Preconstruction Lead - Columbus, OH Market

The Huseman Group; Cincinnati (OH); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

HGC Construction in Columbus is seeking a Preconstruction Lead to own the preconstruction process across the market. You’ll coordinate bid packages, scope development, and early design reviews, aligning budget, schedule, and client expectations from award through handoff.

You’ll lead cross-functional teams, partner with estimators, architects, and trade partners, and drive procurement and constructability decisions to keep projects moving forward with quality and clarity.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree preferred in CM, architecture, engineering, or related field.
• 5+ years of commercial construction experience including preconstruction, PM, or estimating.
• Experience on complex commercial or institutional projects.
• Strong understanding of the construction process from award to procurement, setup and field.
• Ability to manage big picture with attention to details (budgets, scopes, schedules).
• Knowledge of estimating principles, costs, and budgeting; communicative about numbers.
• Experience coordinating with architects, engineers, subcontractors, and internal teams.
• Familiarity with CMAR, GMP, and Design-Build, value management, procurement.
• Strong communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills.
• Proactive, solutions-oriented mindset to keep multiple projects moving.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of the preconstruction process for awarded projects in Columbus market, from kickoff to handoff.
• Serve as primary contact for clients, design partners, and internal teams; align goals, budget, scope, and schedule.
• Lead bid package development; identify gaps, overlaps, and risks before field deployment.
• Partner with estimators to develop budgets and cost plans; oversee takeoffs and pricing.
• Coordinate architects, engineers, consultants, and trade partners to drive design development and constructability.
• Lead trade partner engagement, bid solicitation, scope reviews, and procurement planning.
• Drive preconstruction schedules and milestones; ensure design deliverables, permitting, procurement, and requirements stay on track.
• Plan early with operations to ensure clear expectations and necessary resources.
• Represent HGC Construction in client meetings; communicate budgets, strategies, and solutions with confidence.
• Create a seamless transition from preconstruction to operations with coordinated scopes and budgets.

Skills

Leadership

Communication

Preconstruction

Project management

Collaboration

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering, or related field

Job description

BUILDER WANTED. Preconstruction Lead - Columbus Market

Not just a Preconstruction Lead. A Builder.

You build the foundation for successful projects before construction ever begins. You turn awarded projects into actionable plans, bringing the right people, resources, and information together to set teams up for success. You connect the dots between clients, designers, estimators, trade partners, and operations, making sure scope, budget, schedule, and expectations are aligned from day one.

BUILDER WANTED. Preconstruction Lead - Columbus Market

Not just a Preconstruction Lead. A Builder.

You build the foundation for successful projects before construction ever begins. You turn awarded projects into actionable plans, bringing the right people, resources, and information together to set teams up for success. You connect the dots between clients, designers, estimators, trade partners, and operations, making sure scope, budget, schedule, and expectations are aligned from day one.

At HGC Construction, we're looking for a Preconstruction Lead to take ownership of the preconstruction process across our Columbus market. You'll lead the charge from project award through handoff, managing everything from bid packages and scope development to trade partner coordination and project setup. You don't need to be the person crunching every number. You need to know how to lead the process, leverage the right resources, drive decisions, and keep projects moving forward.

A Legacy of Building Careers

At HGC Construction, we're building for the long haul.

We believe exceptional projects are built by exceptional people who share our values. We know our employees are more than their job titles. They're people with families, interests, and lives beyond work. That's why we work hard, support one another, celebrate wins together, and create opportunities for growth.

Our teams are united by a commitment to quality, integrity, and doing the right thing. We're not just building structures. We're building careers, relationships, and a legacy that lasts.

What You'll Build

• Take ownership of the preconstruction process for awarded projects across the Columbus market, driving planning, coordination, and execution from initial project kickoff through a successful handoff to operations.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for clients, design partners, and internal teams throughout preconstruction, building trust, communicating expectations, and keeping everyone aligned on project goals, budget scope, and schedule.
• Lead the development and management of bid packages, ensuring scopes of work are clearly defined, complete, and coordinated across trades. Identify scope gaps, overlaps, and potential risks before they become challenges in the field.
• Partner with Estimators to develop, review, and communicate project budgets and cost plans. Leverage estimating resources for takeoffs and detailed pricing while maintaining ownership of the overall process, budget alignment, and client communication.
• Coordinate architects, engineers, consultants, and trade partners to drive design development, constructability reviews, value management, and timely decision-making throughout preconstruction.
• Lead trade partner engagement, bid solicitation, scope reviews, and procurement planning. Help establish the right project partnerships while ensuring pricing, scope, and schedule expectations are aligned.
• Drive preconstruction schedules and milestones, keeping design deliverables, bidding activities, permitting, procurement, and project requirements on track.
• Lead the early setup and planning of projects, working closely with operations to establish clear expectations, identify potential challenges, and ensure teams have the information and resources needed for successful execution.
• Represent HGC Construction in client meetings, presentations, and project discussions with confidence. Clearly communicate budgets, project strategies, challenges, and solutions while building confidence in our team's ability to deliver.
• Create a seamless transition from preconstruction to operations, ensuring project teams are equipped with coordinated scopes, established budgets, clear schedules, and a strong understanding of project expectations.

Qualifications

What You Bring

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering, or a related field preferred.
• 5+ years of commercial construction experience, including experience in preconstruction, project management, estimating, or a related leadership capacity.
• Experience working on complex commercial or institutional construction projects.
• Strong understanding of the construction process, from project award and preconstruction planning through procurement, project setup, and field execution.
• Ability to manage the big picture while keeping track of the details that drive a successful project, including bid packages, scopes of work, schedules, budgets, and deliverables.
• Working knowledge of estimating principles, construction costs, and budgeting processes. You don't have to be the person building every estimate, but you need to understand the numbers, ask the right questions, and confidently communicate them.
• Experience coordinating with architects, engineers, subcontractors, and internal project teams to resolve challenges and drive decisions.
• Familiarity with construction delivery methods, including CMAR, GMP, and Design-Build, as well as value management and procurement processes.
• Strong communication, leadership, and relationship-building skills. You're comfortable leading meetings, working directly with clients, and bringing different perspectives together toward a common goal.
• A proactive, solutions-oriented mindset with the ability to take ownership, anticipate challenges, and keep multiple projects moving forward.

The Bottom Line

This role is for someone who understands that great projects don't happen by accident. They start with strong planning, clear communication, and someone willing to take ownership of the process.

We're not looking for someone who just produces estimates or checks boxes along the way. We're looking for someone who can lead the entire preconstruction effort, bring the right people to the table, ask the tough questions, and make sure nothing falls through the cracks.

You’ll have the opportunity to make a real impact on how we deliver projects across the Columbus market, building relationships, driving collaboration, and creating a strong foundation for our operations teams to succeed.

If you're someone who sees the big picture, knows how to bring a team together, and takes pride in setting projects up for success, let's build something great together.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

This position works in an office environment and on active construction sites with heavy machinery and advanced safety requirements. Employees must comply with company safety policies, procedures, and applicable laws. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.

• Regularly: walk; lift, carry, and/or move up to 10 pounds.
• Sometimes: walk; lift, carry, and/or move up to 30 pounds.
• Occasionally: reach with hands and arms; climb or balance; stoop; kneel; crouch or crawl.

Huseman Group is an EOE/M/F/D/V - Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace.

Huseman Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer and maintains an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace. We comply with all applicable federal, state, and local laws and do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, creed, age, national origin, ancestry, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, genetic information, veteran or military status, or any other status protected by law.