Director - Project Controls & Pre-Construction

Ameresco•Columbia, MD

1d•$161,000 - $233,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Director - Project Controls & Pre-Construction is responsible for leading enterprise execution of project controls and pre-construction functions across Ameresco’s federal project portfolio. This role ensures disciplined planning, estimating, bidding support, cost control, scheduling, and financial reporting to drive successful project outcomes. The Director operates as both a functional leader and a deployable expert, supporting complex or high-risk projects while standardizing processes across estimating, scheduling, and cost management. This position can be based out of our Columbia, MD or Knoxville, TN offices.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or related field.
Minimum of 10 years of experience in project controls, pre-construction, or construction management.
Ability to review confidential US security information.
Demonstrated experience in estimating, bidding/proposals, scheduling, and cost controls.
Strong understanding of construction financial management (WIP, forecasting, margin tracking).
Proficiency in project controls tools and Primavera P6 or equivalent scheduling systems.
Experience supporting complex construction or EPC projects.
Experience with Federal ESPC, EPC, or design-build delivery models.
Extensive experience in construction scheduling platforms including Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project.

Nice To Haves

PMP, PSP, or CCP certification preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead pre-construction activities, including estimating, bid development, constructability reviews, and procurement strategy.
Own the estimating function, ensuring accurate, consistent, and competitive cost estimates.
Support bidding and proposal processes, including RFP responses, bid leveling, and pricing validation.
Partner with Business Development on pricing strategy and proposal development.
Ensure pre-con deliverables (estimates, schedules, risk registers) align with financial and operational goals.
Lead execution of project controls frameworks, including cost tracking, forecasting, and reporting.
Oversee development and maintenance of project schedules and critical path alignment.
Ensure consistency in schedule management, milestone tracking, and variance analysis.
Drive schedule risk identification and mitigation planning.
Partner with Finance to support construction financial reporting, including WIP tracking, Cost-to-complete forecasting, and Budget vs. actual variance analysis.
Ensure alignment between project controls data and financial reporting outputs.
Provide regular reporting on project performance to leadership.
Provide hands-on support to projects experiencing cost, schedule, or planning challenges.
Assist in project recovery and performance stabilization.
Standardize estimating templates, scheduling approaches, and reporting structures.
Support implementation of tools and systems to enhance efficiency and accuracy.
Mentor project controls, estimating, and scheduling teams.
Collaborate with Construction, Engineering, and Finance teams to drive alignment.