Senior Director Pre-Construction

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA); United States; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) is seeking a Senior Director of Pre-Construction to shape capital projects—rail, stations, and infrastructure. You will lead pre-construction planning, manage task orders, and support outreach to contractors while ensuring safety, reliability, and sustainability.

This role partners across WMATA to drive multi-year programs and optimize performance. Responsibilities include directing the Office of Pre-Construction, developing project delivery

Qualifications

• Executive leadership and staff development experience.
• Strong analytical and commercial acumen for complex procurement.
• Excellent communication and writing skills for senior stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Develops and manages pre-construction strategy and goals.
• Leads procurement and contract strategies for services and construction.
• Oversees cost-benefit analyses and risk transfer for projects.
• Mentors staff and builds high-performing teams.
• Collaborates with OCPS and PRMT for task orders and scopes.

Skills

Executive leadership

Complex problem solving

Communication skills

Strategic project management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering/Construction/PM/Business

High school diploma + 4 years capital construction management experience

Tools

Microsoft Office

Financial software

Job description

Marketing Statement

WMATA is seeking a Senior Director of Pre-Construction to help shape the future of one of the nation’s most essential transit systems. In this leadership role within the Office of Project Delivery, you will drive strategy and development for transformative capital projects—from rail expansions and station modernization to critical infrastructure upgrades. You’ll lead pre-construction planning, oversee task order management, and support marketing outreach efforts that position WMATA’s capital program for success. You will optimize multi-year capital programs and proactively mitigate risk while ensuring the highest standards of safety, reliability, and sustainability. Partnering with cross-functional teams and regional stakeholders, you will guide complex projects from concept to readiness for execution, leveraging expertise in planning, constructability and Project Management. This is a unique opportunity to champion innovation and deliver lasting impact across a vital transportation network.

Position Description

The Senior Director, Pre-Construction directs and manages the activities and operations of the Office of Pre-Construction. The incumbent manages and coordinates the planning of capital projects for the Authority’s capital construction program, currently valued at approximately $1.5B per year; oversees and monitors engineering, construction and other capital activities of task order consultants to ensure fulfillment of contract specifications, timetables, budgets, and other conditions; ensures the achievement of best practices in planning, project delivery methods and procurement; provides market outreach support for all departments within the Office of Infrastructure and the wider WMATA organization; ensures policies, procedures, and standards for their department comply with various legal, safety, and other regulatory requirements, particularly FTA project management oversight; and provides support to the SVP Project Delivery as requested. The incumbent also assists in the development of key performance metrics and oversees the team performance to ensure effective implementation of programs.

Principal Job Duties

• Develops and manages implementation of the Office of Pre-Construction setting short- and long-term goals, objectives, policies and priorities; determines the allocation of resources and organization structure to lead and build excellent teams to support metros strategic transformation plan.
• Developing procurement and contract strategies for professional services or construction contracts that result in optimal execution and delivery of the project scope to deliver capital projects on time.
• Manages the processes to develop the implementation strategy for proposed and approved projects, including contracting structure, risk transfer, scheduling and associated cost-benefit analyses. Works in close collaboration with Project Management (PM) Team to develop project delivery strategy for each project to lead and build excellent teams to support metros strategic transformation and deliver capital projects on time.
• Evaluates staffing and organizational development to ensure that the number of personnel are commensurate with the magnitude of workload. Ensures that staff have the technical knowledge or training to successfully accomplish the duties of their positions; and performs coaching/mentoring and training of staff directly. Carries out supervisory responsibilities which include interviewing, hiring, planning, assigning and directing work; appraising performance and addressing complaints and grievances to lead and build excellent teams.
• Leads the establishment of effective processes to develop cost benefit analysis of potential contracting strategies to determine best value to WMATA, inclusive of all costs and risks to deliver capital projects on time.
• Collaborates with the Office of Capital Programs Support (OCPS) and Procurement (PRMT) for the development of task orders, as needed, to engage appropriate resources. As needed, manages the production of scopes of work for engineering and project management services for selected alternatives to bridge projects to the next phase of implementation.
• Leads outreach to contracting community and industry to ensure best practice solutions are taken into consideration in the development of future work.
• Provides both procurement and closeout support to PM teams.

Other Duties

• Maintains and promotes awareness and accountability with safety policies and procedures while performing job functions. Promotes a positive safety culture and encourages reporting of safety concerns consistent with our Agency Safety Plan, other regulatory requirements within the Safety Management System and just culture principles.

The functions listed are not intended to limit specific duties and responsibilities of any particular position. Nor is it intended to limit in any way the right of managers and supervisors to assign, direct and control the work of employees under their supervision.

Responsibilities

Knowledge

• Strong commercial acumen and contracting and procurement knowledge
• Knowledge of business and management principles
• Knowledge of means and methods for construction
• Knowledge of, or ability to rapidly attain knowledge of, laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process, as applicable to WMATA

Skills

• Executive level skill for managing human capital resources, including supervising senior level managers
• Skilled at complex problem solving and coordinating of multiple teams
• Excellent oral and written communication skills, including ability to distill complex issues clearly and concisely.
• Skilled at developing effective strategies for project management and risk transfer

Abilities

• Ability to determine appropriate level of information for intended audience
• Ability to resolve complex issues, evaluating multiple solutions against multiple priorities
• Ability to develop and motivate people, both in direct and indirect supervision (influence)
• Able to handle multiple concurrent tasks or priorities and effectively manage resources to Authority’s best interest
• Able to work collaboratively with multiple organizations and to receive and execute input from implementing and other departments

Machine, Tools, Equipment, Software, Hardware Required

• Standard Office Equipment such as personal computers, mobile devices, cameras, copiers printers and phone systems, Microsoft Software, departmental document control software, financial software

Supervisory Responsibility

Supervises work of others, including planning, assigning, scheduling and reviewing work, ensuring quality standards. Is responsible for hiring, terminating, training and developing, reviewing performance and administering corrective action for staff. Plans organizational structure and job content.

Qualifications

Minimum Education

• Bachelor’s degree in Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Program Management, Business or related field
• o In lieu of a Bachelor’s degree, a high school diploma and four (4) years of experience overseeing the planning, administration, or management of capital constructions program/projects, in addition to the experience stated below, will be considered

Minimum Experience

• A minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience, overseeing the planning, administration, or management of capital construction programs/projects, three (3) years of which include managing a team of professionals and/or construction/maintenance projects

Minimum Certification/Licensure

• Roadway Worker Protection (RWP) Level 1 within six (6) months of hire

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Program Management, Business or related field.

About Us

The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), known as Metro, is the region’s leading public transportation provider. Serving a 2,054-square-mile jurisdiction, Metro operates six rail lines, 98 stations, 126 bus routes, and Metro Access, a shared-ride paratransit service. As one of the nation’s busiest transit systems, Metro connects communities, supports economic growth, and provides safe, reliable transportation.

Evaluation Criteria

Consideration will be given to applicants whose resumes demonstrate the required education and experience. Applicants should include all relevant education and work experience.

Evaluation criteria may include one or more of the following:

• Skills and/or behavioral assessment
• Personal interview
• Verification of education and experience (including certifications and licenses)
• Criminal Background Check (a criminal conviction is not an automatic bar to employment)
• Medical examination including a drug and alcohol screening (for safety sensitive positions)
• Review of a current motor vehicle report

Closing

WMATA is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by applicable federal law.

This posting is an announcement of a vacant position under recruitment. It is not intended to replace the official job description. Job descriptions are available upon confirmation of an interview.