Preconstruction Lead – Commercial & Institutional

Layton Construction Company; Orlando (FL); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) retirement plan with employer 1

Life & AD&D Insurance

Long-term Disability Insurance

Paid time off

Paid Holidays

Job summary

Ajax Building Company, part of the STO Building group, is seeking an experienced Preconstruction Manager to lead project planning and cost strategy from early concept through GMP. This client-facing role partners with design teams and operations to guide pricing, validate estimates, and drive well-coordinated project outcomes.

The role reports to the Director of Preconstruction Services and supports project teams across Florida with some travel required.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in preconstruction/estimating within commercial construction.
• Strong ability to lead client meetings and influence design decisions.
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or related field preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead preconstruction efforts from conceptual budgeting through design development and GMP execution in partnership with Operations.
• Serve as the strategic lead during preconstruction—guiding pricing, validating estimates, and ensuring alignment with project goals.
• Develop and oversee conceptual budgets, cost models, and design-phase estimates without detailed quantity takeoffs.
• Create and distribute design phase deliverables, including cost reports, value engineering analyses, and budget updates.
• Prepare and lead GMP proposal development and client presentations.
• Provide constructability feedback and value engineering recommendations to advance design cost-effectively.
• Engage with design teams to challenge assumptions and drive buildable solutions.
• Solicit and evaluate subcontractor and vendor pricing with the estimating team.
• Maintain and utilize historical cost data to support forecasting and benchmarking.
• Serve as a primary contact with clients, architects, engineers, and consultants during preconstruction.
• Lead and participate in client and design meetings, communicating cost impacts and project strategy.
• Build and maintain relationships to support project execution and future business development.
• Support higher education, healthcare, municipal, mission critical projects and more.

Skills

Preconstruction management

Estimating

Client facing

Leadership

Budgeting

Design coordination

GMP knowledge

Construction industry knowledge

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management

Civil Engineering or related field

Job description

Ajax Building Company, part of the STO Building group, is seeking an experienced Preconstruction Manager to lead project planning and cost strategy from early concept through GMP. This client-facing role partners with design teams and operations to guide pricing, validate estimates, and drive well-coordinated project outcomes.

The role reports to the Director of Preconstruction Services and supports project teams across Florida with some travel required.