Director of Construction and Design, New Construction (De Novo)

Military Spouse Corporate Career Network•St Louis, MO

14h

About The Position

Heartland Dental is hiring a Director of Construction and Design to lead its Construction and Design Teams and support a nationwide new-construction rollout of more than 100 new office openings each year. The role is responsible for developing the teams and the processes, resources, and strategies needed to scale new-unit growth while delivering high-quality offices that meet brand design standards, control costs, and maintain critical-path schedules. The Director manages construction and design activities across the de novo portfolio, including budgets, schedules, contractor qualification, value engineering, quality, and project-risk mitigation. The position owns development program management across the new-unit pipeline, coordinating site selection, design, permitting, and construction milestones to meet target opening dates. It reports to the Sr. Director of Design and Construction and directly manages the Sr. Manager of Construction and Sr. Manager of Design, with Construction Managers and Design Managers reporting through those teams. The Director works closely with Real Estate, Operations, Facilities, Field Operations, developers, and other internal stakeholders. The role also involves reporting on project status and external construction conditions, improving standards and processes, and helping ensure an efficient handoff from construction completion to operating clinic. Overnight travel of up to 50% is required.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree (BA, BS, BEng, or BArch) in Construction Management, Architecture, or Engineering, and 10+ years of commercial or corporate construction experience; other combinations of experience and education may be considered with demonstrated leadership experience.
Experience managing fast-paced construction and design teams for a multi-unit brand.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to tailor communication to varied audiences.
Ability to collaborate effectively with Operations, peers, and cross-functional stakeholders to drive alignment and results.
Strong ability to review and negotiate contracts.
Experience working in a remote and traveling environment.
Extensive project and program management experience.
Extensive knowledge of building construction, building design, and project management methodologies.
Experience with project management-related software, such as Lucernex, Procore, Ariba, or ServiceChannel.
Ability to travel overnight up to 50%.

Nice To Haves

Experience in retail construction or design management.
Strong leadership and team development skills.
Highly organized, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines.
Excellent communication and cross-functional collaboration skills.
Strategic thinking with a focus on process improvement and operational excellence.
Proven ability to drive results in a fast-paced, growth-oriented environment.
Adaptability and effectiveness in managing change and evolving business needs.
AutoCAD or Revit literacy.

Responsibilities

Develop the vision, strategy, processes, and resources for the Construction and Design departments to support more than 100 new openings annually.
Oversee, mentor, and develop the Sr. Manager of Construction and Sr. Manager of Design, supporting leadership and development of their teams.
Manage construction across the de novo portfolio, including budgets, schedules, General Contractor qualification, value engineering opportunities, and process and schedule improvement.
Prepare and present project status reports covering budget, schedule, and cost-to-date at regular intervals and as needed.
Use cross-functional feedback and build relationships with Heartland teams to improve construction and design quality and delivery conditions.
Plan and review Owner-Contractor contract documents and qualifications, pre-bid conferences, and evaluations.
Develop a quality audit program, monitor contractor corrective actions, and ensure projects conform to plans and specifications.
Develop strategic reporting on construction industry trends, regional cost escalators, supply chain constraints, and other external conditions.
Collaborate with Field Operations to support an efficient handoff from construction completion to an operating clinic.
Delegate and strategically plan job assignments to support rapid growth and efficient construction management.
Manage development programs across the new-unit pipeline and align site selection, design, permitting, and construction milestones with target opening dates.
Collaborate on forward-looking delivery status from a large bench of developers.
Participate in standards management, value engineering, and quality improvement exercises.
Identify project risks, develop mitigation and contingency plans, implement action plans, and communicate risks to department leadership.
Inspect selected construction-in-progress for adherence to construction documents and specifications.