Preconstruction Manager (Commercial/Institutional)

STO Building Group

Charleston (SC)

On-site

USD 120,000 - 170,000

Full time

14 days+

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Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) retirement plan with employer 1

Life & AD&D Insurance

Short-term Disability insurance

Long-term Disability Insurance

Pre-tax Parking/Public Transportation

Job summary

Ajax Building Company, part of the STO Building Group, seeks an experienced Preconstruction Manager to lead project planning and cost strategy from concept to GMP. This client-facing role partners with clients, design teams, and operations to guide pricing and validate estimates while aligning design with budget and constructability.

You will support project teams across the Carolinas, with travel as needed, reporting to the Director of Preconstruction Services.

Qualifications

5+ years of experience in preconstruction/estimating within commercial construction.
Understanding of how projects are built, priced, and delivered across all phases.
Experience leading preconstruction from concept through GMP development.
Higher education and/or municipal project experience preferred.
Ability to lead client-facing meetings with confidence.
Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or related field preferred (or equivalent).
Strong communication, presentation, and organizational skills.
Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously.
Willingness to travel for project meetings and presentations.

Responsibilities

Lead preconstruction from conceptual budgeting through design development and GMP execution in partnership with Operations.
Guide pricing, validate estimates, and ensure alignment with project goals.
Develop conceptual budgets, cost models, and design-phase estimates.
Create and distribute design phase deliverables, including cost reports and VE analyses.
Prepare and lead GMP proposal development and client presentations.
Provide constructability feedback to advance design cost-effectively.
Engage design teams to challenge assumptions and drive buildable solutions.
Solicit and evaluate subcontractor and vendor pricing with Estimating.
Maintain historical cost data to support forecasting.
Serve as primary contact with clients, architects, engineers, and consultants.
Lead client and design meetings, communicating cost impacts and strategy.
Support project execution and future business development.
Support higher education, healthcare, municipal, mission critical projects and more.

Skills

Preconstruction/estimating

Client-facing

Leadership

Budgeting & cost strategy

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management or related field

Job description

Charleston, SC, United States

Job Description

SUMMARY

Ajax Building Company, part of the STO Building group, is currently seeking an experienced Preconstruction Manager. 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 the Carolinas, 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, healthcare, municipal, mission critical projects and more

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
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 simultaneously
Willingness to travel for project meetings and presentations as needed

ABOUT AJAX

Founded in 1958, Ajax Building Company is a leading commercial contractor delivering complex, high-impact projects across the Southeast. Our work spans healthcare, K–12, higher education, justice, municipal, mission critical, and other institutional markets—giving our teams the opportunity to build projects that truly impact the communities they serve.

At Ajax, you’ll find a collaborative, team-oriented culture where your contributions are valued, backed by the strength and stability of STO Building Group’s $15B global platform. As we continue to grow, our employees take on meaningful responsibility, gain exposure to diverse and challenging work, and have clear paths for career advancement.

BENEFITS

Medical Insurance
Dental Insurance
Vision Insurance
Health Savings Account
Healthcare Flexible Spending Account
Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account
401(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—Structure Tone, Structure Tone Southwest,PavariniConstruction Co.,PavariniMcGovern, LF Driscoll, Govan Brown, Ajax Building Company, BCCI Construction, Layton Construction, Abbott Construction, and RC Andersen—includes over 4,000 employeeslocatedin offices throughout the US, Canada, UK, and Ireland. Weprovidea complete range of construction services, from site selection analysis, design constructabilityreviewand aesthetic enhancements to interior fit-outs, new building construction, and building infrastructure upgrades and modernization. Learn more about how 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.

About Us

What We Do: We build. From workplaces and hospitals to hotels and cultural centers. We build the amazing places that define communities. Our services span the full lifecycle of construction-starting with site evaluations and preconstruction through to commissioning, close-out, and beyond.

The STO Building Group family of companies—Structure Tone, Structure Tone Southwest, Pavarini Construction Co., Pavarini McGovern, LF Driscoll, Govan Brown, Ajax Building Company, BCCI Construction, Layton Construction, Abbott Construction, and RC Andersen—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. Learn more about how we partner with our clients to imagine, execute, and realize their vision at stobuildinggroup.com.

Job Info