Design-Build Estimator ($145k-$165k) at COCOZZA Restaurant & Retail

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Job Title Design-Build Estimator

Salary $145k-$165k (Total Compensation)

Company Description COCOZZA Restaurant & Retail is a New York City restaurant construction firm reinventing the industry through a proprietary “Budget/Lease/Design/Build” process. They provide operators with accurate, fixed-price budgets before leases are signed, operating from a NoMad office to build premier hospitality spaces across Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens.

Job Description As the first expert an operator meets, you will bridge the gap between design and construction. You’ll scan spaces, draw test fits, and produce the defensible budgets that decide whether a restaurant dream becomes a reality. This unique role combines estimating, design, and client relations into a single, high-impact seat.

Location New York, USA

Why this role is remarkable

• Own the “front door” of a growing company where estimating isn’t just support—it’s the core product and business strategy.
• Work within a proven system using modern software and upstream planning to eliminate the traditional surprises that cause most restaurants to fail.
• Participate in the “Great Game of Business” with open-book management and a significant profit-sharing bonus that rewards thinking like an owner.

What You Will Do

• Conduct initial site walkthroughs and use modern capture tools to produce accurate dimensions and preliminary restaurant layouts.
• Build and maintain the company’s internal pricing book, unit costs, and cost database to ensure every budget is faster and smarter than the last.
• Lead budget reviews with operators and subcontractors, translating technical scopes into transparent financial narratives from concept through fixed-price contract.

The ideal candidate

• Extensive experience pricing and building commercial interiors in New York City, with a strong preference for restaurant and design-build backgrounds.
• Proficient in digital drawing and space scanning tools, capable of creating architect-level test fits including kitchen lines, egress, and mechanical runs.
• Comfortable managing multiple budgets against tight deadlines while pricing from incomplete information using strategic allowances and defensible line items.

Who are Jack & Jill? Ok, I’ll go first. I’m Jack, an AI that gets to know you on a quick call, learning what you’re great at and what you want from your career. Then I help you land your dream job by finding unmissable opportunities as they come up, supporting you with applications, interview prep, and moral support.

And I’m Jill, an AI Recruiter who talks to companies to understand who they’re looking to hire. Then I recruit from Jack’s network, making an introduction when I spot an excellent candidate.

How does this work?

• Jack’s an AI agent for job searching and career coaching. He works for you.
• Jill is the AI recruiter working for the company. She recruits from Jack’s network.
• If it’s a match and the company wants to meet you, they’ll make the intro. In the meantime, if you’d like, Jack will send you excellent alternatives.

We never post fake jobs This isn’t a trick. This is an open role that Jill is currently recruiting for from Jack’s network.

Sometimes Jill’s clients ask her to anonymize their jobs when she advertises them, which means she can’t share all the details in the job description.

We appreciate this can make them look a bit suspect, but there isn’t much we can do about it.

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