Vice President Preconstruction - Data Centers

X4 Engineering; Atlanta (GA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Remote/Hybrid working

Job summary

X4 Engineering seeks a senior Preconstruction Director/VP of Preconstruction for data center projects across the United States. You will lead preconstruction from early design through GMP, guiding budgeting, procurement, and value engineering while coordinating with owners, architects, engineers, and contractors.

Ideal candidates will have 10+ years in commercial, industrial, or data center construction with strong leadership, cost management, and procurement experience, and the ability to drive

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in commercial, industrial, mission critical, or data center construction.
• Proven experience leading preconstruction for large scale projects.
• Strong estimating and cost management background.
• Experience with GMP development, procurement, subcontractor negotiations, and buyout strategy.
• Strong understanding of design development, constructability, scheduling, and project delivery.

Responsibilities

• Lead the full preconstruction process for large scale data center projects from conceptual design through GMP.
• Oversee estimating, budgeting, cost planning, value engineering, and bid strategy.
• Provide leadership across CSA and MEP scopes.
• Review design documents and provide constructability, sequencing, and cost input.
• Develop and maintain detailed project budgets and cost models.
• Lead subcontractor and vendor procurement strategies.
• Manage competitive bidding processes, scope reviews, leveling, and negotiations.
• Present budgets, estimates, procurement strategies, and project recommendations to senior leadership and clients.

Skills

Leadership

Estimating

Cost management

Preconstruction

CSA scopes

MEP scopes

Stakeholder management

Negotiation

Presentation

Job description

Preconstruction Director/ Vice President of Preconstruction| Data Centers

Location: United States | Remote / Hybrid

Industry: Data Center / Mission Critical Construction

The Opportunity

We are partnered with a leading organization in the data center construction sector that is looking to appoint a Preconstruction Director to lead preconstruction activities across major data center developments in the United States.

This is a senior leadership opportunity for an experienced preconstruction professional who understands both CSA and MEP scopes and can take ownership of projects from early design through procurement, estimating, budgeting, and GMP.

The successful candidate will play a key role in shaping project strategy, managing internal and external stakeholders, and ensuring projects are commercially and technically positioned for successful delivery.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the full preconstruction process for large scale data center projects from conceptual design through GMP
• Oversee estimating, budgeting, cost planning, value engineering, and bid strategy
• Provide leadership across both CSA and MEP scopes
• Review design documents and provide constructability, sequencing, and cost input
• Develop and maintain detailed project budgets and cost models
• Lead subcontractor and vendor procurement strategies
• Manage competitive bidding processes, scope reviews, leveling, and negotiations
• Work closely with owners, developers, architects, engineers, consultants, and construction teams
• Identify project risks, commercial opportunities, and potential cost savings
• Lead value engineering exercises while maintaining project quality and performance requirements
• Support contract negotiations and GMP development
• Establish and maintain preconstruction schedules and milestones
• Lead and mentor preconstruction managers, estimators, and other team members
• Present budgets, estimates, procurement strategies, and project recommendations to senior leadership and clients
• Ensure projects transition smoothly from preconstruction into construction

Requirements

• 10+ years of experience within commercial, industrial, mission critical, or data center construction
• Proven experience leading preconstruction for large scale construction projects
• Strong understanding of both CSA and MEP scopes
• Previous experience with data centers or other mission critical environments strongly preferred
• Strong estimating and cost management background
• Experience with GMP development, procurement, subcontractor negotiations, and buyout strategy
• Strong understanding of design development, constructability, scheduling, and project delivery
• Experience managing client and design team relationships
• Demonstrated ability to lead and develop preconstruction teams
• Strong communication, negotiation, and presentation skills
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects and priorities simultaneously

Ideal Background

We are particularly interested in candidates coming from:

• General Contractors
• Data Center Contractors
• Mission Critical Contractors
• Design Build Contractors
• Large commercial or industrial contractors

Candidates with titles such as Preconstruction Director, Director of Preconstruction, Senior Preconstruction Manager, Preconstruction Manager, Director of Estimating, Senior Estimating Director, or VP of Preconstruction may be suitable depending on their experience.

Why Join?

• Leadership position within a growing data center construction organization
• Opportunity to work on major hyperscale and mission critical developments
• Significant influence over project strategy from the earliest stages
• Exposure to complex CSA and MEP scopes
• Remote and hybrid working options
• Competitive compensation package
• Long term opportunity for progression into senior executive leadership