Estimating and Vendor Relations Manager

Position Summary

The Estimating and Vendor Relations Manager supports MTA's commercial success by ensuring timely, accurate, and competitive proposals while assisting in maintaining strong vendor relationships. This role manages the day-to-day estimating process, oversees the estimating team, and works closely with Sales, Operations, and leadership to ensure pricing aligns with financial goals and margin targets. The manager will standardize estimating procedures, train team members, and contribute to process improvements that enhance efficiency and customer responsiveness.

Key Responsibilities

Leadership & Team Development
• Manage and support the Service Estimating and Project Management teams to ensure timely and accurate quote preparation and smooth handoffs.
• Hire, onboard, and develop team members within both estimating groups, building technical capability and long-term departmental strength.
• Provide coaching, feedback, and technical guidance to promote consistency and accountability.
• Develop training materials, onboarding guides, and continuing education resources.
• Reinforce existing SOPs and collaborate on creating new SOPs to improve consistency and scalability.
• Collaborate with leadership to identify skill gaps and create structured development pathways.

Estimating Operations
• Review estimates and proposals for accuracy, completeness, and compliance with company standards.
• Partner with Sales and Technical Support to ensure quotes reflect customer needs and achieve margin targets.
• Validate scopes of work using technical drawings, field data, and applicable standards.
• Monitor estimating turnaround times and recommend process improvements.
• Prepare and maintain KPI reporting to support the VP of MedGas and senior leadership.

Vendor Relations & Pricing Support
• Support the VP of MedGas in maintaining and strengthening vendor and subcontractor relationships.
• Collaborate on vendor pricing reviews, cost evaluations, and negotiation activities.
• Gather vendor pricing, lead times, and technical product details to ensure estimates remain accurate and current.
• Track vendor performance and pricing trends to support cost comparisons and budgeting efforts.
• Maintain updated pricing libraries, tariff adjustments, vendor cost updates, and internal markup structures.
• Work closely with the COO and VP of MedGas to establish and refine internal markup structures that support margin growth and market competitiveness.
• Resolve escalations including backorders, shipping issues, product substitutions, and warranty claims.
• Maintain pricing databases, preferred vendor lists, and material cost references.

Process Improvement & Cross-Functional Collaboration
• Identify workflow bottlenecks and recommend improvements to enhance efficiency and consistency.
• Partner with Sales, Operations, and Finance to ensure alignment on pricing strategies and scoping accuracy.
• Assist with evaluating and implementing automation or software tools that streamline estimating processes.
• Analyze estimating data trends to support margin improvement, quote accuracy, and turnaround times.

Qualifications
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• 5-7 years of experience in estimating, quoting, pricing, or similar technical environments.
• Prior leadership or team supervision experience in a high-volume environment required.
• Strong blueprint interpretation and technical specification knowledge.
• Experience collaborating on vendor negotiations and pricing reviews.
• Proficiency with ERP/CRM systems (NetSuite preferred).
• Strong analytical, communication, and organizational skills.

Work Environment
• Full-time in-office position at MTA's primary location.
• Occasional travel to vendors or customer sites as necessary.
• Extended hours may be required during peak estimating or project periods.

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