Executive Director, Campus Major Capital Projects

UCSF•San Francisco, CA

1d•$300,000 - $375,000

About The Position

Under the general direction of the Associate Vice Chancellor – Campus Design & Construction, the Executive Director provides executive and operational leadership for UCSF’s Major Capital Projects Program. The program is anticipated to represent approximately $2 billion to $4 billion or more over 10 years and includes multiple concurrent Major Projects, each with total project costs greater than $70 million. The role is accountable for program strategy, governance, performance, financial stewardship, organizational capability, resource planning, project delivery standards, and executive communications. It contributes to portfolio priorities and performance expectations, evaluates delivery capacity, deploys resources, and oversees Directors, Associate Directors, project leaders, and multidisciplinary internal and external teams. The position establishes accountability, delegated authority, project controls, escalation pathways, and leadership capacity appropriate to a changing portfolio. In addition to program-wide leadership, the Executive Director selectively serves as senior Owner’s Representative and working project executive for Major Projects. For directly assigned projects, the role is accountable for strategy, scope, budget, schedule, risk, integrated team leadership, stakeholder engagement, negotiations, change management, and delivery from feasibility through closeout. As a senior member of the Campus Design & Construction leadership team, the Executive Director partners with the Associate Vice Chancellor on department strategy, operations, workforce and workload planning, financial and organizational performance, policy deployment, standardized delivery practices, continuous improvement, customer and stakeholder engagement, and coordination across UCSF Real Estate and the University. The Executive Director represents the Associate Vice Chancellor and department in institutional and operational matters within delegated authority and provides leadership continuity as required. UCSF Real Estate coordinates development, planning, delivery, and management of UCSF’s physical space across a multi-site campus and a lease portfolio of 1 million square feet. Campus Design & Construction delivers capital projects for research, academic, administrative, and campus-life units across UCSF campuses and leased and satellite locations. Project types include new buildings, seismic upgrades, infrastructure and technology upgrades, deferred maintenance, renovations, and upgrades to laboratories, offices, educational space, housing, and other facilities. The current program is $2.8 billion and comprises more than 200 projects. The combined UCSF Campus and Health organizations include approximately 198 UCSF and 38 contract personnel, annual operating/recharge budgets exceeding $62.2 million, current-year capital project expenditures of $900 million, and oversight of more than $13.3 billion in long-range capital development.

Requirements

15 or more years of progressively responsible experience leading large and complex capital programs and projects, including direct leadership of individual projects with total project costs greater than $70 million and oversight of multiple concurrent major projects.
Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, Planning, Business Administration, Real Estate Development, Urban Design, City Planning, Landscape Architecture, or a related field, and/or an equivalent combination of education, relevant experience, and training.
Demonstrated experience leading managers, senior project leaders, and multidisciplinary internal and external teams, including establishing governance, accountability, delegated authority, performance expectations, and organizational capacity.
Expert knowledge of capital planning and project delivery, including planning, design, procurement, contracting, construction, commissioning, project controls, budgeting, scheduling, risk management, change management, and closeout.
Advanced financial and business acumen, including experience managing large capital portfolios, budgets, forecasts, contingencies, financial risks, and long-range capital investment plans.
Demonstrated experience establishing and maintaining program or portfolio governance, executive reporting, project performance standards, escalation pathways, and decision-making processes.
Executive and operational leadership experience in strategic planning, workforce and resource planning, organizational development, performance management, and continuous improvement.
Advanced executive communication, stakeholder management, negotiation, and consensus-building skills, including the ability to advise senior leaders and communicate complex program and project matters to executive governance bodies.
Ability to analyze complex problems, evaluate alternatives, establish priorities, and make or recommend decisions balancing scope, cost, schedule, quality, risk, operational requirements, and institutional objectives.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, Planning, Business Administration, Real Estate Development, or a related field.
Experience delivering complex, multi-phased construction projects in an occupied academic medical center, university, governmental, institutional, or comparable complex campus environment.
Current professional licensure as an Architect or Professional Engineer.
Advanced knowledge of UCSF, the University of California, or a comparable complex university, academic, research, institutional, or multi-campus organization, including its mission, governance, strategic priorities, and capital planning processes.
Experience with Integrated Project Delivery, ICDC/Big Room environments, Lean design and construction practices, Progressive Design-Build or other collaborative/alternative project delivery models, and/or Public-Private Partnerships.
Experience developing and implementing organizational improvement, standardized work, or Lean/continuous-improvement systems in a complex capital project delivery organization.
Relevant professional certification demonstrating advanced expertise in capital project, program, construction, or collaborative/Lean delivery, such as PMP, CCM, DBIA, or Lean Construction Institute or comparable training or certification.
Certification or formal training in Lean principles, collaborative project delivery, or continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

Provide executive leadership, governance, and overall accountability for the Major Capital Projects Program, aligning it with institutional priorities and maintaining a multi-year roadmap of sequencing, dependencies, resources, decisions, and risks.
Evaluate portfolio feasibility and delivery capacity, monitor financial, schedule, risk, resource, and performance trends, and direct adjustments or corrective actions as conditions change.
Set consistent portfolio expectations for scope, budget, schedule, risk, contingency, quality, safety, change management, project controls, executive reporting, approvals, and accountability.
Selectively serve as senior Owner’s Representative and working project executive for Major Projects, leading assigned projects from feasibility and planning through design, procurement, construction, commissioning, activation, occupancy, and closeout.
Maintain direct accountability for assigned project scope, budget, schedule, quality, safety, risk, and performance; lead strategy, negotiations, decisions, issue resolution, stakeholder engagement, and change management.
Establish and lead integrated project teams and collaborative delivery environments, including ICDC/Big Room practices, governance, accountability, decision-making, and Lean project delivery expectations.
Prepare executive-level project reporting and decision materials; manage significant financial, schedule, technical, contractual, stakeholder, and operational risks, changes, and recovery strategies.
Partner with the Associate Vice Chancellor on department strategy, annual objectives, operating plans, workload and resource planning, budgets, performance measures, and operational coordination.
Lead policy deployment, workflow standardization, process improvement, PDCA activities, project delivery standards, design standards, Technical Performance Criteria, project delivery systems, and information-management practices.
Advise the Associate Vice Chancellor and senior UCSF leadership on program strategy, investment, performance, risks, organizational capacity, and delivery; communicate portfolio information and recommendations for executive decisions.
Build relationships and coordinate with campus leaders, faculty, customers, UCSF departments, UCOP, and other University partners; represent the department and program in institutional and external forums within delegated authority.
Establish and adjust the Major Capital organizational structure, reporting relationships, leadership assignments, staffing, and resource deployment to meet portfolio and organizational needs.
Lead, coach, and evaluate Directors, Associate Directors, senior project leaders, and assigned personnel; establish accountability, performance expectations, succession strategies, and workforce development.
Develop effective use of staff, consultants, and external resources; work with relevant partners on project delivery, procurement, contracting, commercial strategies, negotiations, financing considerations, and land and development agreements.
Provide executive leadership for Public-Private Partnerships and other alternative delivery models when assigned, and champion Lean, collaborative delivery, technology, and innovations that improve performance.