Director, Construction

Director Of Construction

Urban Grid is seeking an accomplished and driven Director of Construction to lead our pre-construction and construction efforts in the utility scale solar, wind and battery storage sector. The ideal candidate will possess a comprehensive background encompassing both commercial and technical facets necessary to lead project teams from pre-construction through the final completion of solar development projects. This role requires a deep understanding of the industry, construction management, risk mitigation, contract management, and successful leadership of cross-functional teams in the renewable energy domain.

Responsibilities include:

• Leading and overseeing integrated project teams, guiding a portfolio of advanced-stage solar projects from pre-construction through final completion.
• Collaborating closely with Procurement, Engineering, Project Development, and Business Development departments to ensure a seamless transition from project development to pre-construction phases.
• Monitoring projects nearing offtake commercialization and developing a forward-looking procurement strategy for late-stage projects in collaboration with Procurement.
• Participating in negotiations with suppliers for critical long-lead items, including modules, racking, inverters, main transformers, and other major components.
• Directing the formulation of initial construction schedules and budgets for projects, considering both internal and external variables influencing project completion dates and Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) costs.
• Engaging in the design optimization process to refine project designs in preparation for offtake commercialization and EPC Request for Proposal (RFP) stages.
• Leading Project Managers in issuing EPC RFPs, identifying areas of work or technical gaps that can impact contractor pricing or project schedules.
• Supporting Project Managers in analyzing EPC contractor bids, reviewing project capital expenditure (CAPEX) estimates and construction schedules. Ensuring all obligations from the PPA, ISA, IA, and other project documents are upheld.
• Creating redlines for commercial and technical documents linked to equipment or EPC contracts.
• Collaborating with the Business Development team and Project Finance to generate proposal materials. Participating in bid or proposal approval presentations and processes.
• Building, coaching, and retaining a growing team of project management professionals.
• Developing and maintaining relationships with senior members of key contractor partners.
• Serving as the expert in contract administration and construction management. Coaching, training, and mentoring team members to become subject matter experts.
• Initiating and attending meetings with clients for problem resolution and planning.
• Initiating, reviewing, approving, and negotiating change orders following organizational standards.
• Aggregating and rolling up project status reports.
• Overseeing project execution progress.
• Identifying and mitigating potential risks to projects.
• Ensuring all project financing needs are being met.
• Taking an active role in safety management and ensuring that everyone goes home safely.

Position is local to Houston with a hybrid office policy. Position may require periodic trips for team meetings or site visits.