Senior Preconstruction Manager | Residential Developer

Henderson Scott US; New York (NY); On-site; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

Henderson Scott US is seeking a Senior Preconstruction Manager in New York City to lead the preconstruction process for affordable and supportive housing developments. The role requires overseeing design coordination, consultant procurement, entitlements, and budget control across projects in the Bronx and Manhattan.

The ideal candidate has 10+ years of experience in NYC development, a deep understanding of building systems, zoning, and permitting, and a track record of delivering complex

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in preconstruction or construction management.
• Significant experience with multifamily residential development in New York City.
• Experience on owner/developer side preferred and with affordable housing projects.
• Familiarity with NYC zoning, permitting, and agency approvals.

Responsibilities

• Lead the preconstruction process from early planning through construction commencement.
• Establish schedules, scopes, budgets, and milestones with the development team.
• Identify risks, constructability issues, and permit challenges early in development.
• Coordinate with development, construction, finance, property management, and asset management teams.
• Procure and manage consultants: architects, engineers, attorneys, surveyors, environmental consultants.
• Oversee entitlements, approvals, site due diligence, and zoning analyses.
• Manage smaller projects, demolitions, and early site work as needed.
• Provide ongoing construction phase support and ensure continuity from development to execution.

Skills

Preconstruction management

Construction management

Real estate development

Affordable housing

NYC permitting knowledge

Procurement of consultants

Stakeholder coordination

Schedule & budget control

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering, Real Estate

Tools

AutoCAD

Revit

Primavera P6

MS Office

Job description

Senior Preconstruction Manager - Affordable Housing Development A leading New York City real estate development company is seeking an experienced Senior Preconstruction Manager to join its development team and oversee the preconstruction process for a diverse portfolio of affordable and supportive housing projects throughout New York City. This is a senior, ownership-side position with responsibility for managing the technical, design, consultant, entitlement, procurement, permitting, and preconstruction activities required to successfully move projects from early planning through construction commencement. The ideal candidate will have 10+ years of experience and extensive knowledge of New York City development and construction, with a strong understanding of affordable housing, multifamily development, building systems, design and engineering coordination, permitting, and construction administration. Typical development projects involve approximately 200 units of affordable and supportive housing, primarily in the Bronx and Manhattan, often in partnership with nonprofit organizations. The role will also support preservation initiatives, including single-building rehabilitation projects and large-scale NYCHA PACT developments.

Preconstruction & Development

• Lead and manage the preconstruction process from early project planning through construction commencement.
• Establish and maintain project schedules, scopes, budgets, and preconstruction milestones in coordination with the development team.
• Identify project risks, constructability issues, permitting challenges, and potential cost or schedule impacts early in the development process.
• Coordinate closely with internal development, construction, finance, property management, and asset management teams.
• Support project feasibility analysis and provide technical input regarding site conditions, design, construction approach, and development costs.
• Review project plans and specifications for constructability, completeness, coordination, and cost implications.
• Participate in design development and value-engineering efforts to ensure projects meet program, budget, quality, and schedule objectives.

Lead the procurement, selection, contracting, and oversight of project consultants, including:

• Architects
• Civil, structural, MEP, and other engineering consultants
• Zoning attorneys
• Land surveyors
• Environmental consultants
• Geotechnical consultants
• Special inspections and controlled inspection agencies
• Other specialty consultants as required

Responsibilities will include developing scopes of work, soliciting and evaluating proposals, negotiating consultant agreements, coordinating deliverables, and monitoring consultant performance.

Entitlements, Approvals & Site Due Diligence

• Coordinate due diligence activities and consultant investigations required to advance projects.
• Manage the process of obtaining and reviewing surveys, environmental reports, geotechnical reports, zoning analyses, and other technical studies.
• Coordinate with zoning and land-use counsel regarding zoning compliance, variances, entitlements, and other approvals.
• Assist with navigating New York City agencies and approval processes.
• Identify and resolve issues that could affect project feasibility, cost, schedule, or constructability.
• Coordinate Neighbor Access Agreements and other property access requirements necessary to facilitate construction and development activities.

Small Projects & Demolition

• Oversee smaller construction projects, building renovations, site work, and demolition activities.
• Procure and manage contractors for demolition and other early construction activities.
• Coordinate permits, inspections, utility requirements, environmental requirements, and site logistics.
• Monitor contractor performance, schedule, budget, and compliance with project requirements.
• Ensure appropriate coordination between early work and subsequent development or construction activities.

Construction Phase Support

Although the primary focus of this position is preconstruction, the Preconstruction Manager will remain involved during construction to ensure continuity from development through execution. Responsibilities may include oversight and coordination of:

• Building permits and related filings
• Department of Buildings and other agency requirements
• Construction submittals
• Requests for Information (RFIs)
• Design clarifications and technical issues
• Consultant responses and coordination
• Inspection requirements
• Drawing and document coordination
• Construction-related approvals and filings
• Resolution of design, permitting, and constructability issues

The Preconstruction Manager will serve as an important bridge between the development, design, construction, and ownership teams.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of professional experience in preconstruction, construction management, real estate development, architecture, engineering, or a related field.
• Significant experience with multifamily residential development and/or construction in New York City.
• Experience working on the owner/developer side strongly preferred.
• Experience with affordable and/or supportive housing strongly preferred.
• Familiarity with New York City development, zoning, permitting, and agency approval processes.
• Demonstrated experience procuring and managing architects, engineers, attorneys, surveyors, environmental consultants, and other professional consultants.
• Strong understanding of construction documents, building systems, plans and specifications, and construction means and methods.
• Experience managing multiple projects and consultants simultaneously.
• Strong understanding of project schedules, budgets, scopes of work, and construction contracts.
• Excellent communication, negotiation, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to work effectively with nonprofit partners, consultants, contractors, attorneys, architects, engineers, government agencies, and internal stakeholders.
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering, Real Estate, or a related discipline preferred.

The ideal candidate will have experience with several of the following:

• NYC affordable housing development
• Supportive housing
• HPD-financed projects
• NYCHA PACT projects
• Preservation and rehabilitation projects
• Multifamily residential construction
• NYC Department of Buildings permitting and filings
• Zoning and land-use approvals
• Design development and value engineering
• Demolition and early site work
• Consultant and contractor procurement
• Construction administration
• Existing-building renovations and occupied buildings

Skills & Attributes

The successful candidate will be:

• Proactive: Identifies issues before they become project problems.
• Detail-oriented: Understands that successful development depends on careful coordination of technical and administrative details.
• Collaborative: Builds productive relationships with internal teams, consultants, contractors, nonprofit partners, and government agencies.
• Decisive: Can evaluate competing information and make sound recommendations to ownership.
• Organized: Able to manage multiple projects, consultants, deadlines, and priorities simultaneously.
• Technically knowledgeable: Comfortable reviewing drawings, specifications, reports, schedules, budgets, and construction-related documentation.
• Commercially minded: Understands the relationship between design decisions, construction costs, project schedules, financing, and long-term asset performance.
• Community-focused: Understands the importance of delivering high-quality affordable housing that serves New York City communities.

What We Offer

This is an opportunity to play a meaningful role in the development and preservation of affordable housing across New York City. The Senior Preconstruction Manager will have significant visibility across the organization and will work directly with senior development and construction professionals on projects that have a lasting impact on communities.

This is an opportunity for an experienced professional to take an active role in shaping projects before they are built-influencing design, cost, schedule, constructability, consultant selection, approvals, and ultimately the quality and success of the finished development.