Director of preconstruction

Fleet Data Centers•Austin, TX

80d•Onsite

About The Position

The Preconstruction Director is the senior owner-side leader accountable for the preconstruction outcome of a Fleet data center campus — carrying it from concept and design development through estimating, procurement strategy, buyout, and Notice to Proceed (NTP), then handing a bought-out, de-risked project to the Director of Construction. Reporting to the VP, Construction as a peer to the Director of Construction, this role owns budget confidence, contracting strategy, and procurement readiness for the campus, and leads the two site-assigned Preconstruction Managers. This is a partnership-oriented leadership role that sets Fleet’s preconstruction standards and serves as the bridge between development intent and construction execution, ensuring what the construction team receives at NTP is realistic, bought-out, and aligned to Fleet’s cost, schedule, and reliability goals.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a related technical field, OR equivalent practical preconstruction leadership experience.
15+ years of preconstruction, estimating, and/or delivery experience on large-scale, mission-critical, or hyperscale projects, including significant time leading campus-level preconstruction; 7+ years owner-side preferred, though a strong general contractor preconstruction leadership background is also considered.
Demonstrated ownership of campus-level budgets, contracting strategy, and long-lead procurement across CSA and MEP/Power scopes.
Proven ability to lead and develop a preconstruction team and to partner effectively with design, development, Supply Chain, and construction leadership.
Advanced proficiency with estimating systems, Procore (or equivalent), Microsoft Office Suite, and scheduling software.

Nice To Haves

Executive-level leader with strong commercial acumen, contractual fluency, and cost discipline.
Experience across data center, utility-scale power, or mission-critical facilities.
Strong leadership and communication skills, with a partnership-oriented, problem-solving approach.

Responsibilities

Hold owner-side accountability for the full preconstruction effort — design management, estimating, procurement strategy, and buyout — through NTP.
Lead and develop the site-assigned Preconstruction Managers; set priorities, balance workload across campuses, resolve conflicts, and ensure consistent, high-quality preconstruction output.
Establish preconstruction standards — estimate formats, milestone gates, benchmarking, decision logs, and risk registers — so preconstruction is predictable and repeatable across campuses.
Partner with in-house design/engineering and development to keep design aligned to budget and Fleet’s high-availability, mission-critical resiliency requirements.
Own the development, accuracy, and progression of the campus preconstruction budget across design milestones, with clear basis, assumptions, and contingency strategy.
Set delivery-method and contract-structure strategy (e.g., GMP, lump sum, design-build, EPC) across scopes, in partnership with legal, Supply Chain, and the Director of Construction.
Own the campus procurement roadmap, prioritizing long-lead OFCI equipment (transformers, switchgear, generators, chillers, UPS, BESS) with Supply Chain to protect the energization critical path.
Drive competitive procurement, bid leveling, and award recommendations, delivering a bought-out scope at NTP.
Serve as the preconstruction point of contact to corporate leadership, development, finance, Supply Chain, and joint-venture partners; provide budget, procurement, and risk reporting.
Ensure interconnection, entitlements, and permitting strategies are integrated into the preconstruction schedule.
Maintain the campus preconstruction risk register; identify cost, schedule, supply-chain, and scope risks early and drive mitigation.
Own a disciplined transition to the Director of Construction at NTP — bought-out scope, budget basis, procurement status, and open risks — so construction begins with clarity and confidence.