Cost Estimator

Job description

About the Agency: The Department of Housing Preservation and Development (HPD) oversees housing standards across all 3.7 million homes in New York City. As the nation’s largest municipal housing agency, HPD is responsible for building and preserving affordable housing, protecting tenants from harassment and displacement, and holding landlords accountable across the five boroughs. Under Commissioner Dina Levy and the Mamdani Administration, HPD is pursuing an ambitious housing agenda focused on the needs of New York’s tenants. With a broad set of tools including standards enforcement, tenant resources, and the creation of new affordable housing, HPD is committed to making New York City a more affordable place for renters and homeowners alike. Your Team: The Division of Building and Land Development Services (BLDS) leads the agency’s effort in providing architectural, engineering, cost valuation, environmental planning, and construction support services to the various divisions within HPD’s Office of Development. The Office of Development utilizes a public-private partnership model and provides loans, grants and/or incentives to assist in the finance of housing development projects that will benefit low- and moderate-income New Yorkers. BLDS is the largest division within the Office of Development with over 100 staff composed of seven units which include: the Bureau of New Construction Design Services, the Bureau of Preservation Design Services, the Bureau of Engineering, the Bureau of Construction Services, Environmental Planning Unit, the Policy Unit, and the Program Management Unit. Your Impact: As a Cost Estimator, you will be responsible for preparing cost estimates based on construction documents, utilizing RS Means database, for both newly-constructed and rehabilitated multi-family buildings assisted by HPD Funding/Assistance. Your Role: The ideal candidate should have a background in Cost Estimating, Engineering, Engineering Science, or related field, and possess a thorough understanding and strong knowledge base of New York City building and construction codes, as well as Federal, State, and City housing codes and regulations, along with experience in methods and standards in cost estimating of new construction and preservation of multi-family residential housing. Your Responsibilities: - Prepare cost estimate by gathering quantities from construction drawings and utilizing RS MEANS database, for multi-family new construction and renovated residential buildings; - Review cost estimates and change orders prepared by external consultants for accuracy and reasonableness multi-family residential buildings; - Perform value engineering to determine possible cost savings, and produce base costs and preliminary budget estimates for new construction and renovated residential buildings; - Review contractors’ bid proposals and prepare bid recommendations; - Assist in the processing of documents related to change orders and attend meetings related to change order negotiations with other HPD staff and external partners involved; - Review and analyze construction documents, including drawings, scopes of work, and project specifications; and - Assist in developing and maintaining a historical cost database in order to prepare, analyze, and validate estimates and budgets. Preferred skills 1. Thorough knowledge of City, State and Federal housing regulations, procedures and practice. 2. Familiarity with New York City government and housing issues. 3. Proficient in the use of various cost estimating tools, including RS Means and Sage. 4. Proficient in Microsoft Suite (Excel, Powerpoint, Outlook, Word, etc.). 5. Thorough understanding of construction and cost estimating industry standards. 6. Ability to read and understand drawings/plans, scopes of work, and specifications. 7. Ability to negotiate with diverse technical specialists. 8. Ability to work independently, apply independent judgment in technical matters, take initiative, and work effectively with others. 9. Excellent technical, writing, verbal, interpersonal, analytical, and organizational skills. 10. Demonstrated ability to work under pressure, meet deadlines, and coordinate multiple projects in a timely manner. 11. Demonstrated ability to deal with sensitive, complex issues that may arise. 12. Candidate may be subject to a background investigation conducted by the Department of Investigations. Minimum Qualifications 1. Eight years of full-time satisfactory experience in general construction estimating and a four- year high school diploma or its educational equivalent; or 2. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and a combination of the following sufficient to equal a total of eight years of experience, at least two years of which must be general construction estimating experience: a) Full-time satisfactory experience in civil engineering, architecture or construction can be substituted for construction estimating experience on a year-for-year basis. b) Education in civil engineering or architecture, leading to a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering or architecture, respectively, can be substituted for up to four years of required experience on the basis of 30 semester credits for one year of acceptable experience. NOTE: The Department of Housing Preservation and Development offers competitive salaries and the following benefits: Generous Pension Plans (The New York Employees' Retirement System); 401(k) and ROTH Retirement Savings Programs; U.S. Savings Bonds Flexible Spending Program; Health Benefits, Dental, Vision Coverage, Prescription Drug Program; Training and Professional Development; Opportunity for Scholarship; College Savings Program; Paid Holidays and Generous Annual Leave IF YOU ARE HIRED PROVISIONALLY IN THIS TITLE, YOU MUST TAKE AND PASS THE CIVIL SERVICE EXAM, WHEN IT BECOMES AVAILABLE, TO BE ELIGIBLE FOR CONTINUED EMPLOYMENT. *SENIOR ESTIMATOR (GENERAL CON - 20127 Qualification Requirements 1. Eight years of full-time satisfactory experience in general construction estimating and a four- year high school diploma or its educational equivalent; or 2. A four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent and a combination of the following sufficient to equal a total of eight years of experience, at least two years of which must be general construction estimating experience: a) Full-time satisfactory experience in civil engineering, architecture or construction can be substituted for construction estimating experience on a year-for-year basis. b) Education in civil engineering or architecture, leading to a Bachelor's degree in civil engineering or architecture, respectively, can be substituted for up to four years of required experience on the basis of 30 semester credits for one year of acceptable experience. The City of New York is an inclusive equal opportunity employer committed to recruiting and retaining a diverse workforce and providing a work environment that is free from discrimination and harassment based upon any legally protected status or protected characteristic, including but not limited to an individual's sex, race, color, ethnicity, national origin, age, religion, disability, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, or pregnancy.