employee discount Flexible schedule Flexible spending account Fuel reimbursement Health insurance Health savings account Life insurance Paid time off Parental leave Professional development assistance Referral program Relocation assistance Tuition reimbursement Vision insurance People with a criminal record are encouraged to apply

Work Location:

In person