Pre-Construction Manager

Pre-Construction Manager – Lead Estimating and Project Development for a Scaling SoCal GC

Job Overview

• Company: John Christopher Construction.
• Salary/Pay Rate: $85,000 to $110,000 per year depending on experience. 
• Location: Anaheim, CA.
• Job/Employment Type: Full Time.
• Primary Working Location: Onsite.
• Project Scope: General Construction (Residential, Commercial, Industrial)
• Mandatory Licences & Certifications: None Required.

The Opportunity

John Christopher Construction is looking for a highly organized residential construction professional to help lead and improve the pre-construction process from design and planning through project handoff.

This role is focused on the critical stage between client commitment and project kickoff. You will help coordinate drawings, selections, estimates, material planning, subcontractor information, schedules, budgets, and internal handoffs so projects are organized before they move into production.

This is a hands-on coordination, accountability, and process-building role. We are not necessarily looking for a senior commercial pre-construction executive. We are looking for someone with strong construction experience, practical construction knowledge, excellent follow-through, and the ability to grow into a key operational leadership role as the company scales.

How You Will Make an Impact

• Coordinate the residential pre-construction process from design/build through project handoff.
• Work with homeowners to track selections, approvals, finish decisions, drawings, and required materials.
• Follow up with clients to keep decisions, drawings, selections, and approvals moving on schedule.
• Coordinate with architects, engineers, estimators, project managers, vendors, subcontractors, and internal leadership.
• Support estimating by helping review scopes, track estimating activity, and identify gaps before projects move forward.
• Assist with bid/no-bid review, estimating KPIs, project readiness, and budget alignment as needed.
• Review subcontractor bids and help identify scope gaps in areas such as framing, electrical, plumbing, finishes, and other trade packages.
• Track material procurement timelines, long-lead items, and client-purchased materials to help prevent project delays.
• Prepare pre-construction-to-operations handoff packages for project managers and field teams.
• Assist with project schedules, Gantt charts, scopes, budgets, subcontractor coordination, and project kickoff details.
• Help monitor project manager updates, daily reports, documentation, and internal follow-through where needed.
• Identify process gaps and help build better systems, checklists, SOPs, and workflows as the company grows.
• Help coordinate design-build Phase 1 activities, including architect communication, client design reviews, drawing progress, and permit-related follow-up.
• Hold clients, vendors, subcontractors, and internal team members accountable to agreed timelines.
• Communicate clearly, directly, and professionally in a fast-moving, accountability-driven team environment.

Required Qualifications & Experience

• 3–5+ years of experience in residential construction, pre-construction, project coordination, estimating coordination, selections, project management, or a similar construction operations role.
• Strong understanding of residential construction schedules, materials, selections, drawings, scopes, budgets, and homeowner decision points.
• Practical ability to read and understand plans, drawings, scopes, estimates, and construction documentation.
• Experience coordinating with homeowners, project managers, vendors, subcontractors, architects, engineers, or internal construction teams.
• Ability to support estimating by reviewing scopes, tracking estimating activity, identifying gaps, and helping prepare projects for handoff.
• Strong organization, follow-through, and attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple moving pieces at once without letting details fall through the cracks.
• Comfortable holding clients, vendors, subcontractors, and internal team members accountable to timelines.
• Clear, direct, and professional communication style.
• Growth mindset and willingness to learn, research, improve, and help build the role over time.
• Comfortable working in a culture where accountability, open communication, and best-idea-wins thinking matter.
• Able to admit mistakes, solve problems, and continuously improve.

Preferred Qualifications & Experience

• Experience with design-build residential construction.
• Experience with custom homes, remodels, ADUs, or high-end residential projects.
• Familiarity with cabinets, flooring, fixtures, finishes, material selections, and homeowner decision-making.
• Experience supporting or creating SOPs, checklists, workflows, handoff processes, or other internal systems.
• Experience with Gantt charts, project schedules, estimating support, procurement tracking, or budget review.
• Experience using JobTread or similar construction management software.
• Experience reviewing subcontractor bids and identifying scope gaps in areas such as framing, electrical, plumbing, finishes, or other trade packages.
• Experience with AI tools, Zapier automations, or digital workflow improvements is a plus, but not required.
• Experience with commercial, industrial, medical, TI, Title 24, HCAI, or AHJ permitting environments is a plus, but not required.

Compensation & Benefits

• 401(k) retirement savings program with employer matching.
• Weekly pay cycle.
• Paid Time Off (Holidays, Vacation, and Sick Leave).
• Company uniforms provided.
• Regular company-sponsored events.

About Us

John Christopher Construction is a premier SoCal general contractor specializing in residential, commercial, and industrial projects with a focus on self-performing core trades. We pride ourselves on a culture of personal accountability and high-performance rewards, offering a structured environment where career growth is directly tied to measurable results. 

Learn more at

John Christopher Construction is an Equal Opportunity Employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, gender expression, and sexual orientation), parental status, national origin, age, disability, genetic information (including family medical history), political affiliation, military service, or any other status protected by law or regulations. It is our intention that all qualified applicants be given equal opportunity and that selection decisions be based on job-related factors.