Manager, Pre-construction

Manager Pre-Construction

Manager, Pre-Construction

Location: Edmonton, Alberta (with travel as required)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Business Unit: Pre-Construction
Reports To: Vice President, Operations

Work Environment: On site

ABOUT THE ROLE

Backwoods is seeking an experienced Manager, Pre-Construction to drive estimating, proposal development, and coordinated pre-construction workflows across the company. This is a hands-on, senior leadership role in a lean, high-performing environment, ideal for an estimator with a project-management mindset and a natural flair for business development, who thrives on balancing technical accuracy with strategic judgement.

You will lead the full bid lifecycle, including go/no-go recommendations, bid strategy development, detailed takeoffs, cost modelling, proposal preparation, pricing reviews, clarifications, negotiations, and structured turnover to Operations. The work requires both technical depth and strategic thinking, ensuring all bids are competitive, accurate, feasible, and aligned with Backwoods’ service offerings and execution capabilities.

Backwoods’ estimating portfolio includes pipeline integrity programs, earthworks, facility civil scopes, industrial site preparation, and civil/mechanical supporting scopes. You will oversee estimating activities company-wide, ensuring consistency of methods, alignment of assumptions, and shared ownership of bid quality. As such, expertise in these sectors is essential to thrive in this role, and experience with forestry-support estimating or matting programs is an added advantage. You will also strengthen standards, templates, cost structures, pricing tools, and the overall governance of pre-construction practices across all divisions.

A critical part of this role is client engagement. A critical part of this role is client engagement. You will proactively ensure Backwoods is included in all relevant scopes as work packages are released, clarify cost drivers, and position the company advantageously early in each pursuit. You will work collaboratively across departments, ensuring strong alignment, clear assumptions, and coordinated inputs throughout the bid and turnover process.

Your leadership, execution discipline, and strategic insight will directly influence Backwoods’ competitiveness, profitability, and long-term growth trajectory.

WHAT YOU’LL DO
- Lead the full pre-construction lifecycle, including go/no-go recommendations, bid strategy, detailed estimating, pricing reviews, proposal preparation, clarifications, negotiations, and structured turnover to Operations.
- Perform and oversee all quantity takeoffs, cost modelling, and productivity analysis, ensuring accurate, competitive, and risk-aware pricing for multidisciplinary scopes.
- Engage proactively with clients to identify upcoming work packages aligned with Backwoods’ capabilities, securing visibility and participation in all applicable scopes.
- Coordinate and prioritize estimating activities within a lean, fast-moving environment, aligning internal contributors and ensuring timelines are met.
- Lead subcontractor and supplier RFQ processes, including bid packaging, scope definition, bid levelling, negotiation, and integration of final pricing into estimates.
- Collaborate with Operations and SMEs to validate means, methods, production rates, execution feasibility, and resource requirements.
- Assess and integrate project risks, including scope gaps, constructability constraints, schedule-related risks, resource pressures, and commercial exposure, and incorporate them into contingency and pricing strategies.
- Analyze win/loss data, estimate-to-actual comparisons, competitive insights, and market trends to strengthen pricing strategies and refine cost models.
- Ensure bid compliance with internal governance, including pricing thresholds, bonding, insurance, and financial requirements.
- Drive continuous improvement by advancing pre-construction standards, tools, templates, processes, governance, documentation, and audit trails to enhance accuracy, consistency, and overall quality.

WHAT YOU BRING
- 10+ years of estimating experience, including at least 5 years in a senior pre-construction role leading full-cycle bids, with demonstrated expertise in pipeline integrity, earthworks, facility civil scopes, or industrial site preparation—preferably within a small to mid-sized contractor environment.
- High proficiency in takeoffs, cost modelling, RFQs, bid levelling, and estimating software.
- A proactive, analytical, and detail-oriented approach to estimating, pricing, and problem-solving.
- Ability to influence and collaborate effectively with cross-functional contributors without direct authority.
- Strong communication and client-engagement skills, with the ability to align internal and external stakeholders.
- Post-secondary education in Construction Management, Engineering, or a related discipline is considered an asset but extensive relevant experien