Preconstruction Director

Gilbane Building Company; Columbus (OH); On-site; USD 220,000 - 250,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Profit-sharing/401k

Health benefits

Gilbane University training

Job summary

Gilbane Building Company is seeking a Preconstruction Director to lead preconstruction and design-phase services for projects within a Division. This role includes coaching, budgeting, and coordinating with estimating, purchasing, VDC, and scheduling teams.

You will drive strategic decisions, manage staff, and partner with business development to align sales and account plans while maintaining an inclusive, performance-driven work environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or similar technical field.
• 10+ to 15+ years leading operations, procurement, estimating, scheduling, or supply chain teams.
• 5 to 10 years in construction management or A/E industries.
• Experience with multiple project delivery types (CMR, DB, IPD, etc.).
• Design phase or design-build management experience preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop the support operations for a Division (estimating, purchasing, VDC, scheduling).
• Participate in enterprise preconstruction leadership groups and reviews.
• Review contracts with leaders and legal to shape risk and fee strategies.
• Develop technical and leadership capabilities of Estimating, Purchasing, VDC teams.
• Manage workload and drive collaboration across division support operations.

Skills

Leadership

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

People development

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Construction Management

Job description

Preconstruction Director

Job Locations

US-OH-Cleveland | US-MI-Detroit | US-OH-Columbus | US-PA-Pittsburgh

Overview

Do you consider yourself to be a highly technical, strong communicator with the desire to work in a team environment on complex projects? Gilbane is seeking a Preconstruction Director to lead preconstruction and design phase services for all projects within a Division.

Who are we?

As a Top-10 ENR Contractor, Gilbane is a family-owned business with 45 offices that has been shaping communities since 1870. Consistently recognized as one of the most reputable construction management firms in the country, Gilbane is committed to delivering projects safely and on-time. You will have the opportunity to build schools, labs, hospitals, corporate offices, sports arenas and more!

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you're excited about this role but your past experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Who are you?

You are a coach/leader who leads with an inclusive and empathetic mindset. You provide feedback and guidance to help others excel in their current or future roles. You determine priorities, delegate work, and effectively communicate progress. You establish measures to assess the impact, quality, and timeliness of results while praising successes and sharing lessons learned. You build high performing teams by attracting, engaging, developing, and retaining talented individuals through motivation and discipline to maximize impact on the organization and the individual.

You leverage business insights by understanding industry trends, local market/economic conditions, and Gilbane's business model to make critical decisions and create competitive advantage. You deploy a strategic mindset when considering solutions to long-term opportunities and risks that may develop in the future.

Your core values match Gilbane's: Integrity, Caring, Teamwork, Toughmindedness, Dedication to Excellence, Discipline, Loyalty, and Entrepreneurship.

What's in it for you?

Gilbane offers employees multi-dimensional training opportunities through a number of resources. While managing your responsibilities to projects, you will be able to enroll in trainings through our award-winning Gilbane University to build leadership and technical skills. In addition, you would work with an experienced team which provides you with the opportunity to learn new industry skills every day. You will protect and promote the interests of both Gilbane and the client in all matters as well as demonstrating the personal characteristics of a developing leader.

Responsibilities

• Leads, coaches, and develops the support operations departments for a Division, which could include estimating, purchasing, virtual design and construction and scheduling (as applicable)
• Engages in enterprise level leadership through active participation in the Preconstruction Peer Group
• Reviews contracts with Business Leaders and legal in developing risk mitigation strategies and fee enhancement strategies
• Develops the technical and leadership skills of Estimating, Purchasing, VDC and other support operations for the Division (as applicable)
• Manages workload and drives collaboration between support operations departments within the Division
• Collaborates with other Divisions and Directors of Preconstruction for coordination of resources and experience
• Responsible for hiring of preconstruction staff to support the division.
• Responsible for managing preconstruction budgets and recoverability of staff for their division.
• Provides strategic insights and recommendations to executive leadership for informed decision-making
• Responsible for the career development and coaching of employees through a team of managers
• Fosters a positive and inclusive work environment to motivate and engage team members
• Drives the long-term strategic vision for the organization, serving as a bridge between Executives
• Partners with business development to ensure seamless integration with sales strategies, client capture plans and account plans. Optimizes profit levers and gross profit margin tactics to achieve performance targets on new sales. Leads opportunities to strengthen client, partner, and industry relationships that help position Gilbane as the "Builder of Choice"

Qualifications

EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or similar technical field
• 10-15+ years of experience in leading operations, procurement, estimating, scheduling, or supply chain management teams
• 5-10 years of experience in construction management industry or A/E industry
• Experience on multiple project delivery types preferred (CMR, DB, IPD, etc.)
• Design phase/design-build management experience preferred
• Or equivalent combination of education and experience

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Strong ability to drive change and proactively manage others
• Strategic thinker; detailed and structured thought process
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills with the ability to maintain a level of approachability with colleagues, both internal and external
• Demonstrated ability to build, develop and lead cross-functional teams in a matrixed environment
• Proven record of delivering results in a complex business

Salary to be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and/or experience of the applicant, as well as the internal equity and alignment with the team.

For Ohio, this ranges from $220,000 - $250,000 plus benefits and retirement program.

Gilbane offers an excellent total compensation package which includes competitive health and welfare benefits and a generous profit-sharing/401k plan. We invest in our employees' education and have built Gilbane University into a top training organization in the construction industry. Qualified applicants who are offered a position must pass a pre-employment substance abuse test.

Gilbane is an Affir

Note to Recruiters, Placement Agencies, and Similar Organizations: Gilbane does not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our jobs alias, website, or to any Gilbane employee. Gilbane will not pay fees to any third party agency or firm and will not be responsible for any agency fees associated with unsolicited resumes. Unsolicited resumes received will be considered property of Gilbane and will be processed accordingly.