Job Type: Full-Time
Work Setup: Office Based
Location: Philippines
Schedule: Melbourne-aligned Australian business hours
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced Estimator with a strong background in stonemasonry, architectural stonework, joinery, construction, or architectural finishes to join our team.
This role will be responsible for preparing accurate and detailed estimates for residential and architectural stonework projects, including benchtops, vanities, flooring, walls, staircases, fireplaces, cladding, feature work, and full-home packages.
You will work closely with the Sales, Production, Procurement, Operations, and Finance teams to ensure estimates are commercially accurate, technically achievable, and aligned with project requirements.
The ideal candidate is highly detail-oriented, confident reading architectural drawings, comfortable building labour-hour estimates, and experienced in working remotely with Australian-based teams.
Key Responsibilities
Estimating & Costing
- Prepare detailed and accurate estimates for residential and architectural stonework projects.
- Estimate projects including:
- Benchtops and vanities
- Floors and walls
- Staircases
- Fireplaces
- Cladding
- Feature stonework
- Full-home stone packages
- Review architectural drawings, elevations, sections, specifications, schedules, photographs, and sales briefs.
- Identify missing information or unclear requirements and communicate these promptly rather than making assumptions.
- Build complete project costs, including:
- Stone/material costs
- Slab yield and waste
- Fabrication hours
- CNC and waterjet processing
- Hand fabrication and polishing
- Mitres and bookmatching
- Curves and complex profiles
- Templating
- Installation labour
- Plant and equipment
- Fixings and sealing
- Freight
- Risk contingencies
- Target gross profit
- Work with the Sales Manager and Production team to confirm realistic labour hours for complex projects.
- Prepare accurate, client-facing quote packs that Sales can present without significant rewriting.
- Keep internal cost breakdowns and commercial information confidential.
- Provide alternative solutions and value-engineering options while maintaining the project's design intent and target margin.
Estimating & Technical Review
- Work effectively from architectural drawings, photographs, scan data, and sales briefs.
- Identify when a project cannot be accurately priced remotely and provide a clear written list of the additional information required.
- Identify potential constructability issues early, including:
- Slab size and piece size limitations
- Vein direction
- Joint locations
- Structural support requirements
- Wet-area detailing
- Weight considerations
- Material availability and lead times
- Access and installation requirements
- Use current procurement and material costs when preparing estimates.
- Maintain accurate and up-to-date estimating information rather than relying on outdated pricing.
- Participate in weekly Sales and Estimating meetings via video.
- Keep project status and estimating information updated in Odoo before the end of each workday.
Estimating Controls & Project Support
- Maintain version control for all estimates and revisions.
- Ensure the awarded estimate is clearly identified as the approved version for Operations.
- Prepare and price variations before additional work proceeds.
- Review awarded project actual costs against original estimates in collaboration with Finance and Operations.
- Identify estimating variances and use the findings to improve future rates and estimating accuracy.
- Provide technical support to Sales when clarification is required regarding pricing, methodology, or project requirements.
- Support the Sales team without taking over the client relationship.
Requirements
- 5–10+ years of estimating experience in stonemasonry, joinery, construction, architectural finishes, or a closely related industry.
- Strong experience in stonework estimating is highly preferred.
- Proven ability to independently read and interpret:
- Architectural drawings
- Floor plans
- Elevations
- Sections
- Specifications
- Schedules
- Strong understanding of construction and fabrication processes.
- Experience building estimates based on labour hours and processes, not only unit rates.
- Strong Excel skills and confidence working with detailed costing spreadsheets.
- Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
- Strong attention to detail and numerical accuracy.
- Ability to identify missing information and raise questions clearly.
- Strong commercial awareness and understanding of margins and project costing spreadsheets
Preferred Experience
- Direct experience working with natural stone and ultra-compact surfaces.
- Knowledge of stone fabrication processes, including:
- CNC
- Waterjet
- Polishing
- Mitres
- Bookmatching
- Complex edge profiles
- Curved fabrication
- Slab optimisation and yield
- Experience using Measure Square, Bluebeam, or PlanSwift.
- Experience using Odoo or similar ERP/business management systems.
- Previous experience supporting an Australian construction, fabrication, stonemasonry, or architectural business from the Philippines.
- Experience working with procurement and current material pricing.
- Proven track record of successfully delivering estimates remotely.
What We're Looking For
We're looking for an estimator who understands both the numbers and the work behind them.
You should be able to look at a set of drawings and understand what is required to fabricate and install the finished product, identify potential issues before they become costly problems, and produce an estimate that is both commercially sound and realistic for production.
You should also be comfortable working independently, communicating clearly with Australian-based teams, and taking ownership of your estimates from initial review through to project award.
