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Modular Estimator

interstates

Sioux Center, IA
Uncategorized

Job Score

70 pts
On-site model (+70)

Take Charge of Your Career at Interstates

At Interstates, we don’t just show up to work, we show up for each other. From our headquarters in Iowa to job sites across the country, we’re doing award-winning electrical, controls, automation, and OT work that powers industrial facilities for clients here in the U.S. and around the world. Whether you’re bending conduit, wiring panels, writing code, supporting projects, or helping things run behind the scenes, you’ll be part of a crew that works hard, shares laughs, and takes pride in doing quality work. We believe in building strong teams, doing the right thing, and making a difference in the communities where we live. If you want to grow and do meaningful work, you’ll feel at home here. 


Are you an electrician or estimator ready to apply your field experience in an office-based role? As a Modular Estimator at Interstates, you’ll develop timely, accurate estimates for modular electrical construction projects while supporting clients across a variety of industrial markets.

You’ll collaborate with estimators, project managers, project engineers, clients, and design professionals to deliver competitive, well-defined proposals. This role is an opportunity to expand your estimating expertise while helping Interstates pursue better ways to serve our clients and communities.

Our Culture

At Interstates, we treat each other like family. Our team is built on Dependability, Integrity, Trust, Quality, and Family.

  • Work with caring teammates who support one another.
  • Be recognized as an individual—not just a number.
  • Balance work and personal commitments through flexible scheduling.
  • Build connections through team gatherings and social activities.
  • Give back through company-sponsored community and charitable events.

Our Why

At Interstates, we believe in:

  • Providing opportunities for our people
  • Making a difference with our clients and communities
  • Pursuing a better way

Watch a Day in the Life of an Estimator

https://youtu.be/vavZuE2FLsI?si=DitBTJm33IiMT1Gv

Responsibilities

The Estimating Department produces project-specific construction estimates based on client requirements, drawings, specifications, and other project information. As a Modular Estimator, you will:

  • Develop accurate, timely estimates for modular electrical construction projects, supporting competitive bids and client proposals.
  • Analyze and interpret drawings, specifications, and scope requirements.
  • Prepare budget pricing from schematic drawings, narratives, and preliminary project information.
  • Identify and price value-engineered alternatives to plans and specifications.
  • Draft scope letters, proposals, bid packages, and vendor solicitations.
  • Attend job walks, pre-bid meetings, and project discussions with clients and design professionals as needed.
  • Collaborate with estimators, project managers, and project engineers on change orders and cost-to-complete estimates for active projects.
  • Help develop and communicate company estimating standards for design-build and plans-and-specifications work.
  • Manage competing deadlines in an efficient, composed, and detail-oriented manner.
  • Perform other duties as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

  • Proficiency with Microsoft Excel, Word, Outlook, Office, and Adobe Acrobat.
  • Knowledge of electrical code requirements and basic electrical calculations, including voltage drop, Ohm’s law, conduit fill, wire ampacity, and derating, is preferred.
  • Strong analytical, problem-solving, and organizational skills.
  • Ability to read and interpret electrical drawings, specifications, and construction documents.
  • Ability to calculate figures and amounts accurately.
  • Strong attention to detail, sound judgment, and ability to prioritize work effectively.
  • Clear verbal and written communication skills.
  • Self-motivated team player who works effectively with supervisors, peers, and cross-functional teams.
  • Two or more years of electrical construction or electrical estimating experience preferred.

Education

A high school diploma or GED is required. Additional education or equivalent experience in estimating, construction management, finance, business administration, or a related field is preferred.

Location and Travel

  • Location: Sioux Center, IA, Omaha, NE or Topeka, KS.
  • Travel: Occasional travel to job sites near Sioux Center, IA, Omaha, NE, or Topeka, KS, based on business needs; approximately 10% travel.

Benefits of Working at Interstates

  • 401(k) retirement plan with company match
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • Short- and long-term disability and group life insurance
  • Paid time off, holiday pay, and flexible scheduling
  • End-of-fiscal-year incentives and merit increases
  • Company discount program with national brands
  • Company-sponsored holiday events, team celebrations, and community volunteer opportunities
  • Career advancement opportunities aligned with your long-term goals
  • Career coaching and continued education opportunities for licensed electricians
  • A family- and safety-focused culture that cares about you as a whole person

Build a career that’s built to last. Apply today and see how Interstates can help you grow.

 

Interstates. Let's Build Logo

What You Should Know Before You Apply

Interstates may collect personal information as part of your job application, such as your contact details, work history, education, and any information you provide. This information is used only for recruitment, to evaluate your candidacy, and to meet legal requirements. For details about our privacy practices and your rights under the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), please see our Privacy Policy. By applying, you acknowledge that you have reviewed this notice.

Interstates is an EEO provider and offers a drug-free workplace.  Employment at Interstates is at-will and may be terminated at any time with or without notice or cause, except as otherwise provided by law.

Discover Other Areas

Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.

About Customer Service

The Customer Service / Client Relations area is essential for ensuring customer satisfaction, retention, and a good relationship. Professionals in this field are the primary interface for communication, handling inquiries, requests, feedback, and ensuring a high-quality day-to-day experience. Skills in communication, problem-solving, empathy, and patience are indispensable.

About Customer Success

Customer Success is the area responsible for ensuring clients achieve their goals when using the product or service. It is a strategic function for retention, expansion, and customer satisfaction.

Key skills include account management, churn analysis, NPS, onboarding, upsell, and cross-sell. Knowledge of CS tools like Gainsight, Totango, and ChurnZero is a differentiator.

CS is becoming increasingly strategic in SaaS companies, with professionals directly contributing to recurring revenue growth (MRR/ARR).

About Software Development

Software Development is one of the most dynamic and constantly evolving fields in the job market. Professionals in this area are responsible for creating, maintaining, and optimizing web, mobile, and desktop applications that impact millions of users daily.

Key languages and frameworks include JavaScript (React, Node.js, Vue.js), Python (Django, Flask), Java (Spring), PHP (Laravel), and TypeScript. Demand for full-stack developers continues to grow, especially in tech companies and startups.

Salaries range from entry-level to senior positions, with growing opportunities for remote work and international freelancing.

About Tech Recruiter

The Tech Recruiter is a professional specialized in recruiting technology talent, from developers to AI engineers and DevOps professionals. They combine technical knowledge with recruitment skills to evaluate and attract highly qualified candidates.

Key skills include technical screening, analysis of technical profiles (GitHub, portfolios, blogs), knowledge of software stacks and architectures, networking in tech communities and events. Proficiency with tools like LinkedIn Recruiter, Gem, Ashby, and technical assessment platforms is a differentiator.

Tech Recruiters are scarce and highly paid professionals, especially those who can map and access passive talent in competitive markets like AI, data engineering, and cloud computing.

About Product Manager

The Product Manager (PM) is the professional responsible for defining the strategy, vision, and roadmap of a digital product. They work at the intersection of technology, business, and user experience (UX), leading the discovery and delivery of solutions that solve real problems in a viable way for the company.

Key skills include product discovery, data and metrics analysis (AARRR, NPS, LTV), user research, go-to-market strategy, roadmapping, strategic prioritization, and leadership by influence. Tools like Amplitude, Mixpanel, Hotjar, Jira, and Notion are fundamental.

Product Managers play a central role in the growth of startups, scale-ups, and large technology companies, with career progression opportunities to Product Leader, Head of Product, and Chief Product Officer (CPO).

Career Guides

Technology Career Guide

Planning, skills, interviews, and professional growth in IT, Data Science, DevOps, and Product.

Read full guide →

Design Career Guide

UX/UI, Graphic Design, Product Design. Portfolio, tools, interviews, and growth in the Design field.

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Marketing Career Guide

SEO, Paid Media, Growth, Content Marketing. Certifications, tools, and strategies to grow in Digital Marketing.

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Finance Career Guide

Financial market, investments, corporate finance, certifications, and strategies to grow in the financial field.

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Communication Career Guide

Journalism, PR, Corporate Communication, Content Marketing, and Multimedia Production.

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Administration Career Guide

Business Management, HR, Logistics, Consulting, Project Management, and Entrepreneurship.

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Data Career Guide

Data Science, Data Engineering, BI, Machine Learning, and AI. From training to the job market.

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Product Career Guide

Product Management, Product Ownership, Agile, Scrum, and OKRs. From strategy to execution.

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Tech & Remote Glossary

Stop getting lost in interviews and job descriptions

The job market, especially within tech and global companies, has developed its own dialect. Not understanding these acronyms can make you lose valuable opportunities or poorly negotiate your contract. To end this problem, we created the Definitive Glossary for the Remote Professional.

🏢 Work Models & Routine

Async (Asynchronous Work)
A communication model where responses don't need to be immediate. Instead of back-to-back meetings, the team relies on well-structured documents, threads, and messages. It's the gold standard for global companies spanning multiple time zones.
Sync (Synchronous Work)
The opposite of Async. It requires the team to be online and available at the same time for meetings, live chats, and real-time collaboration.
Daily / Stand-up
A quick daily meeting (usually 15 minutes) common in Agile (Scrum) methodologies. The team answers three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any blockers?
All-Hands / Town Hall
A company-wide meeting involving all employees. Usually led by the founders (C-Levels) to present results, new goals, and answer team questions.
1:1 (One-on-One)
A recurring individual meeting between a professional and their direct manager. It is used for career alignment, feedback, and problem-solving, not just for project status updates.

💰 Contracts, Benefits & Compensation

PTO (Paid Time Off)
Instead of strict, categorized leave policies, modern US companies usually offer a flexible pool of days (e.g., 20 days of PTO, or even "Unlimited PTO") that you can use for vacations, sick days, or personal matters, while receiving your regular compensation.
Equity / Stock Options
Company ownership. The startup offers you the right to buy shares at a heavily discounted strike price in the future. If the company grows, goes public, or is acquired, these shares can be highly lucrative.
Vesting (Vesting Schedule)
The rule that controls your Equity. It usually lasts 4 years. You don't get all the shares on day one; you "earn" them gradually as you stay with the company. A "1-year Cliff" means you must stay for at least one year to receive your first batch of shares.
RSUs (Restricted Stock Units)
Unlike Stock Options (where you have the right to buy the stock), RSUs are actual shares the company grants you as a bonus or part of your compensation package, following a strict Vesting schedule.
Independent Contractor (1099 / B2B)
The most common international hiring model for global talent working for US companies. You act as a service provider (business-to-business), receiving the gross salary (often six-figure compensation) without standard local payroll tax deductions at the source.

🤖 Recruitment & Hiring Process

ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
The "robot" that reads your resume. Software like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday are used to filter candidates by keywords before a human even looks at the document. (Pro tip: this is why your resume must be clean, semantic, and have the right keywords).
JD (Job Description)
The document that lists the responsibilities, technical requirements, and benefits of the open position.
Cultural Fit
The interview stage that evaluates if your core values, communication style, and worldview align with the company's culture. This is the ultimate test of your Soft Skills.
Onboarding
The integration process. It's the period of your first few weeks at the company, where you get your access credentials, learn about the culture, study the internal documentation, and understand how the product works.

🚀 How to use this to your advantage?

The secret isn't just knowing what these acronyms mean, but using them actively. If during an interview for a premium tech role you ask, "How does your PTO policy and Vesting schedule work?", the recruiter will immediately perceive you as a high-level professional, familiar with the global market standards.

The remote job market requires preparation. And having the right vocabulary is the first big step to securing six-figure proposals and standing out among thousands of applicants.

Expert Tip

Generative Design and AI as a Co-pilot

If the last decade in digital design was defined by mobile standardization and UX/UI becoming the core of product development, 2026 marks the dawn of a new era. We are no longer designing just for flat glass screens; we are building intelligent ecosystems, three-dimensional environments, and autonomous algorithms.

For designers looking to stand out and secure the best six-figure remote opportunities in the US tech market, understanding where the industry is heading is no longer a "nice-to-have" differential—it's a matter of professional survival. Below, we break down the four major trends that will dictate hiring and compensation in the 2026 design landscape.

1. Generative Design and AI as a Co-pilot (Not a Replacement)

The fear of Artificial Intelligence replacing designers is officially in the past. In 2026, generative AI is deeply and natively integrated into industry-standard tools like Figma, Adobe, and Framer. The most valued skill by top-tier tech companies is no longer speed in aligning components, but rather algorithmic art direction and prompt design.

  • UI Automation: Wireframing, component variations, and complex design systems can now be generated with a few text prompts.
  • The Designer's New Role: Professionals are shifting from operational executors to curators and strategists, ensuring that AI-generated outputs align with user psychology and core business objectives.

2. Spatial Design and Spatial Computing

With the maturation of mixed reality devices (such as the Apple Vision Pro and Meta's advanced lineups), Spatial Design has evolved from an experimental niche to a mandatory department in Big Tech and forward-thinking startups.

Designing for spatial computing requires a complete paradigm shift: designers must understand Z-axis depth, visual ergonomics, spatial audio, and interactions based on eye-tracking and hand gestures. Roles like AR/VR Product Designer and 3D Interaction Designer are seeing an exponential jump in job listings, often paired with premium compensation packages.

3. Conversation Design and Invisible Interfaces (Zero-UI)

Driven by the omnipresence of Large Language Models (LLMs), the way users interact with systems has fundamentally changed. In 2026, many of the best interfaces don't rely on buttons or hamburger menus; they are conversational. UX Writing and Conversation Design have taken center stage.

  • The Challenge: How do you design the "personality" and flow of a virtual assistant so it feels natural, empathetic, and on-brand, rather than like a rigid robot?
  • The Opportunity: Designers who know how to map complex decision trees, create logical flows for voice and text, and train the empathy of AI models are being heavily scouted by top US startups.

4. Digital Sustainability and Eco-Design

The ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) agenda has finally reached the product design tables. The internet consumes a massive amount of energy, and in 2026, tech companies are being strictly held accountable for their digital carbon footprint.

Enter the demand for Digital Eco-Design. This involves creating lighter interfaces, optimizing user flows to reduce screen time (saving battery life and server processing power), and adopting color palettes and assets (like SVGs instead of heavy raster images) that require less energy to render. Being a sustainable designer has become a powerful B2B selling point for agencies and freelancers alike.

Conclusion: The Evolution of Talent

The 2026 design market is highly rewarding for those who embrace complexity. The barrier to entry for making "pretty screens" has dropped significantly, but the demand for professionals who can solve intricate business problems through empathy, strategy, and the mastery of new technologies has never been higher.

If you want to stay ahead of the curve and get direct access to the remote jobs that are actively looking for these specific skills, make sure to follow Mondywork's daily curation. The future of design is hybrid, remote, and full of opportunities.