Our client provides field construction, direct construction labor, operations and maintenance, owner’s representation, and outage services for power companies around the world. One of the firm’s primary customers, a major utility in the Southeast US, has a long-term contract consisting of 6 sites, 30 units and more than 5,000 MW of fossil fired power along with several hydroelectric plants. The utility has outsourced most of its plant operations to our client counts on their expertise to solve multiple complex and difficult problems. The utility requires detailed estimates, construction and outage planning, as well as a good deal of handholding to ensure smooth operations.
Challenge:
Our client currently seeks a manager who will oversee a team of four estimators who support the site management team. This individual will coordinate or manage most of the operations of this contract. Reporting directly to the Program Director, this individual will plan for outages, schedule construction or maintenance, directly manage the estimating team, interface with site managers, plant managers, and other client representatives. This individual will set priorities, negotiate schedules, and perform manpower planning. As a very important and demanding assignment, our client requires an exceptional manager who will work significant overtime during the outage season. This person may be asked to take on greater responsibilities over the life of the project and will assume one of the top spots in the main office.
Opportunity:
This person must be bright, ambitious, flexible, and professional, understanding power plants top to bottom, while having a feel for smaller capital upgrades. Estimating expertise is imperative to instill confidence and credibility with the client, field personnel, and management. This is an immediate need, and while it is unlikely that any individual would bring all the specific traits necessitated by this position, what is required is that this individual be a fast learner and rapidly settle in as a productive member of the management team. This individual will serve as an important link between the Program Director and the projects, ensuring that the Program Director is appraised of all-important occurrences. The units are primarily fossil-fired with a few hydroelectric plants.
This individual must be professional, knowledgeable, and communicative. He or she should have ten or more years of construction, operations, maintenance, estimating, scheduling, or outage experience in either fossil power and/or process plants. Detailed estimating management experience is crucial. Field construction experience will be useful and will help build credibility with the utility client. A demonstrated ability to develop estimates, schedules, and procedures in support of major utilities operations, capital projects, and maintenance outages is preferred.
Job Scope:
- Personnel Management.
- Outage Planning.
- Project Estimation.
- Client Management.
- Facilitate Communication.
- Validation of subcontractors’ or joint venture partners’ proposals.
- Evaluation of equipment vendors’ capabilities.
- Communicate with the site organization and the entire program team.
- Manage personnel and man-hour planning.
- Maintain the schedules for outages and construction projects.
- Development of pricing for: man-hours, equipment and overhead for operations, maintenance, and construction power projects.
- Integrate schedule and estimates.
- Establish estimating database.
- Administer field policy and procedure management.
- Assemble seasonal manpower requirements.
Experience / Education Required:
- Experience as Staff or Lead Estimator.
- Leading preparation of proposals received from prospective clients.
- Knowledgeable in one or more disciplines.
- Familiarity with the balance of disciplines that most projects encompass.
- Managing support staff to delegate assignments, explain objectives, remove barriers, monitor and expedite completion, and motivate employees.
- Working with engineering on turn-key projects to identify input required to estimate projects.
- Identifying and requesting outside subcontract quotations, quotations for engineered material items, quotations for major material orders, and quotations for specialty erection/construction equipment.
- Preparing project staffing requirements and indirect cost for project being estimated.
- Directing the development of project schedules for estimated projects, including the development of manpower curves and cost forecast.
- Leading the management review of estimates.
- Preparing risk analyses for management review.
- Insuring proposal contents are complete.
- Worked on multiple assignments at one time.
- Experience prioritizing critical activities.
- Worked with client personnel.
- Experience understanding customer concerns.
- Experience in subcontracting.
- Exposed to working on different phases of subcontract process. From identifying work scope, requesting quotations, bid review and award, coordinating installation, verifying progress, reviewing invoices, reviewing change request and contract closeout.
- Experience in field operations.
- Involved in resolving installation issues.
- Involved in monitoring and reporting installation progress.
- Identifying changes and processing for customer approval.
