Director - Construction Advisory Services

HKA Birmingham; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 170,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

HKA seeks a Director to lead and expand its Construction Advisory Services practice. The role combines deep expertise in construction audit, capital program governance, and technology enablement with strong client leadership and business development capabilities.

The Director will guide complex engagements across risk, governance, and project controls, leveraging PMIS and analytics tools. Opportunities span healthcare, higher education, hospitality, infrastructure, and public sectors.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Business, Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline.
• 8+ years of experience in construction consulting, capital program management, construction audit, project controls, PMO, owner's representation, capital planning, or related advisory services.
• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale advisory engagements and managing multidisciplinary teams.
• Proven ability to manage multiple client engagements, budgets, and teams simultaneously.
• Strong executive-level communication, presentation, and relationship management skills.
• Demonstrated experience developing client relationships and contributing to business development efforts.
• Strong understanding of construction contracts, project controls, capital program governance, auditing, risk management, and PMO frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Lead complex advisory engagements that improve capital program performance, governance, compliance, and project outcomes.
• Build trusted executive-level relationships with clients and industry stakeholders.
• Expand existing accounts and originate new consulting opportunities.
• Mentor and develop high-performing consulting teams.
• Contribute to the evolution of HKA's Construction Advisory Services offerings.
• Help establish HKA as a leader in construction audit and capital program advisory.

Skills

Executive communication

Client relationship mgmt

Leadership of large engagements

Business development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management or related discipline

Tools

PMIS implementations

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 ofyour 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 industriesand reputation for exceptional expert witnesses to accelerate career development and connections.

The Opportunity:

HKA is seeking a Director to help lead and expand its Construction Advisory Services (CAS) practice. This role is designed for a highly experienced consulting professional who combines deep expertise in construction audit, capital program governance, business process improvement, and technology enablement with strong client leadership, business development, and practice-building capabilities.

The Director will lead complex advisory engagements focused on improving the performance, transparency, compliance, and accountability of capital programs and construction projects. Engagements may include construction audits, cost recovery reviews, contract compliance assessments, capital program diagnostics, governance evaluations, PMO transformation, and PMIS implementation and optimization initiatives. The role primarily supports HKA's Audit and Business Process pillars while leveraging technology solutions to improve project controls, reporting, and decision-making.

This position offers the opportunity to work with executive stakeholders across healthcare, higher education, hospitality, infrastructure, public sector, aviation, and other capital-intensive industries while helping build and scale a national Construction Advisory Services practice.

Responsibilities:

Executive Client Advisory

• Serve as a trusted advisor to owners, developers, public agencies, healthcare systems, universities, and other capital program stakeholders.

• Advise executive leadership on capital program performance, governance, compliance, controls, risk management, and organizational effectiveness.

• Lead executive-level workshops, assessments, and strategic planning sessions.

• Build and maintain long-term relationships with senior client stakeholders.

• Identify opportunities to expand existing client relationships and introduce additional HKA service offerings.

Engagement Leadership

Lead complex advisory engagements involving:

• Construction audits

• Cost recovery reviews

• Contract compliance assessments

• Change order and claims prevention reviews

• GMP and pre-construction reviews

• Pay application and invoice audits

• Fraud, waste, and abuse reviews

• Capital program assessments

• Program and project diagnostics

• Governance reviews

• PMO design and enhancement

• Process and controls evaluations

• Organizational effectiveness assessments

• Capital planning and portfolio management reviews

• Direct engagement planning, staffing, budgeting, execution, and quality assurance activities.

• Lead multiple client engagements simultaneously while maintaining exceptional delivery quality.

• Ensure recommendations are practical, actionable, and aligned with client objectives.

Technology Advisory & PMIS Enablement

• Advise clients on leveraging technology to improve capital project delivery and project controls.

• Lead PMIS assessments, selection efforts, implementation oversight, and optimization initiatives.

• Evaluate reporting structures, dashboarding capabilities, and project controls frameworks.

• Support clients in improving project transparency, forecasting, analytics, and decision-making.

• Work with platforms such as Procore, Oracle Primavera Unifier, Primavera P6, e-Builder, Kahua, SmartPM, Power BI, and similar tools.

Business Development & Market Growth

• Develop and maintain a pipeline of advisory opportunities.

• Lead proposal development, client presentations, and interview sessions.

• Expand strategic client accounts and cultivate new relationships.

• Collaborate with HKA's Advisory, Claims, and Expert practices to develop integrated solutions.

• Represent HKA at industry conferences, professional organizations, and market-facing events.

• Support thought leadership initiatives through articles, presentations, webinars, and industry engagement.

Practice Development

• Contribute to the strategic growth of the Construction Advisory Services practice.

• Assist in developing methodologies, service offerings, tools, and intellectual capital.

• Recruit, mentor, and develop advisory professionals across multiple levels.

• Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture that emphasizes technical excellence and client service.

• Support succession planning and leadership development within the practice.

What Success Looks Like

Successful Directors will:

• Lead complex advisory engagements that improve capital program performance, governance, compliance, and project outcomes.

• Build trusted executive-level relationships with clients and industry stakeholders.

• Expand existing accounts and originate new consulting opportunities.

• Mentor and develop high-performing consulting teams.

• Contribute to the continued evolution of HKA's Construction Advisory Services offerings.

• Help establish HKA as a recognized leader in construction audit, capital program advisory, governance, process optimization, and technology-enabled project delivery.

Skills and Experience:

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Business, Accounting, Finance, or a related discipline.

• 8+ years of experience in construction consulting, capital program management, construction audit, project controls, PMO, owner's representation, capital planning, or related advisory services.

• Demonstrated experience leading large-scale advisory engagements and managing multidisciplinary teams.

• Proven ability to manage multiple client engagements, budgets, and teams simultaneously.

• Strong executive-level communication, presentation, and relationship management skills.

• Demonstrated experience developing client relationships and contributing to business development efforts.

• Strong understanding of:

  • Construction contracts and commercial management

  • Project controls and cost management

  • Capital program governance

  • Construction auditing and compliance

  • Risk management frameworks

  • Process improvement and organizational effectiveness

  • PMO frameworks and capital project delivery

  • Capital planning and portfolio management

Preferred Qualifications:

• Extensive prior experience in professional services advising healthcare systems, higher education institutions, hospitality organizations, airports, infrastructure owners, or public-sector entities.

• Experience leading PMIS implementation, project controls transformation, or capital program technology initiatives.

• Experience originating work, leading pursuits, and managing strategic accounts.

• Experience building teams, mentoring staff, and contributing to practice growth.

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 $170,000 - $280,000 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.