Senior Estimator – Heavy Steel Fabrication & Quality Support

Location: Remote (Philippines)
Hours: Full-Time (40 hours per week)
Working Hours: Australian Business Hours
Experience: Heavy Steel Fabrication Estimating Experience – Trusses, Chutes, Process Piping, Frames and Structural Steel and associated QA/QC processes – minimum 2 years Australian experience.

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced Senior Estimator – Heavy Steel Fabrication & Quality Support to join an established Australian steel fabrication and engineering business, providing dedicated support to the existing Senior Estimator and Project Management team.

This is a hybrid role, with approximately 70% focused on Estimator Support and 30% on Quality Support.

The primary focus is assisting the existing Senior Estimator with estimates, material take-offs, cutting lists, supplier pricing, tender documentation, and other estimating requirements for complex steel fabrication projects.

Experience with heavy steel fabrication is essential. We are looking for someone who understands the practical requirements, complexity, and quality standards involved in fabrication work such as structural steel, chutes, frames, trusses, and process piping. Experience supporting projects in heavy industry, mining, oil and gas, or similar environments is valuable, but direct employment by a mining or oil and gas company is not required.

The role also provides quality support across projects, including QA documentation, NDT requests, MDRs, weld maps, material traceability, and maintaining welding and quality registers.

The ideal candidate is a hands-on steel fabrication estimator with a strong understanding of fabrication processes and associated QA/QC documentation. They should be able to interpret drawings, prepare accurate estimates, and recognise the relevant quality requirements with minimal training.

This is not a standalone Senior Estimator position. The successful candidate will work as a hands-on support resource, stepping in to assist with estimating and quality requirements as needed while working closely with the existing team.

Key Responsibilities
1. Heavy Steel Fabrication & Technical Support

• Read and interpret engineering, structural, mechanical, and fabrication drawings.
• Estimate fabrication work involving structural steel, chutes, frames, trusses, process piping, and similar heavy steel fabrication.
• Understand fabrication methods, material specifications, welding requirements, and associated labour and machinery requirements.
• Assess the scope and complexity of fabrication work to support accurate estimating and pricing.
• Review job packs, drawings, and specifications to identify materials, fabrication requirements, and quality considerations.
• Identify discrepancies, missing information, and potential technical or fabrication issues before estimates are submitted.
• Understand how fabrication methods and project specifications affect costs, production requirements, and quality documentation.
• Liaise with the estimating, operations, project management, and quality teams to clarify technical requirements.

2. Estimator Support – Primary Focus

• Support the existing Senior Estimator with day-to-day estimating activities.
• Review client RFQs, engineering drawings, specifications, and project documentation.
• Interpret technical requirements and identify information requiring clarification.
• Prepare detailed Material Take-Offs (MTOs).
• Calculate material quantities and prepare cutting lists and other fabrication-related documentation.
• Assess material, machinery, labour, fabrication, and other project requirements.
• Assist with detailed estimates, cost calculations, and pricing for heavy steel fabrication work.
• Obtain and compare supplier pricing for materials and fabrication requirements.
• Liaise with suppliers to obtain current and accurate material costs.
• Assist with preparing quotations, proposals, and tender submissions.
• Review estimates for accuracy, scope, quantities, and pricing before submission.
• Assist with quote revisions, variations, and changes to project requirements.
• Support the Senior Estimator with tender deadlines and estimating workload.
• Provide estimating coverage when required.

3. Quality & Documentation Support – Approximately 30%

• Support the Quality function across active projects as required.
• Review job packs, drawings, specifications, and fabrication requirements to identify applicable QA/QC documentation.
• Prepare Weld Maps by identifying appropriate weld procedures and marking welds on drawings and weld traceability documentation.
• Prepare QA Packs for client submission and approval.
• Compile proposed weld procedures, welder qualifications, and supporting reports for project documentation.
• Prepare NDT requests and coordinate associated documentation.
• Prepare Welder Qualification Requests where required.
• Follow up with suppliers for material certificates and surface treatment reports.
• Prepare Manufacturer's Data Reports (MDRs).
• Track outstanding MDRs for completed projects and ensure they are submitted on time.
• Maintain accurate records of welder qualifications and welding documentation.
• Maintain the Welder Qualification Register, including weld reports and upcoming requalification requirements.
• Maintain the Weld Procedure Register and update it when new procedures are received.
• Assist with material traceability, delivery dockets, and related project documentation.
• Help ensure quality documentation aligns with project specifications, fabrication requirements, and client requirements.

4. Project & Team Support

• Work closely with the Senior Estimator, Project Managers, Operations, and Quality personnel.
• Provide estimating and quality support across multiple projects as priorities change.
• Participate in online meetings, drawing reviews, and project discussions.
• Proactively communicate progress, outstanding information, pricing issues, quality requirements, and potential risks.
• Raise issues early and seek clarification rather than allowing problems to delay estimates or project documentation.
• Assist Project Managers with project documentation, variations, and technical information where required.
• Help ensure a smooth handover from estimating through to project delivery.
• Provide support across estimating and quality functions when required.

Essential Requirements

• Minimum 2 years of Australian steel fabrication or engineering estimating experience.
• Demonstrated hands-on estimating experience involving heavy steel fabrication, including structural steel, chutes, frames, trusses, process piping, or comparable fabrication work.
• Strong understanding of steel fabrication estimating, including materials, labour, machinery, welding, and fabrication requirements.
• Demonstrated experience preparing MTOs, estimates, quotations, or tender submissions.
• Ability to read and interpret engineering, structural, mechanical, and fabrication drawings.
• Sound understanding of heavy fabrication processes and the practical requirements of complex fabrication projects.
• Working knowledge of associated QA/QC processes, quality requirements, material traceability, and fabrication documentation.
• Experience with quality documentation, quality control, or quality assurance processes.
• Ability to create or interpret Weld Maps and weld traceability documentation.
• Familiarity with NDT requests, QA Packs, MDRs, welder qualifications, and welding registers.
• Understanding of how project specifications and fabrication requirements affect quality documentation.
• Strong Microsoft Excel skills and experience with estimating or digital take-off software.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy.
• Excellent written and verbal English communication skills.
• Strong organisational and time-management skills.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet deadlines.
• Proactive approach to communication, problem-solving, and teamwork.
• Comfortable working remotely and collaborating daily with an Australian team.

Highly Desirable

• Experience estimating heavy fabrication projects for industrial, mining, oil and gas, resources, or similar sectors.
• Extensive Australian steel fabrication experience across structural steel, chutes, frames, trusses, process piping, or - comparable work.
• Experience across both estimating and quality control/quality assurance functions.
• Experience preparing QA Packs and MDRs for Australian projects.
• Experience with NDT coordination, welding documentation, and material traceability.
• Experience maintaining welder qualification and weld procedure registers.
• Understanding of carbon steel welding, with exposure to stainless steel, duplex steel, wear plate, or other specialised steels.
• Previous experience supporting Project Managers or Operations teams.
• Engineering degree, steel trade qualification, or relevant technical qualification.
• Experience with Bluebeam, CostX, Cubit, PlanSwift, or similar estimating and take-off software.

What Success Looks Like
The successful candidate will become a reliable second layer of support for the existing estimating and project team.

Success means:

• Producing accurate and timely estimates for complex heavy steel fabrication work.
• Understanding fabrication scope, drawings, material requirements, and quality considerations with minimal training.
• Keeping MTOs, cutting lists, supplier pricing, and tender documentation organised and up to date.
• Helping the Senior Estimator manage estimating workload and deadlines.
• Providing dependable quality support when required.
• Ensuring QA Packs, MDRs, NDT requests, Weld Maps, and registers are completed accurately and on time.
• Identifying technical, estimating, and quality issues early and communicating proactively.
• Moving comfortably between estimating, project coordination, and quality documentation as business priorities require.

The Opportunity

• Full-time remote position based in the Philippin