Director - Pre-Commissioning Services (Construction)

Promera; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401k + matching

Life, Disability and other Voluntary

Paid Time Off

Employee Assistance Program

Job summary

Promera is seeking a Director, Pre Commissioning Services to lead and optimize the delivery of PCS across a defined territory. This role manages 5–8 Project Managers, develops operating standards, and ensures projects are delivered safely, on time, and within budget.

The position emphasizes strategic oversight, risk management, and strong customer collaboration, with a focus on growth and profitability across multiple concurrent data center projects.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of operations, construction, project management, or field services leadership.
• Experience in data center construction, mission-critical environments, specialty contracting, or complex field services.
• Proven experience leading Project Managers and geographically dispersed project portfolios.
• Strong financial and operational experience, including budgets, margins, forecasting, scheduling, and resource management.
• Demonstrated success in safety, quality, customer management, and project recovery.

Responsibilities

• Lead Territory Operations with an annual plan focused on safety, delivery, capacity, margin, customer retention, and growth.
• Oversee 5–8 Project Managers through portfolio reviews, BMRs, field visits, and performance interventions.
• Establish planning, controls, reporting, and closeout practices across the territory.
• Provide senior leadership with updates on performance, risks, and resource needs.
• Build and develop the team, setting objectives and development plans.
• Lead customer and stakeholder relationships and ensure executive communication.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic planning

Communication

Problem solving

Decision making

Project management

Job description

Promera is a leading provider of critical environment management solutions for mission critical environments, including data centers, cleanrooms, and life sciences facilities. For over 45 years, we’ve helped protect the performance and reliability of some of the world’s most demanding spaces. Our clients include top general contractors, hyperscale cloud providers, colocation facilities, and enterprises that rely on safe, compliant, and expertly maintained environments. Promera is ISO 9001 and 14001 certified, demonstrating our commitment to service excellence and operational efficiency.

The Director, Pre Commissioning Services is responsible for the safe, efficient, high-quality delivery and profitable growth of Pre Commissioning Services across an assigned geographic territory. This leader will oversee a portfolio of concurrent data center construction projects while developing and leading 5–8 Project Managers. The Director provides the operating discipline, leadership, and accountability needed to ensure projects are delivered on time, within scope, safely, and profitably.

This is a highly visible operational leadership role responsible for connecting PCS strategy to field execution. The Director will establish consistent operating standards, proactively identify project and resource risks, develop Project Managers into strong business leaders, protect strategic customer relationships, and provide senior leadership with accurate forecasts and clear escalation of risks and opportunities.

What You’ll Do

Lead Territory Operations

• Translate the Pre Commissioning Services strategy into an annual territory operating plan focused on safety, delivery, capacity, margin, customer retention, and growth.
• Lead the operating cadence for 5–8 Project Managers through weekly portfolio reviews, monthly business reviews, field visits, and structured performance interventions.
• Establish consistent planning, project controls, reporting, and closeout practices across the territory.
• Provide the Vice President with clear, forward-looking updates on project performance, risks, opportunities, resource requirements, and corrective actions.
• Set priorities across the territory and make timely decisions when projects, resources, or customer needs compete.

Oversee the Project Portfolio

• Maintain executive-level oversight of concurrent projects from turnover through closeout while maintaining clear ownership with individual Project Managers.
• Review project plans, labor curves, schedules, material readiness, mobilization plans, change management, billing readiness, and resource allocation.
• Identify cross-project constraints and risks early and rebalance resources to protect project commitments.
• Lead recovery plans for projects at risk of missing safety, quality, schedule, scope, or financial commitments.
• Ensure project milestones, customer commitments, documentation, and lessons learned are consistently captured and communicated.

Drive Safety, Quality & Compliance

• Own territory performance against company safety, security, quality, environmental, contractual, and site-specific requirements.
• Ensure Project Managers execute effective pre-task planning, inspections, incident reviews, corrective actions, and quality verification.
• Lead investigations of significant safety or quality events and recurring defects, ensuring root-cause actions are implemented and sustained.
• Maintain audit readiness and drive continuous improvement across PCS operating procedures and field execution.

Own Financial & Commercial Performance

• Own territory-level revenue, gross margin, labor productivity, cost control, cash conversion, forecasting accuracy, and project financial closeout.
• Review estimates-to-complete, labor and expense performance, change-order exposure, billing status, and margin risk with Project Managers.
• Partner with Sales, Finance, Contracts, and Operations to protect scope, commercial entitlement, and profitability.
• Identify and escalate commercial risks early and ensure appropriate action is taken.
• Establish productivity and cost benchmarks and hold the team accountable for measurable improvement.

Build & Develop the Team

• Recruit, onboard, coach, and develop 5–8 Project Managers into accountable business leaders.
• Establish clear objectives, decision rights, performance expectations, and development plans.
• Assess portfolio demand and strategically deploy Project Managers, supervisors, technicians, subcontractors, tooling, and equipment across the territory.
• Address performance gaps promptly through direct feedback, coaching, and documented improvement plans.
• Build a high-accountability culture grounded in safety, service, ownership, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Develop succession plans and strengthen the leadership bench across the territory.

Lead Customer & Stakeholder Relationships

• Serve as the senior operational point of contact for strategic customers and General Contractors within the territory.
• Establish executive communication and escalation plans for major projects.
• Proactively resolve systemic issues before they impact customer commitments.
• Partner with Growth and Sales on pursuits, operational feasibility, estimating assumptions, project handoffs, expansions, and account development.
• Build customer confidence through accurate commitments, transparent communication, and reliable project delivery.

Travel & Field Leadership

• Travel extensively throughout the assigned territory to review project health, coach Project Managers, engage customers, and verify operating standards.
• Remain available to provide urgent project intervention and customer escalation support, including short-notice travel when necessary.

Qualifications & Experience

• 10+ years of experience in operations, construction, project management, or field services leadership.
• Experience in data center construction, mission-critical environments, specialty contracting, or complex field services.
• Proven experience leading Project Managers and geographically dispersed project portfolios.
• Strong financial and operational experience, including budgets, margins, forecasting, scheduling, and resource management.
• Demonstrated success in safety, quality, customer management, and project recovery.
• Experience hiring, coaching, and developing operational leaders.
• Strong communication, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• OSHA 30 certification
• Competitive pay, based on experience and location.
• Paid on-the-job training, and continued learning, including certifications
• Paid Time Off
• Life, Disability and other Voluntary coverage
• 401k + matching
• Employee Assistance Program
• Promotion opportunities

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and value diversity in our workplace. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or veteran status.