The posting
Looking for Philippines-based candidates
Job Role: Estimator (Joinery and Cabinet)
Compensation range: $2,000 AUD - $2,500 AUD / Monthly
Engagement type: Independent Contractor Agreement
Work Schedule: This role is expected to align with the AU business hours (approx. 9 AM - 5 PM, Monday to Friday) for collaboration, but as a contractor, you’ll have flexibility in how you manage your time.
Who We Are: At Hunt St, we help Australian companies hire top remote talent in the Philippines. For this role, you will be engaged directly by the client as an independent contractor. We are not an outsourcing agency. All of our roles are 100% remote so you'll be able to work from home.
Who The Client Is: Our client is a growing specialist contractor within the commercial construction sector, delivering high-performance exterior building solutions for complex developments. The business combines advanced engineering expertise, modern manufacturing practices, and a collaborative project approach to support clients from design through installation.
Known for its focus on quality, technical excellence, and dependable project execution, the company partners with builders, architects, and developers to deliver tailored solutions for large-scale commercial projects. As the business continues to expand, it is investing in skilled professionals who are passionate about innovation, precision, and delivering outstanding outcomes.
Role Overview: This is a specialist estimating role for commercial joinery and cabinetry. The successful candidate will prepare complete proposals from tender documents, drawings, schedules, specifications, supplier information and project requirements.
The role is not a general building estimating role. The candidate must understand joinery, cabinetry, cabinet terminology, materials, hardware, finishes, stone, installation methodology and the way commercial joinery packages are documented and delivered.
The estimator must be able to quantify joinery scope accurately for tender and proposal purposes. This includes understanding what is included, what is excluded, what needs clarification and what assumptions must be stated clearly before submission.
The estimator must be able to produce a proposal that is clear enough for a builder to review, detailed enough for the client to rely on, and structured enough for the project team to hand over into delivery.
This is not a training role. The client needs someone who can add estimating capacity quickly, ask intelligent questions, identify missing information and prepare professional tender submissions with limited supervision once the company pricing format is explained.
Key Responsibilities:
- Review tender documents, architectural drawings, joinery drawings, cabinet elevations, sections, details, room layouts, apartment schedules, finishes schedules, specifications, addenda and builder scopes to understand the full joinery package.
- Quantify joinery and cabinetry scope for kitchens, vanities, wardrobes, laundries, linen cupboards, overhead cupboards, reception counters, common area joinery, loose joinery, mirrors, stone, hardware, tapware, appliances and other included scope items.
- Understand and apply correct joinery terminology, material descriptions, construction methodology, installation allowances, project staging, delivery assumptions and scope boundaries when preparing proposals.
- Prepare complete proposals including scope summary, pricing summary, inclusions, exclusions, assumptions, clarifications, qualifications, lead time notes and tender return documentation.
- Identify missing information, inconsistent drawings, unclear specifications, unrealistic scopes and items requiring builder clarification before final pricing.
- Prepare RFI lists and clarification schedules for review before issue to builders or consultants.
- Source, compare and track supplier pricing for hardware, stone, tapware, appliances, mirrors, accessories, freight, installation support and other project-specific components where required.
- Build and maintain estimating templates, rate libraries, scope checklists, proposal templates and pricing benchmarks.
- Identify value engineering opportunities where alternative materials, finishes, hardware, construction methods, delivery methods or scope clarifications may improve competitiveness without compromising the required outcome.
- Prepare tender handover information for the project team after a successful tender, including scope notes, exclusions, allowances, risks, supplier assumptions and key items that must be controlled during delivery.
- Communicate professionally with Australian builders, suppliers, contractors and internal team members by email and phone when required to clarify scope, request pricing, confirm information or chase tender details.
- Maintain organised tender folders, drawing sets, pricing sheets, quote comparisons, RFIs, proposal versions and final submission records.
Requirements
Required Skills and Qualifications:
- At least 5 years of estimating experience in joinery, cabinetry, shopfitting, commercial interiors, cabinet manufacturing, fitout or a closely related trade package.
- Experience preparing complete joinery or cabinetry proposals is essential. Candidates who have only completed basic quantity schedules without preparing full proposals are unlikely to be suitable unless they have strong joinery knowledge and can demonstrate proposal capability.
- Experience with multi-residential, apartment, hotel, aged care, student accommodation, commercial fitout or repeated-room joinery packages is strongly preferred.
- Experience with Australian construction projects, Australian builders or Australian trade packages is strongly preferred.
- The candidate must understand joinery terminology, cabinet construction, board materials, laminate, veneer, melamine, stone, hardware, hinges, drawer systems, handles, kickboards, fillers, reveals, shop drawings, installation requirements and typical scope gaps.
- The candidate must be able to read construction drawings and joinery documentation without basic training.
- Excellent written and spoken English is essential. The role requires professional tender clarification emails, supplier communication and phone calls with Australian suppliers, contractors and client representatives.
- Strong ability to read architectural drawings, floor plans, joinery elevations, sections, details, schedules and specifications is essential.
- Confidence using Excel, Word and Bluebeam is essential. The candidate must be able to prepare pricing sheets, proposal documents, quote comparisons, markups, tender records and scope summaries accurately.
- Strong commercial judgement is essential. The candidate must understand that missed scope, unclear exclusions, incorrect assumptions and poor handover information can create project losses.
- Strong attention to detail is essential. The candidate must be able to check drawings, schedules, specifications and supplier quotes against each other and identify inconsistencies.
- The candidate must be self-managed, reliable, deadline driven and able to work with limited supervision once the company process has been explained.
Work Arrangement & Expectations:
This is a remote role that will be set up as an independent contractor engagement.
To ensure alignment and transparency, successful candidates will be expected to:
- Disclose any existing ongoing roles or client work
- Reflect this engagement on their LinkedIn profile (clearly marked as “Independent Contractor”)
