Director of Capital Projects

Director of Capital Projects POSITION SUMMARY The Director of Capital Projects is responsible for the successful delivery of all Zoo capital projects - from early planning and design through construction, commissioning, closeout, and turnover. The role has two distinct delivery responsibilities: (1) serving as the Zoo's senior owner representative for major projects delivered by an external Construction Manager (CM), generally projects over $1 million, and (2) directly leading smaller CapEx projects, generally $20,000 to $1 million, for which the Zoo acts as its own general contractor. PRIMARY RESPONSIBILITIES • Own the full lifecycle of the Zoo's capital portfolio, ensuring projects move efficiently from concept through design, permitting, procurement, construction, commissioning, closeout, and final handoff to the operating team. • Establish clear project budgets, schedules, scopes, decision points, and accountability; identify risks early and drive issues to resolution before they become surprises. • Maintain a strong field presence and ensure construction activity is coordinated with an active Zoo environment, protecting animals, guests, staff, contractors, facilities, and daily operations. • Provide leadership with concise, accurate reporting on project status, cost, schedule, risk, and emerging issues. MAJOR CAPITAL PROJECTS - EXTERNAL CM OVERSIGHT • Serve as the Zoo's primary owner representative for major capital projects, generally those exceeding $1 million, delivered by the Zoo's external Construction Manager. • Hold the CM accountable for safety, quality, budget, schedule, sustainability, documentation, communication, and overall execution to the Zoo's standards. • Review and challenge estimates, schedules, procurement plans, logistics, contingency use, change orders, payment applications, and other project controls; ensure issues are surfaced and resolved promptly. • Act as the central point of coordination among the CM, architects, engineers, specialty consultants, contractors, vendors, and Zoo stakeholders. • Create efficient communication and decision-making across internal groups including Animal Care, Horticulture, IT, Graphics, Facilities, Operations, Visitor Experience, Security, and other departments as required by each project. • Translate internal operational and technical needs into clear direction for design and construction partners, while ensuring Zoo teams understand schedule impacts, decision deadlines, responsibilities, and upcoming milestones. CAPEX / IN-HOUSE PROJECT DELIVERY • Lead the Zoo's smaller capital projects, generally $10,000 to $1 million, where the Zoo functions as its own general contractor. • Perform or oversee the core duties of a GC, including scoping, estimating, bidding, procurement, contracting, scheduling, trade coordination, site logistics, safety, quality control, change management, punch-list completion, and closeout. • Coordinate contractors and trades in a highly active operating environment while minimizing disruption to guests, animals, staff, events, utilities, and Zoo operations. • Maintain disciplined cost and schedule control while preserving the speed, practicality, and hands-on problem solving required for smaller projects. TEAM LEADERSHIP • Lead, coach, and develop a junior capital projects staff member who will support day-to-day field coordination, documentation, follow-up, and boots-on-the-ground project execution. • Build a culture of ownership, responsiveness, collaboration, safety, sustainability, and follow-through across the capital program. • Serve as a visible advocate for the Zoo's leadership in sustainable