Head of Pre-Construction

Primark; Dublin; On-site; EUR 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

Pension

Bonus potential

27 days annual leave

Tax saver tickets

Fitness centre

Subsidised cafeteria

Job summary

Primark is seeking an experienced Head of Pre-Construction to lead strategy, governance and planning for its global store estate. You will define a consistent pre-construction approach across new stores, refurbishments and major investment programmes, ensuring projects are commercially viable and risk-assessed.

You will oversee cost management, design coordination and tendering, lead a high‑performing team, and advance the GURU planning platform as the single source of truth for project planning

Qualifications

• 10+ years pre-construction experience with commercially robust solutions.
• 5+ years at Head of or senior leadership level in a complex retail/property environment.
• Experience leading feasibility, planning, cost management, design coordination and tendering.
• Proven delivery of projects from smaller works to large investments (>£20m).
• Strong stakeholder management at executive level and with external partners.
• Experience establishing governance and best-practice processes.

Responsibilities

• Lead pre-construction across new stores, refurbishments and capital projects.
• Drive tender submissions and delivery strategies aligned to commercial goals.
• Oversee estimating, cost planning and benchmarking for cost certainty.
• Lead design coordination to ensure buildable, compliant proposals.
• Provide strategic guidance on feasibility and programme delivery decisions.
• Build relationships with landlords, consultants and partners.
• Identify and manage commercial, design and delivery risks with governance.
• Champion quality, sustainability and continuous improvement.

Skills

Pre-construction leadership

Strategic procurement

Stakeholder management

Cost management

Team leadership

Job description

What’s a career at Primark all about? The positive impact you’re making, the experiences you’re having and the people you’re with. You’re our inspiration. Embrace what sets you apart, own your career and develop in ways you never expected. Leave your mark. And do it your way

Job Description

What You’ll Do

We're looking for an experienced Head of Pre-Construction to lead the strategy, governance and planning activities that shape how Primark delivers projects across its global store estate. In this role, you'll define and embed a consistent pre-construction approach across new stores, refurbishments and major investment programmes, ensuring projects are commercially viable, fully risk-assessed and positioned for successful delivery. You'll play a critical role in supporting investment decisions and driving the standards, processes and governance that underpin our property pipeline.

Working closely with Property, Construction, Finance and Operations teams, you'll bring together programme planning, cost management, design, feasibility and tendering into a single aligned strategy. You'll provide leadership across architecture, quantity surveying and feasibility functions, ensuring projects are planned with cost certainty, robust programmes and effective risk management while supporting Primark's long-term growth ambitions.

You'll also lead the ongoing development of the GURU platform, ensuring it remains the single source of truth for project planning, reporting and decision-making across the portfolio. Working with senior leaders across the business, you'll lead a high-performing team and play a key role in shaping the future of Primark's global property investment programme.

In your role, you’ll collaborate with different people across a range of skillsets. Here’s a flavour of your day-to-day:

• Lead and oversee Primark's pre-construction activities across new stores, refurbishments and major capital projects, ensuring schemes are set up for successful delivery.
• Drive the development of tender submissions and delivery strategies, ensuring alignment with commercial objectives, programme requirements and risk considerations.
• Oversee estimating, cost planning and benchmarking activities, ensuring cost certainty, transparency and value throughout the project lifecycle.
• Lead design coordination during pre-construction, ensuring proposals are fully developed, buildable and aligned to operational and commercial requirements.
• Provide strategic guidance on feasibility, programme planning and delivery approaches, supporting key investment and project approval decisions.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with landlords, consultants and professional partners, ensuring the right expertise is in place to support project success.
• Identify and manage key commercial, design and delivery risks, implementing robust governance and mitigation strategies from the earliest project stages.
• Champion quality, sustainability and continuous improvement across the pre-construction function, ensuring projects are delivered efficiently and with a right-first-time approach.

Qualifications

What You’ll Bring

We want every person in our organisation to feel like they’re making a key contribution. Here are some of the experiences and skills you’ll need for the role:

• 10+ years' pre-construction experience, with a proven track record of delivering commercially robust and operationally viable solutions.
• 5+ years’ operating at Head of or senior leadership level within a complex retail, property, construction or multi-site environment.
• Extensive experience leading feasibility, planning, cost management, design coordination and tendering activities across a diverse project portfolio.
• Demonstrated success delivering projects ranging from smaller works programmes to large-scale capital investments exceeding £20m.
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships and influence at Executive level, as well as across external consultants and partners.
• Experience establishing governance, standards and best-practice processes that drive consistency, efficiency and quality.
• Proven ability to build, lead and develop high-performing teams, creating a culture of collaboration, accountability and continuous improvement.

What You’ll Get

People are at the heart of what we do here, so it’s essential we provide you with the right environment to perform at your very best. Let’s talk lifestyle:

Let’s talk lifestyle: Healthcare, pension, and potential bonus. 27 days of leave, plus bank holidays and if you want, you can buy 5 more. Because Primark is all about tailoring to you, we offer Tax Saver Tickets, fitness centre, and a subsidised cafeteria.

Does this sound like you? Great, because we can’t wait to see what you’ll bring. You’ll be supported within a team of equally capable people, celebrating who you are and aiding you reach your potential. At Primark, we’re excited about our future - and we’re excited to develop yours.

Additional Information

Primark is an international clothing retailer employing more than 70,000 colleagues across 16 countries in Europe and the US. Founded in Ireland in 1969 under the Penney’s brand, Primark aims to create maximum joy at minimum cost – less money and less impact on the planet. Primark continues to expand across new and existing markets with the aim of reaching 530 stores by the end of 2026. Every person impacts the culture at Primark. Our values: Caring (we always strive to put people first), Dynamic (we bravely push the boundaries to stay ahead) and Together (we learn more, laugh more and achieve more as a team) outline the behaviours we expect of our people as we work with each other, our customers, our suppliers and our partners. Let’s see what impact you can make!