Estimating Manager

SUMMARY The Estimating Manager leads the estimating function and oversees accurate, competitive, and profitable cost estimates and quotations for manufactured, fabricated, machined, formed, finished, and assembled aircraft components and related products. Serving as a key link between Sales, Engineering, Manufacturing, Supply Chain, Quality, Finance, and Operations, this role translates customer requirements into commercially sound proposals. The position requires strong knowledge of aerospace manufacturing processes, material and labor costing, overhead, tooling, outside processing, subcontracting, production capacity, lead times, and commercial pricing strategies. Directly supervises up to five employees. ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS Lead the estimating and quotation process from initial RFQ through final proposal submission; review drawings, specifications, statements of work, bills of material, quality requirements, and contractual requirements. Develop detailed estimates for machined, sheet metal, formed, fabricated, welded, assembled, mechanical, and aircraft structural components; finish and treatment operations; special processes; tooling and fixtures; prototypes and development work; production programs; and repair or rework activities, as applicable. Determine manufacturing processes, routings, direct labor hours, materials, tooling, equipment, outside processing, subcontracting, inspection, testing, packaging, freight, burden, overhead, and other applicable cost elements. Recommend pricing based on costs, customer requirements, market conditions, competition, capacity, strategic importance, and desired profitability; analyze gross and contribution margins and support contract and pricing negotiations as requested. Compare estimated costs with actual production results, identify recurring variances, and recommend adjustments to estimating methods, labor standards, burden rates, cost models, and pricing assumptions. Coordinate practical, efficient manufacturing approaches with Engineering and Manufacturing; identify cost-reduction opportunities through process improvements, sourcing, lot sizes, tooling strategies, and make-versus-buy analysis. Obtain and evaluate supplier and subcontractor quotations; identify technical cost drivers, manufacturing challenges, assumptions, and risks, and develop contingencies for incomplete information, material volatility, or unusual requirements. Lead, coach, and develop estimating personnel; assign workload based on customer needs, deadlines, complexity, and business priorities; review staff estimates for accuracy, completeness, and appropriate pricing. Develop strategies for long-cycle aerospace opportunities, extended development periods, and multi-year production programs. Maintain open estimates, assess future labor and material rates, inflation, supplier pricing, capacity, lead times, and process changes, and coordinate escalation assumptions with Sales and Finance. Support recurring price reviews and established-program negotiations. Maintain estimating databases, historical pricing, cost models, and standard assumptions; establish consistent methodologies and documentation practices, improve or automate estimating systems, and participate in lean manufacturing, value engineering, and continuous improvement initiatives. Establish pricing for new customers and products, existing-product changes, long-term production, prototypes, development work, make-versus-buy decisions, engineering changes, expedites, and non-recurring engineering or tooling. Prepare formal quotations under company policies and approval requirements, ensuring complete, consistent, traceable, and adequately documented estimates. Track quote turnaround time, win rate, estimated versus actual labor hours, material and outside-processing costs, gross margin by program/customer, quote value, average quote size, cost variance, and pricing accuracy. Develop estimating procedures, work instructions, templates, and approval p…

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