ESTIMATOR & PURCHASING MANAGER

ESTIMATOR & PURCHASING MANAGER
Confidential — Luxury Residential Construction Company (Los Angeles, CA)
Bilingual English/Spanish Required

About Us
We are a family-owned luxury custom home builder based in Los Angeles, California. We build high-end homes in some of the most desirable neighborhoods in the city, with project values in the $1M–$3M+ range. We are growing fast — we currently have multiple active builds and a strong pipeline of upcoming projects.
We treat our team like family, we pay fairly, and we reward performance with bonuses. The right person here will grow with us for years — this is a long-term role, not a short-term gig.

The Role
You will be our Estimator & Purchasing Manager — a senior 2-in-1 role combining pre-construction estimating with full ownership of purchasing, vendor management, and subcontractor payment coordination.
You will touch every project from the ---------- nt it enters our pipeline through every dollar that flows out to vendors and subs. You will be the person who makes sure we never overpay, never miss a takeoff, always have samples ready for clients, and always have proper documentation before payments go out.
This is a senior-level role for someone who can read full architectural plan sets, perform accurate quantity takeoffs across all trades, build complete project budgets, and then turn around and manage every vendor and supplier relationship that fulfills those budgets.
Bilingual English/Spanish is mandatory. The majority of our subcontractors and field workers are native Spanish speakers. You will be communicating with them daily — by phone, email, and text. Native or near-native fluency in both languages is required.
You will be trusted with sensitive financial and project information. A signed NDA will be required before onboarding.

Work Schedule

Hours: 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Pacific Standard Time (PST), Monday through Friday (40 hours/week, with a 1-hour unpaid break)
For you in the Philippines: approximately 11:00 PM – 8:00 AM the following day (Manila time)
Why this schedule: You need real-time overlap with US vendors, suppliers, and subcontractors to chase quotes, follow up on orders, and coordinate payments. Most US vendor offices and our Spanish-speaking subs are reachable 8 AM – 5 PM PST.
Live overlap: Full overlap with our team in California and with US suppliers/vendors during their business hours.

This schedule is non-negotiable. We need someone whose body clock can adapt to a true overnight Manila shift long-term — please do not apply if you cannot commit to this.
We are also looking for someone willing to work additional hours when needed. Extra hours are paid, and strong performance is rewarded with bonuses.

What You Will Do
Estimating & Pre-Construction

Read complete architectural, structural, and MEP plan sets (30+ sheets per project) and understand what's being built
Perform full quantity takeoffs across all trades — concrete, framing, drywall, flooring, tile, plumbing fixtures, electrical, lighting, appliances, hardware, landscaping
Build complete project budgets from scratch using historical pricing data and current vendor quotes
Maintain and continuously update a master pricing database based on every project we complete (so future estimates get faster and more accurate)
Cross-reference every takeoff against the contractual scope of work to make sure nothing is missed and nothing is doubled up
Review subcontractor bids for completeness and accuracy — flag gaps, scope holes, and inflated pricing
Produce 70% complete draft proposals that the CEO finalizes and presents

Vendor & Supplier Management

Source and qualify new vendors across every trade and product category
Get competitive quotes (3+ per item for major purchases) and negotiate pricing
Build long-term relationships with key vendors to secure better pricing, priority delivery, and volume discounts as we scale
Negotiate free or discounted samples for client selections (tile, flooring, slabs, fixtures, hardware, paint, etc.)
Negotiate free product offerings whenever possible (showroom samples, discontinued items, contractor-program benefits)
Onboard new vendors properly — collect W9, Certificate of Insurance (COI), payment terms, and credit applications
Maintain a complete vendor database with contact info, pricing history, lead times, and reliability ratings

Subcontractor Communication (Spanish-Speaking)

Communicate daily with our Spanish-speaking subcontractors by phone, email, and WhatsApp/text
Translate scope, schedule, and payment communications between English (management) and Spanish (subs) accurately and professionally
Build trust and strong relationships with our subs so they prioritize our jobs
Collect quotes from Spanish-speaking subs and translate/summarize them in English for the CEO
Mediate scope or scheduling questions between the field PM and Spanish-speaking sub crews

Purchase Order & Procurement

Issue purchase orders for every material order across every active project
Track every order from PO issuance through delivery on site
Coordinate delivery dates with field PM and subcontractors so nothing arrives too early or too late
Manage returns, damaged goods, and replacement orders
Coordinate sample shipments to clients for selections meetings — track which samples have been requested, which have shipped, which have arrived
Maintain a complete sample library log per project

Subcontractor Payment Coordination

Receive subcontractor invoices and review for accuracy against the contracted scope and percent complete
Coordinate with the field Project Manager to verify that the work being billed is actually complete to the percent claimed (cross-reference with CompanyCam photos)
Once the PM approves work completion, package payment requests with full documentation: invoice, contract reference, percent complete verification, photos, and lien waiver
Submit payment packages to management (CEO) for final approval
Once management approves, coordinate with the office manager to prepare and deliver the check (subcontractor pickup, mailing, or wire transfer)
Communicate payment status updates to the sub directly in Spanish when needed
Update the AP log and project budget in real time for every payment released

Lien Waiver Management

Chase conditional lien waivers from every sub and supplier BEFORE payment is released
Chase unconditional lien waivers AFTER each payment clears
Maintain a master lien waiver tracker per job — no payment goes out without a conditional waiver in hand, and no project closes out without all unconditional waivers collected
Translate lien waiver requirements clearly to Spanish-speaking subs so there is never confusion
Flag any sub or supplier who refuses to provide waivers immediately

Reporting & Documentation

Send a daily end-of-shift summary email to the CEO covering: (a) takeoffs completed, (b) quotes received, (c) POs issued, (d) deliveries scheduled, (e) payments processed, (f) lien waivers collected, (g) any issues or blockers
Send a weekly Friday report covering: pipeline estimates in progress, vendor pricing updates, payment summaries, and any cost overruns or savings identified
Keep all estimating files, vendor documents, POs, and payment records perfectly organized in Google Drive


Requirements

Bilingual English/Spanish (mandatory). Native or near-native fluency in BOTH languages — written and spoken. You will be tested in both languages during the interview, including a live phone-style conversation in Spanish. Do not apply if your Spanish is conversational only.
3+ years construction estimating experience. You must have prior experience as an estimator, quantity surveyor, or pre-construction coordinator on real construction projects — ideally residential. Tell us specifically what projects you've estimated.
Plan reading at a senior level. You must be able to open a 30+ sheet architectural plan set with structural, MEP, and architectural details and accurately quantify every material across every trade.
Quantity takeoff fluency. Experience with takeoff software (Bluebeam Revu, PlanSwift, On-Screen Takeoff, or similar) is required.
Purchasing or procurement experience. You should have experience managing vendor relationships, issuing POs, and coordinating deliveries.
Excellent written English AND Spanish. You will be sending dozens of emails per day in both languages. Your writing must read like a professional native speaker wrote it. We will test this in the interview.
Verbal English AND Spanish fluency. You will be on calls with US vendors and Spanish-speaking subs every day. Clear, confident spoken fluency in both is required.
Tech fluency. Bluebeam Revu (or equivalent), Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, Gmail, Google Drive, WhatsApp, and ideally CompanyCam, Buildertrend, and QuickBooks Online.
Numerical accuracy. You will be handling money, quantities, and pricing data every day. One bad takeoff or one missed lien waiver costs us thousands. Mistakes are unacceptable.
Discretion and trustworthiness. You will see vendor pricing, contract values, payment information, and financial data. NDA required.
Reliable workspace. Stable high-speed internet, backup power, quiet workspace, working webcam, modern computer with two monitors strongly preferred.
Schedule commitment. You must be able to consistently work 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM PST (overnight in Manila) long-term. Confirm in your application that this works for you.
Available immediately. We are hiring for an immediate start.


Bonus Points

Experience estimating luxury or high-end residential construction
Experience with U.S. or California-specific construction (codes, lien laws, Title 24, prevailing wage if applicable)
Background in architecture, civil engineering, construction management, or quantity surveying
Experience working directly with Mexican or Central American construction crews
Familiarity with California lien waiver law (conditional vs. unconditional, progress vs. final)
Comfortable using AI tools (ChatGPT, Claude, etc.) to work faster


What We Offer

Competitive hourly pay (we will discuss based on experience — bilingual candidates with senior estimating experience earn at the top of our range)
Performance-based bonuses tied to: (a) project budgets coming in under estimate, (b) vendor savings negotiated, (c) on-time payment processing, (d) zero lien waiver issues per project
Long-term, stable role with a rapidly growing company
Real career growth — as our company scales, this role grows into a full Pre-Construction Manager position with team underneath you
Direct mentorship from the CEO
A respectful, family-owned culture that treats remote tea ---------- mbers like real teammates — not like outsourced help


How to Apply
To be considered, your application must include all of the following:

A short paragraph in English explaining why this role fits you and why you can handle the 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM PST schedule (overnight in Manila) long-term
A short paragraph in Spanish describing your construction estimating background and how you would communicate with a subcontractor about a missing lien waiver
A list of construction projects you have estimated, your specific role, the project value, and the trades you covered (no client names needed)
A sample takeoff you have completed in the past (any project, any trade) — sanitized of confidential info
A short paragraph describing your process for getting competitive vendor quotes — how do you typically find vendors, get pricing, and negotiate?
A short paragraph describing one time you caught an estimating or pricing error before it cost a company money
Confirmation that you understand the schedule and can commit to it long-term
Your expected hourly rate in USD

Applications missing any of the above — especially the Spanish paragraph — will not be reviewed. We are looking for someone detail-oriented, numerically accurate, bilingual, and proactive — your application is the first test.

We look forward to meeting you and growing together.