Director of Preconstruction

Appleton Finn; Charlotte (NC); On-site; USD 160,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive compensation

Comprehensive benefits

Career development opportunities

Job summary

Appleton Finn in Charlotte, NC seeks an experienced Director of Preconstruction to lead the preconstruction function for a well-established commercial general contractor. This senior position drives strategy, quality, and execution from early concept through contract award and transition to construction.

The role blends strong technical construction knowledge with commercial acumen, client-relations prowess, and the ability to lead a high-performing team across the Carolinas and Southeast,

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CM/CE/Architecture or related field preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in commercial construction, estimating, or preconstruction.
• Proven leadership of estimators or preconstruction managers.
• Strong understanding of costs, scheduling, procurement, and subcontractor markets.
• Experience with negotiated, design-build, CM-at-Risk, or similar delivery methods.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Knowledge of Charlotte/Southeast market conditions.

Responsibilities

• Lead preconstruction operations across a diverse portfolio of commercial projects.
• Establish best practices for estimating, budgeting, scheduling, and value engineering.
• Oversee from pursuit to contract award and handoff to construction.
• Ensure deliverables are accurate, timely, and aligned with client objectives.
• Develop and improve preconstruction systems, tools, and templates.
• Staff, prioritize, and mentor the preconstruction team.
• Provide executive oversight of estimates and cost planning.
• Review bids for accuracy and completeness.
• Identify risks and opportunities and drive craft strategy.
• Maintain awareness of labor/material/market conditions in the Carolinas and Southeast.

Skills

Leadership

Preconstruction

Estimating

Budgeting

Communication

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or Architecture

Job description

We are seeking an experienced Director of Preconstruction to lead and grow the preconstruction function for a well-established commercial general contractor in Charlotte. This is a senior leadership position responsible for driving the strategy, quality, and execution of preconstruction services from early project conception through contract award and transition to construction.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical construction knowledge with commercial acumen, client relationship skills, and the ability to lead a high-performing preconstruction team. You will work closely with owners, developers, architects, consultants, trade partners, and internal operations teams to develop accurate, competitive, and constructible project solutions.

This role is particularly suited to a strategic construction professional who enjoys working on complex commercial projects and wants to have a meaningful influence on both project outcomes and the continued growth of the business.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the company's preconstruction operations across a diverse portfolio of commercial projects.
• Establish and maintain best practices, processes, and standards for estimating, budgeting, scheduling, constructability, and value engineering.
• Oversee projects from initial pursuit and conceptual estimating through final pricing, contract award, and handoff to the project team.
• Ensure preconstruction deliverables are accurate, timely, commercially sound, and aligned with client objectives.
• Develop and continuously improve preconstruction systems, tools, templates, and procedures.
• Establish appropriate staffing, workloads, and priorities across the preconstruction team.
• Provide executive oversight of conceptual, schematic, design-development, and GMP estimates.
• Review estimates, bids, assumptions, exclusions, allowances, contingencies, and subcontractor scopes for accuracy and completeness.
• Lead cost planning and benchmarking activities throughout the design process.
• Identify cost drivers and opportunities for value engineering without compromising project quality or design intent.
• Maintain a strong understanding of current labor, material, subcontractor, and market conditions within the Carolinas and broader Southeast.
• Ensure estimates are competitive while maintaining appropriate risk and margin objectives.

Client & Business Development

• Partner with business development and executive leadership during project pursuits.
• Participate in interviews, presentations, project strategy meetings, and client negotiations.
• Build trusted relationships with owners, developers, architects, engineers, and key trade partners.
• Serve as a senior technical and commercial representative of the company throughout the pursuit and preconstruction process.
• Help identify market opportunities and provide insight into project feasibility, pricing, delivery methods, and competitive positioning.
• Support the development of repeat business by delivering a high level of service and demonstrating strong understanding of client priorities.

Constructability & Project Strategy

• Lead constructability reviews and collaborate with design teams to identify potential issues before construction.
• Develop project execution strategies in collaboration with operations leadership.
• Evaluate alternative delivery methods, phasing strategies, procurement approaches, and schedule considerations.
• Identify project risks early and develop mitigation strategies.
• Work closely with project executives and operations teams to ensure a seamless transition from preconstruction into construction.
• Maintain accountability for the quality of the preconstruction-to-construction handoff.
• Lead, mentor, and develop estimators, preconstruction managers, and other team members.
• Establish clear expectations, performance objectives, and professional development plans.
• Promote collaboration between preconstruction, estimating, operations, business development, and finance.
• Develop the next generation of preconstruction leaders within the organization.
• Foster a culture of accountability, professionalism, continuous improvement, and teamwork.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Architecture, or a related field preferred.
• 10+ years of experience in commercial construction, estimating, preconstruction, or a closely related discipline.
• Demonstrated experience leading preconstruction activities for complex commercial projects.
• Previous leadership or management experience overseeing estimators, preconstruction managers, or similar teams.
• Strong understanding of commercial construction means and methods, cost management, scheduling, procurement, and subcontractor markets.
• Experience with negotiated, design-build, CM-at-Risk, and/or other collaborative project delivery methods.
• Strong knowledge of construction documents, specifications, contracts, and design development.
• Excellent understanding of the Charlotte and/or broader Southeast commercial construction market.
• Strong financial and analytical capabilities, with the ability to understand project economics, risk, and profitability.
• Excellent written, verbal, presentation, and negotiation skills.
• Ability to build credibility and effective relationships with clients and senior stakeholders.

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate is a strategic preconstruction leader rather than simply a senior estimator. You are comfortable moving between detailed cost analysis and high-level business strategy and can communicate effectively with everyone from architects and subcontractors to C-suite executives and project owners.

You are commercially minded, highly organized, and proactive in identifying risks and opportunities. You understand that successful preconstruction is about more than producing an accurate estimate—it is about creating certainty, developing the right project strategy, building client confidence, and setting the construction team up for success.

Experience with large-scale commercial projects such as corporate office, healthcare, higher education, hospitality, mixed-use, multifamily, or other complex institutional/commercial developments would be highly valued.

What We Offer

• Leadership role within a respected and growing commercial construction organization.
• Opportunity to shape and further develop the company's preconstruction platform.
• Exposure to significant and complex projects across the Charlotte and Southeast markets.
• Direct interaction with senior leadership, clients, developers, and design professionals.
• Strong opportunities for professional and career development.
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits.

Why Join Us?

This is an opportunity to take ownership of a critical function within a sophisticated commercial construction business. The Director of Preconstruction will play a key role in determining which projects the company pursues, how those projects are positioned and priced, and how successfully they transition into construction.

For the right individual, this role offers the opportunity to influence the company's growth strategy, develop a high-performing team, strengthen client relationships, and help deliver some of the region's most significant commercial projects.