Civil Project Manager / Estimator

YB Excavation – A Division of The Yard Butler
Location: Idaho Falls, ID
Job Type: Full-Time | Salaried
Salary: $85,000–$130,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications

Position Summary

YB Excavation is seeking an experienced Civil Project Manager / Estimator to join our team in Idaho Falls, Idaho.

This is a key leadership position responsible for managing civil construction projects from the initial estimating and bidding phase through project completion and closeout. The ideal candidate will have strong experience in civil construction, excavation, earthwork, site development, and underground utilities and will understand how estimating, production, job costing, scheduling, and field execution work together to create successful and profitable projects.

The Civil Project Manager / Estimator will work closely with company leadership, Superintendents, Foremen, field crews, customers, general contractors, engineers, subcontractors, and suppliers to ensure projects are accurately estimated, properly planned, and successfully executed.

Key Responsibilities

Estimating & Preconstruction

Review construction plans, specifications, contracts, drawings, and bid documents to determine project scope and requirements.
Perform detailed quantity takeoffs for civil construction projects, including earthwork, excavation, grading, site development, underground utilities, and related scopes.
Develop detailed and accurate estimates for labor, equipment, materials, trucking, subcontractors, disposal, and other project costs.
Evaluate crew production rates, equipment requirements, project duration, site conditions, and potential project risks.
Solicit and evaluate pricing from suppliers, subcontractors, and vendors.
Attend pre-bid meetings and conduct site visits as needed.
Identify project risks, exclusions, assumptions, and potential cost impacts prior to bid submission.
Prepare competitive proposals while maintaining company margin and profitability expectations.
Participate in bid reviews with company leadership.
Maintain estimating records and utilize completed-project performance to improve future estimating accuracy.

Civil Project Management

Manage awarded civil construction projects from preconstruction through final completion and closeout.
Develop project budgets, schedules, production goals, and execution plans.
Coordinate closely with Superintendents, Foremen, field crews, subcontractors, suppliers, and company leadership.
Conduct project handoffs to ensure field leadership understands project scope, specifications, budget, schedule, and production expectations.
Monitor project progress and compare actual production and costs against estimated performance.
Review labor, equipment, materials, trucking, subcontractor, and other project costs throughout the project.
Identify scheduling, production, cost, or operational concerns early and develop corrective action plans.
Coordinate equipment, materials, subcontractors, and resources necessary to maintain project schedules.
Conduct regular job-site visits to monitor project progress, quality, safety, and production.
Maintain accurate project documentation and records.

Financial Management & Job Costing

Maintain responsibility for the financial performance and profitability of assigned projects.
Monitor project budgets, committed costs, actual costs, production, and projected costs to completion.
Review job-cost information regularly and communicate project performance with company leadership.
Identify and address cost overruns and production variances.
Prepare, price, document, and manage project change orders.
Ensure additional or out-of-scope work is properly documented, authorized, and billed.
Assist with progress billing, quantities, project documentation, and closeout requirements.
Conduct post-project reviews comparing estimated versus actual labor, equipment, material, and production costs.
Use completed project data to improve future estimating and operational performance.

Customer & Project Relationships

Serve as a primary point of contact for customers, general contractors, owners, engineers, inspectors, subcontractors, and vendors.
Attend project meetings and communicate schedules, progress, changes, and project concerns.
Develop and maintain strong professional relationships with customers and industry partners.
Address project challenges promptly and professionally.
Represent YB Excavation professionally in all customer, contractor, and community interactions.

Safety & Quality

Work closely with field leadership to ensure projects are completed safely and according to company standards.
Ensure work complies with project plans, specifications, contractual requirements, and applicable standards.
Promote accountability for safety, quality, production, equipment utilization, and project performance.
Assist field leadership in resolving issues affecting safety, quality, schedule, production, or profitability.

Qualifications

5+ years of experience in civil construction, excavation, heavy civil, underground utilities, site development, project management, estimating, or a related field preferred.
Proven experience estimating and/or managing civil construction projects.
Strong knowledge of earthwork, excavation, grading, site development, underground utilities, trucking, materials, and heavy equipment operations.
Ability to read and interpret civil plans, specifications, construction drawings, contracts, and bid documents.
Experience performing quantity takeoffs and preparing detailed construction estimates.
Strong understanding of construction job costing, budgets, production rates, scheduling, and profitability.
Ability to manage multiple projects and estimates simultaneously.
Strong mathematical, analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills.
Strong written and verbal communication skills.
Proficiency with computers and the ability to effectively utilize estimating and project-management software.
Valid driver's license and ability to travel to project sites as required.

Preferred Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Business, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
Experience with civil construction estimating and takeoff software.
Experience with commercial, municipal, public works, infrastructure, or private site-development projects.
Knowledge of the Eastern Idaho construction market.
Established relationships with local general contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, engineers, and other industry partners.
Experience managing civil projects from initial bid through final closeout.
Experience working directly with excavation Superintendents, Foremen, and field crews.

What We're Looking For

We are looking for more than someone who can simply prepare estimates or maintain a project schedule.

The successful candidate will understand the entire lifecycle of a civil construction project—from determining what it should cost to build, to developing a competitive bid, planning the work, supporting field execution, monitoring production and job costs, managing changes, and ultimately ensuring the project is completed successfully and profitably.

This position requires someone who is comfortable working both in the office and in the field, can communicate effectively with crews and customers, recognizes potential problems early, and takes ownership of project results.

The right candidate will be organized, accountable, detail-oriented, solutions-focused, and financially minded, with a strong understanding of how decisions made during estimating and project management directly impact field production and profitability.

Compensation & Benefits

Salary: $85,000–$130,000 per year, depending on experience and qualifications
Health insurance
Retirement plan
Paid time off
Paid holidays
Company-provided tools and resources necessary for the position
Professional development and advancement opportunities
Opportunity to play a key role in the continued growth of YB Excavation

About YB Excavation

YB Excavation is a growing division of The Yard Butler serving Eastern Idaho. We are committed to providing quality excavation and civil construction services while building long-term relationships with our customers, contractors, employees, and community.

Our culture is built around our core values:

Integrity | Accountability | Profitability | Quality

We believe successful projects require strong estimating, effective planning, disciplined project management, and excellent field execution. This position will play an important role in helping YB Excavation continue to grow while maintaining the quality and profitability our customers and team expect.

If you are an experienced civil construction professional looking for an opportunity to take ownership of projects and contribute to the continued growth of YB Excavation, we encourage you to apply.

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