Senior Estimator – AI & Digital Estimation

Purpose of the role The Senior Estimator will price FSIME tenders hands-on and, with the Head of Estimation, design and build an AI-driven takeoff, pricing and tender-response pipeline for the whole estimation team. The target is that within 12 months FSIME prices more tenders, faster and more accurately, without adding headcount. This is not an AI-only role. Drawings still arrive as PDF, DWG and IFC, and fire-rating splits sit in wall-type schedules and MEP coordination sets. The job holder must read them as fluently as any senior estimator, and use AI to cut time, catch misses and scale volume. Key responsibilities Build the AI estimation stack Select, test and integrate AI takeoff and drawing-recognition tools, and prove each one against known quantities before it is used on a live bid. Build AI agents and prompt workflows for tender-document review: specifications, BOQs, fire strategy reports, wall-type schedules, exclusions and contract risk. Automate drawing intake: scale verification, sheet indexing, “DO NOT SCALE” flags, and DWG/DXF/IFC extraction of fire-rated elements and penetrations. Create a structured rates and productivity library from FSIME’s historical bids and project actuals, and keep it current with supplier pricing. Standardise outputs: cover sheet, detailed takeoff, shaft and egress census, assumptions and clarifications, and priced BOQ. Run estimation Price assigned FSIME UAE and KSA tenders from receipt to submission, and support the Head of Estimation on bid/no-bid decisions. Estimate firestopping (HOW joints, MEP penetrations, shafts), fireproofing, EIFS and expansion joints hands-on. Map each line to tested and approved systems (UL, FM, EN/BS), and flag scope, accreditation or specification gaps before pricing. Run clarification registers with clients and consultants, so that no numbers are issued on unverified assumptions. Bring the team onto AI Propose to the Head of Estimation how work is split between AI and people: AI measures; estimators judge, check and handle clients. Train estimators on the tools and set QA standards with the Head of Estimation: human review gates, sample re-measures and variance thresholds. Write the playbooks so that the system does not depend on any single person. Close the loop Hand awarded jobs to Operations with a clean quantity and cost baseline. Compare estimate against actual on completed projects, and feed the variances back into rates and AI checks. Report turnaround and accuracy gains to the Head of Estimation monthly.

Desired Candidate Profile

Essential 6+ years in construction estimating, with at least 4 in passive fire protection, fire-rated MEP or a closely related specialist trade. Able to produce an accurate firestop takeoff from a full drawing set unaided: reads architectural, MEP coordination and structural drawings, wall-type schedules and fire strategy reports. Working knowledge of UL / FM / EN fire-tested systems and how system selection drives cost. Fluent in AutoCAD, PDF takeoff tools and BIM model navigation (Revit or Navisworks); able to extract data, not just view it. Demonstrable hands-on use of AI in own work: has built prompts, workflows or agents that save real hours, and can show them. Strong Excel; comfortable structuring data so that machines can use it. Has built or rebuilt a process, not just worked inside one. GCC project experience, with knowledge of the UAE and KSA consultant and main-contractor landscape. Clear written English for clarifications and tender qualifications. Preferred Python or scripting for DXF/IFC parsing and data pipelines. Experience with AI takeoff platforms, multi-agent setups, or Microsoft 365 / SharePoint automation. FCIA FM 4991 or DRI exposure; quantity surveying qualification (RICS or equivalent). Arabic. Employment Type Full-time