Vice President/Director of Pre-Construction

CES Consultants, Inc. • Alexandria, VA

14d • Hybrid

About The Position

The Vice President – Director of Pre-Construction is responsible to lead and institutionalize the preconstruction function as a core growth engine of the business. This is a platform-building executive role — not a project support position.

Initial Assignment

The initial focus of this role will be to establish and lead a full-time, seconded cost estimating and cost management function embedded within a major industrial client organization. Over the first 12–24 months, the successful candidate will:

Build and structure the client-facing preconstruction team
Establish cost management systems, estimating standards, and reporting protocols
Bring discipline and organization to pricing and risk management processes
Mentor and develop internal and client-integrated staff
Position the function for long-term sustainability
The objective is to build the practice capabilities to a point where leadership can be transitioned to a successor, allowing the incumbent to expand focus toward broader CMAR and Progressive Design-Build pursuits across CES markets. This assignment is intended as a launch platform — not a permanent placement.

Long-Term Mandate

Following the establishment phase, the Vice President – Director of Preconstruction will:

Lead and institutionalize preconstruction standards across CES Construction Services
Shape pricing strategy and risk positioning for CMAR and Progressive DB pursuits
Support expansion in DC while strengthening NY and FL preconstruction capabilities
Develop scalable estimating infrastructure aligned with growth targets
Projects will typically range from $20MM to $50MM, with bonding capacity up to $150MM.

Requirements

• 12+ years in heavy civil, water/wastewater, or infrastructure construction.
• Demonstrated leadership in CMAR and/or Progressive Design-Build pursuits.
• Experience developing GMPs and managing risk at progressive design stages.
• Proven ability to build or strengthen preconstruction systems and teams.
• Comfort operating in a growth-stage platform with evolving infrastructure.
• CMAR and Progressive Design-Build pricing strategy in water and wastewater infrastructure
• GMP development and cost modeling at progressive design milestones
• Risk identification, contingency allocation, and scope gap analysis
• Mechanical and process-heavy estimating within industrial environments
• Subcontractor market development and bid leveling
• Minority participation strategy integration (MBE/WBE/DBE compliance)
• Estimate-to-actual reconciliation and margin protection discipline
• Cost management system implementation within owner-embedded environments
• Cross-functional coordination between engineering, operations, and estimating teams
• Field-informed constructability review and pricing validation
• Team leadership, mentoring, and estimator development
• Preconstruction workflow design and process standardization
• Advanced cost modeling and bid tabulation (Excel-driven environments)
• Primavera P6 familiarity for schedule-informed pricing
• Bid document management and subcontractor outreach systems
• Cost database development and maintenance
• Experience supporting estimating functions within alternate delivery frameworks
• Executive-level communication skills with the ability to engage owners, design partners, subcontractors, and internal leadership with clarity and confidence.
• Strong organizational discipline capable of structuring preconstruction processes, managing concurrent pursuits, and establishing scalable systems.
• Self-directed and comfortable operating in a growth-stage environment with evolving infrastructure and limited scaffolding.
• Demonstrated commercial judgment and accountability for margin integrity and risk-balanced decision-making.
• Collaborative leadership style capable of building trust across operations, project controls, and executive stakeholders.
• Builder mindset with the ability to transition from embedded client leadership to broader multi-market platform oversight.

Nice To Haves

• Envision Sustainability Professional (ENV SP)
• Construction safety and compliance training (First Aid / CPR)

Responsibilities

• Develop and implement estimating standards, risk protocols, and pursuit discipline.
• Partner with executive leadership to shape CMAR and PDB growth strategy.
• Institutionalize margin protection practices across markets.
• Lead pricing strategy and GMP development at progressive design milestones.
• Structure contingency allocation and risk evaluation.
• Participate in executive-level pursuit presentations and client negotiations.
• Oversee preparation and review of detailed cost estimates.
• Lead subcontractor engagement and scope development.
• Monitor estimate-to-actual performance and drive continuous improvement.
• Build and mentor estimating teams.
• Establish scalable preconstruction infrastructure.
• Collaborate closely with Project Controls and Operations leadership.

Benefits

• We offer a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package to qualified candidates.
• The employee compensation package includes Employer premium cost share contributions to all employees and their families.
• The benefit healthcare coverage package includes medical, dental, and vision, 401k with company contributions, Personal Time Off (PTO), and 100% company-paid Life Insurance and Short-Term Disability.
• Additional Voluntary benefits include Long-Term Disability, Voluntary Life Insurance for employee/spouse/child(ren), and the opportunity to enroll in Health Flex Spending.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed