Preconstruction Manager

Ajax Building Company; Greenville (SC); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) retirement plan with employer match

Paid time off

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Ajax Building Company in Greenville, South Carolina, is seeking a Preconstruction Manager to lead project planning and cost strategy. The role involves guiding clients and teams through preconstruction phases, managing budgets, and ensuring project alignment. Candidates should have significant preconstruction experience in commercial construction, strong leadership skills, and ideally knowledge of the South Carolina market. The position includes various benefits such as medical insurance and paid time off.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience in preconstruction/estimating within commercial construction.
• Strong understanding of how projects are built, priced, and delivered.
• Ability to lead meetings with confidence.

Responsibilities

• Lead preconstruction efforts from conceptual budgeting through design development.
• Develop and oversee conceptual budgets, cost models, and design-phase estimates.
• Serve as a primary point of contact with clients, architects, and engineers.

Skills

Leadership

Project Management

Communication

Strategic Planning

Education

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

Job description

SUMMARY

At Ajax, the Preconstruction Manager leads project planning and cost strategy from early concept through GMP, ensuring alignment between design, budget, and constructability. This role serves as a strategic partner to clients, design teams, and operations - guiding pricing, validating estimates, and helping drive efficient, well-coordinated project outcomes.

This is a client-facing position requiring strong leadership in meetings and the ability to influence the design process in a collaborative, solutions-oriented manner. The role reports to the Director of Preconstruction Services and supports project teams across Greenville, Columbia, and Charleston, with some travel required.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• 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 being responsible for 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 in a cost-effective manner
• Proactively engage with design teams to challenge assumptions and drive efficient, buildable solutions
• Solicit and evaluate subcontractor and vendor pricing in coordination with the estimating team
• Maintain and utilize historical cost data to support forecasting and benchmarking
• Serve as a primary point of contact with clients, architects, engineers, and consultants during preconstruction
• Lead and participate in client and design meetings, clearly communicating cost impacts and project strategy
• Build and maintain strong relationships to support both project execution and future business development
• Support higher education and municipal projects across the South Carolina market

QUALIFICATIONS

• 5+ years of experience in preconstruction/estimating within commercial construction
• Strong understanding of how projects are built, priced, and delivered across all phases of construction
• Experience leading or supporting preconstruction efforts from concept through GMP development
• Experience with higher education and/or municipal projects preferred
• Ideal candidate will have South Carolina market experience (Greenville, Columbia, Charleston, etc.)
• Ability to operate effectively in a client-facing role and lead meetings with confidence
• Demonstrated ability to guide and influence the design process in a proactive, collaborative manner
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or related field preferred (or equivalent experience)
• Strong communication, presentation, and organizational skills
• Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneouslyWillingness to travel for project meetings and presentations as needed

BENEFITS

• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Health Savings Account
• Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
• Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account401(k) retirement plan with employer match
• Life & AD&D Insurance
• Long-term Disability Insurance
• Short-term Disability insurance
• Critical Illness Insurance
• Accident Insurance
• Hospital Indemnity Insurance
• Home & Auto Insurance
• Family Support
• Pre-tax Paid Parking/Public Transportation
• Paid time off
• Time Away Benefits
• Paid Holidays
• Group Legal
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Identity Theft Protection
• Pet Insurance
• Employee Assistance Program

EEO STATEMENT

The STO Building Group family of companies includes over 4,000 employees located in offices throughout the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland. We provide a complete range of construction services, from site selection analysis, design constructability review, and aesthetic enhancements to interior fit-outs, new building construction, and building infrastructure upgrades and modernization. We partner with our clients to imagine, execute, and realize their vision at stobuildinggroup.com. We are an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.