Associate Director - Construction Advisory Services

HKA; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 145,000 - 235,000; Full time

Job summary

HKA is seeking an experienced Associate Director to lead Construction Advisory Services engagements, focusing on construction audits, capital program diagnostics, governance, and PMO enhancements. You will guide complex client engagements, mentor junior staff, and help grow the practice with your leadership.

This role offers direct collaboration with owners, developers, universities, and public agencies, leveraging Procore, Primavera, and Power BI to improve project outcomes and strengthen

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a related discipline.
• 6+ years of experience in construction consulting, audits, capital program management, or related advisory services.
• Experience leading workstreams on construction and capital projects.
• Strong knowledge of contracts, cost controls, governance, risk, and compliance.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day delivery of construction advisory engagements.
• Serve as the primary client contact for assigned engagements.
• Facilitate workshops, interviews, assessments, and presentations.
• Develop practical recommendations to improve performance, governance, controls, and reporting.
• Manage schedules, budgets, staffing, and deliverable quality.
• Lead multiple engagements with exceptional client service.

Skills

Construction governance

Risk management

Project controls

Change management

Client relationships

Education

Bachelor's degree in a related discipline

Tools

Procore

Primavera P6

Oracle Primavera Unifier

Kahua

e-Builder

SmartPM

Power BI

Job description

HKA is a global leader in risk mitigation, dispute resolution, and expert witness services. We tackle complex challenges with our multi-disciplinary expertise.

As trusted consultants and advisors, we deliver solutions in uncertain and disputed situations, ensuring the best outcomes for clients worldwide. Our experts have testified globally on major cases spanning across a wide range of industries and sectors.

As Part Of The HKA Team You Can Expect:

• A strong collaborative culture with a mutual pursuit of your success alongside the success of our teams.
• The opportunity to solve problems creatively, contribute to our innovative direction, and be valued as an individual
• The ability to leverage HKA’s strong network and presence in various industries and reputation for exceptional expert witnesses to accelerate career development and connections.

The Opportunity:

HKA is seeking an experienced Associate Director to support the growth of its Construction Advisory Services (CAS) practice. This role is designed for a consulting professional with expertise in construction audit, capital program management, governance, process improvement, project controls, and technology enablement who is ready to lead complex client engagements and develop into a future practice leader.

The Associate Director will be responsible for managing and delivering advisory engagements focused on construction audits, cost recovery reviews, contract compliance assessments, capital program diagnostics, governance and controls evaluations, PMO enhancement initiatives, and project management information system (PMIS) optimization efforts. The role primarily supports HKA's Audit and Business Process service pillars while working closely with technology-enabled project delivery initiatives.

This position offers the opportunity to work directly with owners, developers, public agencies, universities, healthcare systems, hospitality organizations, and other capital project stakeholders to improve project outcomes, strengthen controls, and enhance overall program performance.

Successful Associate Directors Will:

• Lead high-quality advisory engagements focused on construction audit, compliance, governance, and business process improvement.
• Build trusted relationships with project teams, capital program leaders, facilities executives, and client stakeholders.
• Deliver actionable recommendations that improve project outcomes and organizational performance.
• Mentor junior staff and contribute to a collaborative team culture.
• Support account growth and business development activities.
• Develop the technical, client management, and commercial skills necessary to advance into a Director-level leadership role.

Responsibilities:

Client Advisory & Engagement Delivery

• Lead day-to-day delivery of construction advisory engagements across a variety of industries and project types.
• Serve as the primary client contact for assigned engagements.
• Facilitate executive and project-level workshops, interviews, assessments, and presentations.
• Develop practical recommendations that improve project performance, governance, compliance, controls, and reporting.
• Manage project schedules, budgets, staffing plans, and deliverable quality.
• Lead multiple concurrent engagements while maintaining exceptional client service.

Construction Audit & Compliance

Lead Or Support Engagements Involving:

• Construction audits
• Cost recovery reviews
• Contract compliance reviews
• Change order evaluations
• GMP and pre-construction reviews
• Pay application and invoice audits
• Fraud, waste, and abuse reviews
• Construction risk assessments
• Independent project assurance reviews
• Internal controls assessments

Business Process & Program Advisory

Lead Or Support Engagements Involving:

• Process and controls assessments
• Capital program diagnostics
• Project and program governance reviews
• PMO assessments and enhancement
• Organizational and project team assessments
• Capital planning and portfolio management assessments
• Program management framework development
• Change management initiatives
• Operational effectiveness reviews

Technology Enablement

• PMIS maturity assessments
• PMIS selection support
• PMIS implementation and optimization initiatives
• Project controls reporting enhancements
• Dashboard and analytics development
• Data governance assessments
• Construction reporting and performance management improvements

Team Leadership & Development

• Lead engagement teams consisting of consultants and senior consultants.
• Coach, mentor, and develop junior professionals.
• Review work products and ensure consistency with HKA quality standards.
• Support recruiting, onboarding, and training activities.
• Contribute to methodology development and knowledge sharing across the practice.

Business Development Support

• Assist with proposal development and client presentations.
• Participate in business development and account expansion activities.
• Identify opportunities for additional services within existing client engagements.
• Support development of thought leadership, marketing materials, and conference presentations.
• Contribute to the continued growth of the Construction Advisory Services practice.

Skills And Experience

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Business, Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline.
• 6+ years of experience in construction consulting, construction audit, capital program management, project controls, PMO, owner's representation, construction management, or related advisory services.
• Experience leading workstreams or managing construction and capital project engagements.
• Strong understanding of:
  • Construction contracts
  • Cost management and project controls
  • Change management processes
  • Capital program governance
  • Risk management frameworks
  • Construction operations and project delivery
  • Internal controls and compliance
  • Process improvement methodologies
  • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple priorities and client relationships simultaneously.
• Excellent written, verbal, and presentation skills.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Extensive experience in consulting support healthcare, higher education, hospitality, aviation, infrastructure, manufacturing, or public-sector capital programs.
• Experience supporting PMIS implementation or project controls transformation initiatives.
• Experience preparing proposals and participating in business development activities.
• Familiarity with construction analytics and reporting tools.
• Experience with tools such as Procore, Primavera P6, Oracle Primavera Unifier, Kahua, e-Builder, SmartPM, Power BI, or similar platforms.

Preferred Certifications:

• CCA (Certified Construction Auditor) – National Association of Construction Auditors (NACA)
• PMP (Project Management Professional)
• CCM (Certified Construction Manager)
• CPA (Certified Public Accountant)
• PSP (Planning & Scheduling Professional)
• CISA (Certified Information Systems Auditor)
• Lean Six Sigma Certification
• MBA

What we offer:

Compensation: HKA offers a salary range of $145,000 - $235,000 annually for this role.

At HKA we recognize that our people are critical to our ongoing success. Our priority is to provide an inclusive and collaborative culture aimed at providing the best opportunities for our people to thrive and develop in their chosen career path.

Our Global Recruitment team is committed to providing an authentic candidate experience for all those who take the time to apply to HKA. We are committed to providing an efficient and insightful recruitment process giving candidates a true reflection of life at HKA.

Fairness And Equality At HKA:

HKA works hard to provide a welcoming environment for all of our employees. We are committed as a business on the continued improvement of our fairness and equality strategy. Please visit our careers page for further information or feel free to ask our recruitment team for further information.

All HKA employment decisions shall be made in accordance with controlling laws and based on merit.