The Senior Preconstruction Manager leads the preconstruction process for complex commercial, industrial, mission-critical, and data center projects from initial pursuit through contract award and transition to operations. This position is responsible for developing accurate estimates, establishing project budgets, evaluating design documents, managing subcontractor and supplier engagement, and identifying opportunities to improve constructability, schedule, and cost.
Working closely with clients, design partners, trade partners, and internal project teams, the Senior Preconstruction Manager provides the technical expertise and leadership needed to develop competitive, thoughtful, and executable project solutions. This role may also provide guidance and mentorship to estimators and other preconstruction team members.
What You'll Do
- Lead preconstruction activities for assigned projects from conceptual planning through final pricing, contract award, and turnover to the project team.
- Develop conceptual, schematic, design-development, and construction-document estimates using historical data, quantity takeoffs, subcontractor pricing, and current market conditions.
- Establish and maintain detailed project budgets throughout the design and preconstruction process.
- Review drawings, specifications, narratives, and other project documents to determine scope, identify gaps, and evaluate potential risks.
- Prepare comprehensive estimates that clearly communicate assumptions, exclusions, allowances, alternates, and qualifications.
- Lead subcontractor and supplier outreach, bid solicitation, scope review, bid leveling, and recommendation processes.
- Evaluate subcontractor proposals for completeness, accuracy, scope coverage, and alignment with project requirements.
- Develop and maintain strong relationships with subcontractors, suppliers, design partners, owners, and other industry contacts.
- Collaborate with owners and design teams to provide value-engineering, constructability, scheduling, logistics, procurement, and cost-control recommendations.
- Monitor market conditions, material pricing, labor availability, and procurement lead times that may affect project cost or schedule.
- Identify long-lead materials and equipment and recommend early procurement or risk-mitigation strategies.
- Support the development of preliminary project schedules, logistics plans, phasing strategies, and general conditions.
- Participate in owner interviews, project pursuits, proposal development, and presentations.
- Coordinate with business development, operations, project management, safety, quality, and accounting teams throughout the pursuit and preconstruction process.
- Facilitate preconstruction meetings and communicate project status, budget changes, risks, decisions, and outstanding items to stakeholders.
- Manage multiple estimates and preconstruction assignments while meeting established deadlines.
- Lead the turnover of awarded projects to the operations team, ensuring that scope, pricing, assumptions, commitments, and outstanding risks are clearly documented.
- Maintain organized and accurate estimating documentation, cost histories, bid records, and project files.
- Assist with maintaining and improving estimating databases, templates, procedures, and preconstruction standards.
- Mentor and support the professional development of less-experienced preconstruction team members.
- Participate in post-project reviews to compare estimated and actual costs and apply lessons learned to future pursuits.
What You Bring
- Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, or a related field preferred.
- Seven+ years of progressively responsible experience in estimating or preconstruction for a general contractor.
- Experience managing preconstruction for large, complex commercial, industrial, mission-critical, or data center projects strongly preferred.
- Experience with projects involving core-and-shell construction, tilt-wall or precast construction, structural steel, PEMB systems, major sitework, utilities, and complex MEP systems preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to develop estimates at conceptual, schematic, design-development, and construction-document stages.
- Strong knowledge of construction methods, materials, sequencing, scheduling, procurement, and contract documents.
- Proven ability to evaluate competing bids, identify scope gaps, and develop reliable project budgets.
- Experience collaborating directly with owners, architects, engineers, subcontractors, and suppliers.
- Proficiency with estimating, takeoff, scheduling, document-management, and Microsoft Office applications. Experience with Procore and related construction technology is preferred.
- Equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience may be considered.
Why You'll Love Working Here
- Competitive pay
- Annual bonus target
- Medical, dental and vision insurance
- 401(k) with company match
- Paid time off and company holidays
- Opportunities for advancement in a growing, high-performing company
- A team culture built on respect, excellence, and shared success
