Admin assistant Jobs in Toronto, ON

Position Summary

The Cost Estimator / Administrative Assistant will support the preparation of cost estimates and proposals for Geotechnical Instrumentation (GEM), Environmental, and Geotechnical projects while providing administrative and project coordination support to the department.

This position involves reviewing Requests for Proposals (RFPs), gathering project requirements, obtaining vendor pricing, preparing cost proposals, and coordinating with clients and internal team members to ensure estimates are accurate and submitted on time. The successful candidate will also help maintain project trackers, monitor deliverables, organize documentation, and follow up with team members to keep projects and departmental activities on schedule.

The ideal candidate is detail-oriented, organized, proactive, and comfortable balancing estimating responsibilities with administrative tasks in a remote work environment. Experience in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) industry, particularly with New York City codes and project requirements, is highly desirable.

Key Job Functions

1. Cost Estimating and Proposal Preparation

• Review RFPs, bid invitations, scopes of work, specifications, and other solicitation documents for GEM, Environmental, and Geotechnical projects.
• Identify project requirements, deliverables, staffing needs, equipment, materials, subcontracted services, and other cost components.
• Prepare cost estimates, pricing summaries, and proposals based on project scope, labor requirements, vendor quotations, and applicable rates.
• Request and obtain pricing from vendors, subcontractors, suppliers, and service providers.
• Compare vendor quotations, track pricing information, and assist in evaluating costs to support competitive and accurate proposals.
• Coordinate with technical staff and project managers to clarify scope, assumptions, exclusions, and resource requirements.
• Reach out to clients to obtain missing information, clarify RFP requirements, and resolve questions necessary to complete estimates.
• Ensure estimates and proposals are complete, properly formatted, and submitted within established deadlines.
• Maintain organized records of submitted proposals, pricing data, vendor quotations, and estimating documents.
• Assist with revisions, clarifications, and updates to proposals as project requirements change.

2. Administrative and Project Coordination

• Maintain internal trackers for proposals, active projects, schedules, assignments, and required deliverables.
• Monitor project milestones and deadlines, following up with team members to ensure deliverables are completed on time.
• Coordinate with engineers, project managers, field personnel, and other departments to gather information and communicate project updates.
• Schedule meetings, prepare agendas when needed, record meeting notes, and track action items.
• Organize project files, correspondence, contracts, proposals, reports, and other departmental documentation.
• Maintain accurate records of RFP deadlines, proposal status, client communications, vendor responses, and outstanding tasks.
• Assist in preparing progress reports, status summaries, spreadsheets, and other internal management reports.
• Follow up on pending information, approvals, submissions, and other items requiring action from internal or external stakeholders.
• Help improve administrative workflows, tracking systems, document templates, and procedures to support departmental efficiency.
• Provide general administrative support to the department as needed.

3. Internal Communication and Workflow Management

• Serve as a coordination point for collecting information needed for estimates, proposals, and project deliverables.
• Communicate upcoming deadlines, outstanding tasks, and potential delays to the appropriate team members.
• Maintain visibility into project and proposal status so that management can identify priorities and address issues promptly.
• Support the consistent use of file organization, naming conventions, documentation procedures, and internal tracking systems.
• Identify missing information, scheduling conflicts, and workflow gaps, and proactively follow up to resolve them.
• Handle client, project, and company information professionally and maintain confidentiality.

Qualifications

• Prior experience in cost estimating, proposal preparation, project administration, or a related role.
• Experience supporting engineering, geotechnical, environmental, construction, or other technical projects is strongly preferred.
• Understanding of RFPs, scopes of work, cost breakdowns, vendor quotations, and proposal submission requirements.
• Familiarity with New York City codes, regulations, and project requirements relevant to geotechnical, environmental, and instrumentation work is preferred.
• Strong organizational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage multiple assignments and deadlines.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to communicate professionally with clients, vendors, subcontractors, and internal technical staff.
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy when preparing estimates, maintaining records, and tracking deliverables.
• Ability to work independently, prioritize competing responsibilities, and follow through on assigned tasks.
• Comfortable working remotely with a distributed team and coordinating across time zones when required.

Technical Skills

• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word, and Outlook.
• Strong spreadsheet skills for cost calculations, pricing comparisons, tracking, and reporting.
• Experience with project tracking tools, task management platforms, or project management software is preferred.
• Familiarity with shared document platforms such as Microsoft SharePoint, OneDrive, or similar systems.
• Ability to maintain structured digital records and manage multiple project files.
• Experience with estimating software, CRM platforms, or proposal management tools is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience preparing estimates for geotechnical instrumentation, environmental monitoring, geotechnical investigations, or related engineering services.
• Familiarity with field equipment, instrumentation, monitoring services, sampling, testing, and subcontracted technical services.
• Experience coordinating with vendors and obtaining quotations for technical projects.
• Familiarity with NYC agency requirements, public-sector solicitations, and engineering project documentation.
• Experience maintaining project schedules, deliverable logs, proposal calendars, and action-item trackers.
• Experience supporting a remote engineering or consulting team.

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