Senior Preconstruction Lead: Budget & Client Strategy

Ajax Building Company; Tallahassee (FL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 140,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Health Savings Account

401(k) retirement plan with employer 


Paid time off

Job summary

Ajax Building Company, part of the STO Building group, seeks an experienced Preconstruction Manager to lead project planning and cost strategy from early concept through GMP. This role acts as a strategic partner to clients, design teams, and operations, guiding pricing, validating estimates, and driving efficient, well-coordinated outcomes.

The position requires strong leadership in meetings and the ability to influence the design process in a collaborative, solutions-oriented manner.

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.

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.
• Proactively engage with design teams to challenge assumptions and drive buildable solutions.
• Solicit and evaluate subcontractor and vendor pricing with estimating team.
• Maintain and utilize historical cost data for forecasting and benchmarking.
• Serve as primary contact with clients, architects, engineers, and consultants during preconstruction.
• Lead client and design meetings, clearly communicating cost impacts and project strategy.
• Build and maintain strong relationships to support project execution and future business development.
• Support higher education, healthcare, municipal, mission critical projects and more.

Skills

Client facing

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Cost strategy

Preconstruction planning

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management or Civil Engineering

Job description

Ajax Building Company, part of the STO Building group, seeks an experienced Preconstruction Manager to lead project planning and cost strategy from early concept through GMP. This role acts as a strategic partner to clients, design teams, and operations, guiding pricing, validating estimates, and driving efficient, well-coordinated outcomes.

The position requires strong leadership in meetings and the ability to influence the design process in a collaborative, solutions-oriented manner.