Director, Estimating & Preconstruction

Build the Future of Industrialized Construction

This Jobot Job is hosted by: Ben Koester
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Salary: $200,000 - $300,000 per year

A bit about us:

We are partnering with an innovative construction and manufacturing organization that is transforming how buildings are designed, fabricated, and delivered. By combining advanced manufacturing principles, technology, and modular construction, the company is creating high-quality building solutions designed for greater efficiency, scalability, and sustainability.

This is an opportunity to join a growing organization at the forefront of Design for Manufacturing and Construction (DMC), working across major platform categories including Data Centers, Healthcare, Retail, and emerging building types. The organization is investing heavily in technology, cost intelligence, standardized processes, and scalable preconstruction capabilities to support significant growth.

Why join us?

Executive-level impact: Own the estimating and preconstruction function across the organization and directly influence pricing, margin, risk, and growth strategy.
Significant project volume: Lead estimating across programs representing $250M+ in annual pursuit value.
Industry innovation: Help shape the future of modular and industrialized construction.
Leadership opportunity: Build, restructure, and develop a multi-layer estimating and preconstruction organization.
Technology-driven environment: Influence investments in estimating platforms, historical cost databases, ERP reporting, AI/ML, and data-driven pricing intelligence.
Executive visibility: Present pursuit, pricing, hit rate, and margin performance to Executive Leadership, the C-suite, and Board-level audiences.
Client-facing leadership: Develop senior relationships with clients, design partners, contractors, suppliers, and other stakeholders.
Strategic influence: Help determine pursuit priorities, pricing strategy, capacity requirements, and entry into new building categories.
Career growth: Opportunity to establish the organizational standards and infrastructure that will support the company's next phase of growth.
Travel: Up to 35%, depending on pursuit activity and client engagement.

Job Details

As the Director, Estimating & Preconstruction, you will own the organization's entire estimating and preconstruction function across all platform categories. This includes accountability for the accuracy, integrity, and margin impact of every estimate presented to a client.

You will lead Associate Directors, Managers, Estimators, and Assistant Preconstruction professionals while establishing the standards, systems, technology, cost intelligence, and organizational capabilities required to support continued growth.

This is a highly visible executive-facing role responsible for turning design intent into accurate pricing and schedule commitments. You will own the historical cost database, estimate-to-actual discipline, estimating standards, pursuit pricing governance, and development of estimating capabilities for new building types where historical data may not exist.

Key Responsibilities
Estimating & Preconstruction Leadership
Own the accuracy, integrity, and margin impact of preconstruction estimates across all platform categories.
Hold final review and approval authority over pursuit pricing prior to executive sign-off.
Establish estimate assumptions, risk registers, contingency, and escalation standards.
Own estimate-to-actual performance and lead post-project cost reviews and corrective actions.
Translate completed project actuals into improved benchmarks, unit costs, and productivity factors.
Establish organization-wide estimating standards, templates, workflows, Basis of Estimate requirements, and data practices.
Own the historical cost, schedule, and bill-of-materials database as an enterprise asset.
Partner with Technology and Finance to maintain accurate and reconciled cost data.
Lead estimating capacity and capital planning inputs, including manufacturing capacity assumptions, labor market exposure, supply chain risk, escalation, headcount, and technology investments.
Develop first-of-a-kind cost models and pricing structures for new building types and platform categories.
Design and evolve the organizational structure of the Estimating & Preconstruction function.
Make hiring, promotion, restructuring, succession, and performance decisions across the organization.
Lead and develop Associate Directors and Managers while building a strong leadership bench.
Establish standards for subcontractor outreach, BuildingConnected administration, RFP compilation, price leveling, and award recommendations.
Provide go/no-go and pursuit prioritization recommendations based on margin viability, capacity, and risk.
Establish organizational standards for preconstruction risk analysis and escalation.
Lead Value Engineering strategy on the organization's largest and most complex pursuits.
Establish standards for DMC and construction schedules developed during preconstruction.
Ensure a strong preconstruction-to-operations handoff across Program Management, Project Management, Design, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Construction, and Finance.
Take direct control of escalated pursuits, pricing disputes, claims, or estimates in serious jeopardy.
Establish KPIs covering estimate accuracy, hit rate, margin variance, pursuit cycle time, and estimating capacity utilization.
Present pursuit, pricing, hit rate, and margin performance to Executive Leadership, the Board, and C-suite audiences.
Partner with Construction Engineering and Field Operations to develop scalable field self-perform estimating tools.
Establish standards for field quantity takeoffs, labor estimates, work plans, and constructability reviews.
Establish organization-wide standards for subcontractor and supplier buyout strategy.
Champion safety and quality throughout the preconstruction process, including appropriate cost-of-quality considerations.
Client & Commercial Leadership
Own C-suite-level relationships with client preconstruction, estimating, and capital program leadership.
Represent the organization at the highest levels of client organizations during pursuits and negotiations.
Develop long-term commercial strategies including multi-year pricing agreements, program pricing structures, escalation frameworks, and shared-savings models.
Lead client-facing presentations involving pricing, preconstruction, and Value Engineering.
Provide strategic input into pipeline and pursuit decisions based on margin viability, capacity, and strategic fit.
Support Commercial and Business Development teams with technical proposal requirements, pricing, and client meetings.
Build strong relationships with subcontractors, general contractors, design consultants, vendors, architects, engineers, and owner's representatives.
Support executive leadership during client contract negotiations and serve as the internal authority on pricing structure, cost basis, and commercial risk allocation.
Represent the organization externally on modular/DMC cost, productivity, and preconstruction practices through conferences, publications, benchmarking organizations, and industry groups.
Scope of Authority

In this role, you will have authority to:

Provide final review and approval of pursuit pricing before executive sign-off.
Establish and enforce company-wide estimating standards and Basis of Estimate requirements.
Establish contingency, escalation, and risk allowance policies.
Direct investment in estimating technology and the preconstruction relational database within the approved plan.
Make hiring, promotion, compensation, restructuring, and termination decisions within the Estimating & Preconstruction organization.
Determine when estimating capabilities should be developed for new building types or platform categories.
Issue go/no-go and pursuit prioritization recommendations.
Commit to long-term pricing structures within approved commercial strategy.
Take direct control of critical pursuits or estimates when necessary.
Represent the organization publicly on modular and DMC cost, productivity, and preconstruction practices.

Final authority remains with executive leadership for pursuit go/no-go decisions, client contract execution, manufacturing capacity commitments, enterprise capital allocation, corporate market strategy, standard contract/risk changes, litigation matters, and Board-level decisions.

Qualifications
Required
Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, Data Analytics, or a related field.
12+ years of relevant construction industry experience.
6+ years in estimating and preconstruction.
Demonstrated leadership of estimating leaders, including Managers and/or Associate Directors.
Experience overseeing estimating and preconstruction across multiple programs or platform categories totaling $250M+ in annual pursuit value.
Proven accountability for estimate accuracy, estimate-to-actual variance, hit rate, and/or margin performance.
Demonstrated C-suite-level client and commercial relationships.
Experience building, restructuring, and right-sizing multi-layer estimating and preconstruction organizations.
Proven experience developing leaders and building organizational talent pipelines.
Experience presenting pursuit, pricing, and margin performance to executive and Board-level audiences.
Experience establishing company-wide estimating standards, workflows, templates, and cost data practices.
Demonstrated ability to develop estimating capabilities for new building types, markets, or delivery models.
Proven ability to intervene in high-risk pursuits or pricing situations and bring them back to a defensible position.
Deep knowledge of construction delivery methods, contract types, procurement strategies, and risk allocation.
Strong financial and commercial acumen with explicit margin accountability.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, communication, and presentation skills.
Advanced proficiency with estimating and preconstruction platforms such as BuildingConnected, Sage Estimating, Timberline, WinEst, or comparable systems.
Advanced scheduling proficiency with platforms such as MS Project, Primavera P6, and Smartsheet.
Advanced Microsoft Excel skills for portfolio-level pricing and risk analysis.
Proficiency with Microsoft Office and Bluebeam.
Strategic and operational leadership capability with the ability to remain calm, precise, and decisive under pursuit pressure.
Ability to travel up to 35%.
Preferred
Master's degree in Business Administration, Construction Management, Data Analytics, or a related field.
Professional license or certification such as PE, AIA, PMP, CPE, CCP, LEED AP, ASHE CHC, or similar.
Experience in modular, DMC, industrialized construction, or design-build environments.
Established presence within the modular/DMC industry through speaking, publishing, benchmarking, or industry organizations.
Experience establishing analytical and data requirements for estimating organizations.
Strong understanding of cost modeling, estimating, and financial analysis at an executive level.
Ability to interpret CAD, Revit, or SolidWorks models for constructability and model-based quantification.
Working knowledge of Python, SQL, and data modeling tools.
Understanding of AI/ML, statistical modeling, and data engineering concepts.
Experience championing AI tools and establishing technology adoption standards within estimating or preconstruction organizations.
Experience with ERP reporting and cost data strategy, including Microsoft Dynamics Business Central or comparable systems.
Senior-level experience in estimating, cost analysis, or data analytics within construction, manufacturing, or related industries.

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