Director of Business Development and Preconstruction

Job Description

Job Description

Position summary

The Director of Business Development and Preconstruction will own the front end of Stoneleaf’s revenue and project pursuit process. This person will be responsible for generating qualified opportunities, building and maintaining relationships with owners, architects, designers, developers, construction managers, general contractors, consultants, subcontractors, and vendors, and coordinating the estimating and proposal process from opportunity intake through award.

This is a hybrid leadership role for someone who understands construction and can also sell. The ideal candidate can read drawings, understand scope, evaluate project fit, discuss budgets, coordinate subcontractor pricing, lead client-facing conversations, and represent Stoneleaf with the professionalism expected in the luxury construction market.

The goal is to create a repeatable pipeline of the right opportunities, improve bid discipline, elevate proposal quality, strengthen market visibility, and help convert qualified pursuits into profitable contracts.

Key responsibilities

Business development, sales, and relationship growth

• Build and manage a target list of high-value owners, architects, designers, developers, owner representatives, construction managers, general contractors, consultants, property managers, subcontractors, vendors, and referral partners.

• Generate qualified project opportunities through proactive outreach, relationship development, referrals, networking, past-client reactivation, market research, and industry presence.

• Develop relationships with architects, designers, and project influencers early enough to support budgeting, constructability review, value engineering, and preconstruction planning.

• Schedule and attend client meetings, architect meetings, designer meetings, site walks, networking events, pre-bid meetings, and partner introductions.

• Represent Stoneleaf as a polished, credible, and technically informed construction partner.

• Maintain a CRM or pipeline tracker with contacts, opportunities, next steps, bid status, follow-up dates, expected award timing, and source of opportunity.

• Lead weekly pipeline updates with ownership, including target accounts, active pursuits, upcoming bids, submitted proposals, follow-ups, and likely awards.

• Follow up on every submitted proposal within 24 to 48 hours and continue communication until the opportunity is awarded, lost, deferred, or placed in nurture.

Estimating and preconstruction leadership

• Lead or coordinate conceptual, schematic, design-development, and detailed construction estimates.

• Review drawings, specifications, site conditions, narratives, bid documents, and owner requirements to identify scope gaps, cost drivers, schedule concerns, constructability issues, exclusions, assumptions, and project risks.

• Coordinate quantity takeoffs, subcontractor bid packages, vendor pricing, scope sheets, quote leveling, alternates, allowances, and value-engineering options.

• Work with internal team members, subcontractors, vendors, project managers, and field leadership to create complete and accurate pricing.

• Lead the bid/no-bid process using relationship strength, project fit, margin potential, schedule, staffing capacity, client quality, payment risk, and strategic value.

• Prepare professional proposal packages that communicate scope, pricing, assumptions, exclusions, alternates, schedule considerations, and Stoneleaf’s value clearly.

• Participate in estimate review meetings with ownership and operations before proposals are submitted.

• Coordinate handoff from preconstruction to project management after award.

Architect, designer, client, and partner coordination

• Serve as a key point of contact during preconstruction for architects, designers, clients, developers, consultants, subcontractors, vendors, and internal team members.

• Help project teams align design intent, budget, scope, schedule, materials, logistics, and execution strategy.

• Provide clear cost feedback during early planning and design development.

• Track design changes and ensure estimates, proposals, and assumptions reflect current direction.

• Strengthen subcontractor and vendor relationships to improve pricing coverage, market intelligence, responsiveness, and execution quality.

• Support a collaborative construction experience that reflects Stoneleaf’s premium brand and commitment to detail.

Marketing, brand, and sales collateral

• Help sharpen Stoneleaf’s market message for luxury residential, renovation, hospitality, and development audiences.

• Work with leadership and marketing support to improve brochures, capability packages, project sheets, website content, social media, case studies, proposal templates, and email outreach.

• Gather project photos, project descriptions, challenges, solutions, client outcomes, and testimonials for use in marketing and business development.

• Contribute content ideas for LinkedIn, Instagram, email updates, project announcements, and relationship-based marketing.

• Help create sales materials that show why Stoneleaf is the right partner for high-end clients, architects, designers, and developers.

• Support events, sponsorships, direct outreach, and referral campaigns that build awareness and trust in the market.

AI, technology, and process improveme nt

• Use AI and technology tools to improve RFP review, bid checklists, proposal drafts, CRM updates, meeting summaries, client follow-ups, subcontractor outreach, project case studies, and marketing content.

• Help standardize templates for opportunity intake, bid/no-bid scoring, estimate review, proposals, exclusions, clarifications, alternates, subcontractor outreach, and client communication.

• Maintain organized digital records of opportunities, bids, proposals, drawings, subcontractor quotes, vendor pricing, project outcomes, and lessons learned.

• Recommend tools and workflows that improve speed, accuracy, documentation, communication, and leadership visibility.

• Ensure AI-supported outputs are reviewed by qualified people before they are used for pricing, proposals, contracts, client commitments, or public-facing marketing.

Qualifications

Required

• Construction industry experience in business development, estimating, preconstruction, project management, construction management, or a related role.

• Ability to read and interpret drawings, specifications, scopes of work, design narratives, and bid documents.

• Strong understanding of construction methods, materials, sequencing, budgeting, subcontractor coordination, project risk, and proposal development.

• Strong sales, communication, relationship-building, and follow-up skills.

• Ability to make outreach calls, send professional emails, schedule meetings, conduct site walks, present estimates, and represent the company in the market.

• Strong organization, attention to detail, accountability, and ability to manage multiple deadlines.

• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and common construction, estimating, CRM, or document-management tools.

• Ability to work directly with ownership in a hands-on, entrepreneurial construction environment.

Preferred

• Existing relationships with high-end residential clients, architects, designers, developers, owner representatives, construction managers, general contractors, property managers, subcontractors, vendors, or consultants.

• Experience with luxury residential, custom homes, renovations, hospitality, private developments, or complex owner-driven construction projects.

• Experience with CRM systems, Bluebeam, Procore, Buildertrend, PlanGrid, Monday, HubSpot, Zoho, estimating software, or similar platforms.

• Experience preparing client-facing proposals, budgets, scope clarifications, alternates, value-engineering options, and preconstruction presentations.

• Experience supporting marketing, project photography, website content, social media, email updates, brochures, case studies, or sales collateral.

• Comfort using AI tools for business development, proposal writing, document review, meeting summaries, follow-up emails, and workflow organization.

\nCompany Description

About The Highlands Collective

The Highlands Collective is Stoneleaf’s portfolio of luxury events and experiences spanning equestrian competition, automotive concours, invitation-only salons, member weekends, and curated lifestyle activations. Alongside these events, Stoneleaf owns and invests in premium consumer and lifestyle brands designed to integrate into hospitality, retail, and experiential channels.

This role offers the opportunity to help build a next-generation luxury events and lifestyle platform from the ground up.

Company Description

About The Highlands Collective\n\nThe Highlands Collective is Stoneleaf’s portfolio of luxury events and experiences spanning equestrian competition, automotive concours, invitation-only salons, member weekends, and curated lifestyle activations. Alongside these events, Stoneleaf owns and invests in premium consumer and lifestyle brands designed to integrate into hospitality, retail, and experiential channels.\n\nThis role offers the opportunity to help build a next-generation luxury events and lifestyle platform from the ground up.