Senior Preconstruction Project Manager

Smart Tech Contracting, LLC

1d • Remote

About The Position

The Senior Preconstruction Project Manager leads front-end project planning for large-scale mission-critical and data center construction opportunities prior to award. This role is responsible for developing proposal-phase manpower plans, labor forecasts, preliminary project schedules, execution strategies, and pre-award risk assessments that improve pursuit quality, increase schedule certainty, and better position Smart Tech Contracting to win and successfully launch complex projects.

This role works closely with business development, estimating, operations, and technical and field leadership to translate conceptual scope, bid documents, and pursuit assumptions into a practical project delivery plan. The Senior Preconstruction Project Manager ensures that labor assumptions, sequencing strategies, schedule milestones, staffing needs, and project startup requirements are clearly defined during the pursuit process and can be efficiently transferred to the delivery team once a project is awarded.

The ideal candidate brings strong experience from large construction programs in building automation, industrial automation, electrical, mechanical, ICT, industrial automation, or other mission-critical trade environments. This individual understands how major projects are actually built in the field and can develop realistic staffing and schedule plans that support both winning the work and setting the project team up for success.

The Senior Preconstruction Project Manager will communicate and operate in line with organizational goals and values, as well as departmental objectives.

The Senior Preconstruction Project Manager will self-direct day-to-day work and receive high-level guidance on strategic priorities, new initiatives, and assignments.

The Senior Preconstruction Project Manager will lead projects, pursuits, tasks, or assignments of complex scope and may coordinate the activities of other personnel in support of preconstruction and proposal development efforts.

This person will communicate and operate in line with organizational goals and values, as well as departmental
objectives.

Requirements

• Demonstrated experience in preconstruction, project planning, project management, operations planning, or related leadership roles for large-scale construction projects
• Strong understanding of how complex construction projects are staffed, sequenced, and executed in the field
• Experience in one or more relevant contractor environments such as building automation, controls, electrical, mechanical, low-voltage, ICT, industrial automation, or mission-critical systems
• Experience supporting large data center, mission-critical, industrial, or other complex fast-track construction environments
• Ability to interpret construction drawings, specifications, bid packages, phasing plans, and owner / GC expectations to develop practical labor and schedule plans
• Familiarity with major project delivery methods including negotiated work, design-assist, design-build, GMP, and hard-bid environments
• Advanced experience developing manpower forecasts, labor-loading plans, staffing curves, and resource plans for large construction projects
• Strong working knowledge of critical path scheduling, milestone development, phasing logic, schedule compression strategies, and project sequencing
• Ability to create preliminary project schedules and execution plans during pursuit and pre-award phases
• Experience forecasting project management, engineering, technical, field, and subcontract labor needs across different phases of work
• Ability to evaluate schedule feasibility against labor assumptions, site constraints, turnover requirements, and procurement lead times
• Strong understanding of how early staffing and schedule assumptions affect project startup, delivery risk, and operational readiness after award
• Proficiency with Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Smartsheet, or equivalent scheduling and planning tools
• Advanced proficiency with Excel and related tools used for manpower planning, forecasting, scenario analysis, and staffing models
• Familiarity with Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, BIM 360, or similar project planning and collaboration platforms
• Ability to organize planning data and assumptions in a format that supports efficient handoff to project delivery teams
• Strong client-facing communication, presentation, and facilitation skills, especially related to schedule, manpower, execution approach, and project readiness
• Ability to collaborate effectively across business development, estimating, operations, engineering, procurement, and field leadership
• Ability to identify planning risks early, evaluate alternatives, and recommend practical solutions
• Strong organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to manage multiple pursuits or planning efforts simultaneously
• Skilled in completing assignments accurately and with attention to detail
• Ability to communicate effectively in both oral and written form with technical and non-technical stakeholders
• Ability to analyze and prepare documents, reports, and correspondence
• Ability to leverage AI and emerging technologies to streamline workflows, improve forecasting, and contribute to company-wide innovation
• Ability to work successfully in a remote environment through effective communication, self-motivation, proactiveness, and resourcefulness in a distraction-free workspace
• Ability to follow company and site safety requirements
• Ability to identify and analyze complex problems, evaluate alternatives, and implement effective solutions
• Ability to achieve certification for NFPA 70E and / or OSHA training as required
• Organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple tasks simultaneously
• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or related field OR equivalent military/industry experience.
• 8+ years delivering mission critical automation or controls projects, with ≥4 years as lead or senior project manager on ≥50 MW data center builds or comparable industrial megaprojects.

Responsibilities

• Preconstruction Planning and Scheduling (40%)
• Develop proposal-phase manpower plans, labor-loading models, staffing curves, and workforce forecasts for large-scale critical infrastructure and mission-critical construction projects
• Build preliminary project schedules, milestone plans, and high-level sequence logic aligned with owner, GC, and trade partner expectations
• Translate conceptual scope, estimate assumptions, and project strategy into practical execution sequencing and labor deployment plans
• Define work packaging, phasing strategies, turnover sequencing, startup assumptions, and deployment approaches for fast-track and phased projects
• Develop initial project startup plans including key staffing milestones, site mobilization assumptions, and major execution dependencies
• Prepare schedule narratives, manpower histograms, staffing plans, and related client-facing planning deliverables in support of proposals and interviews
• Estimating and Proposal Support (25%)
• Partner with business development, estimating, and operations leaders to align labor assumptions, resource needs, schedule durations, and execution strategy
• Review drawings, specifications, bid documents, client requests, and internal assumptions to identify risks, missing scope, constructability concerns, and schedule constraints
• Support pursuit strategy for negotiated, design-assist, design-build, GMP, and hard-bid opportunities
• Evaluate subcontractor, vendor, and trade-partner planning assumptions as needed to confirm schedule feasibility and manpower impacts
• Contribute to proposal content related to project approach, sequencing, manpower planning, logistics, schedule strategy, and risk mitigation
• Assist with client discussions and interviews involving staffing approach, schedule confidence, execution readiness, and overall delivery strategy
• Forecasting, Risk, and Execution Readiness (20%)
• Identify key project risks related to labor availability, productivity, procurement timing, prefabrication strategy, site logistics, turnover sequencing, and overall schedule compression
• Develop mitigation strategies and planning assumptions to improve project certainty before award
• Support portfolio-level manpower forecasting and resource visibility across active pursuits and expected awards
• Assist leadership in evaluating pursuit prioritization and go / no-go decisions by providing planning and execution insight
• Help establish realistic expectations around labor, schedule, and mobilization requirements for high-growth and high-volume project pipelines
• Handoff and Operational Integration (15%)
• Develop pre-award handoff packages that can be efficiently transitioned to the assigned project team upon award
• Ensure proposal assumptions for labor, schedule, sequencing, execution strategy, and project startup are documented and transferable to operations
• Participate in project kickoff and transition meetings to communicate key planning assumptions, risks, and execution priorities
• Help improve company standards, templates, and best practices for proposal-phase planning, manpower forecasting, preliminary scheduling, and project startup readiness
• Support continuous improvement of how Smart Tech Contracting ports preconstruction planning into awarded project execution
• Completion of Assigned Tasks and Deliverables on Time and on Budget Performs
• Other Related Duties as Assigned

Benefits

• Choice of comprehensive medical plans (including two PPO-style plans and a HDHP w/ HSA option)
• Dental and vision plans
• Comprehensive medical, dental and vision benefits extended to spouse / domestic partner and dependent children up to age 26
• 401k with company match and self-directed brokerage account option
• PTO including additional paid time off during the last week of the year
• Company paid life insurance coverage for employees and their eligible dependents
• Short and long-term disability, AD&D coverage
• Professional development opportunities, tuition reimbursement and professional licensing assistance
• Paid parental leave after one year of employment

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior