Strategic Preconstruction Lead | Budget & Design Excellence

STO Building Group; Gainesville (FL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

401(k) retirement plan with employer-m

Life & AD&D Insurance

Long-term Disability Insurance

Short-term Disability insurance

Paid time off

Paid Holidays

Employee Stock Purchase Plan

Job summary

Ajax Building Company, part of the STO Building group, is seeking an experienced Preconstruction Manager to lead project planning and cost strategy from early concept through GMP. The role aligns design, budget, and constructability while guiding pricing and validating estimates for Florida projects.

The position requires strong leadership in client 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 from concept through GMP development.
• Experience with higher education and/or municipal projects preferred.
• Ability to operate 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.

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 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.

Skills

Preconstruction management

Estimating

Client-facing

Leadership

Cost strategy

Budgeting

Design collaboration

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management or related field

Job description

Ajax Building Company, part of the STO Building group, is seeking an experienced Preconstruction Manager to lead project planning and cost strategy from early concept through GMP. The role aligns design, budget, and constructability while guiding pricing and validating estimates for Florida projects.

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