Vice President, Pre-Construction

Dashiell • Houston, TX

3d

About The Position

Dashiell is a leading national provider of technical services to the electric utility, power generation, industrial, renewable and energy industries. These services include planning and systems studies, design and engineering, maintenance and testing, program management, construction, and turnkey EPC projects. Built on 50 years of experience handling large scale complex projects; Dashiell is unique in that we are a turnkey Engineering, Construction, and Testing company that specializes in medium and high voltage electrical infrastructure. More information about Dashiell can be found at www.dashiell.com. In this VP Pre-Construction role, you’ll sit at the intersection of engineering, project management, construction, and field services for a high-voltage (HV) substation EPC business, managing a team of people supporting the Pre-Construction process.

Requirements

• Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or related field required.
• 15+ years of experience in the HV/MV substation EPC business (utility, IPP, industrial, or similar).
• Deep understanding of substation systems (primary and secondary), protection & controls, and field constructability considerations.
• Proven experience with BIM applications (e.g., model coordination, clash detection, constructability reviews, and design documentation).
• Comfort evaluating and implementing new tools and technologies that streamline engineering, construction, and proposal workflows.
• Strong data analysis skills to support pricing decisions, margin considerations, and proposal performance tracking.
• Demonstrated ability to structure EPC proposals balancing technical scope, risk, pricing, and commercial terms.
• Strong understanding of the supplier and OEM landscape across the HV/MV substation ecosystem (equipment, materials, services).
• Experience collaborating with suppliers to improve lead times, drive value engineering, and co-develop optimized solutions.
• Ability to work cross-functionally with project management, engineering, construction, field services, and supply chain to drive aligned, effective solutions.
• Proven ability to build, lead, and develop teams while fostering a high-performance, “own the outcome” culture.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to translate complex technical concepts into clear commercial and strategic options for internal and external stakeholders.
• Strong project and time-management skills; ability to manage multiple concurrent bids and priorities under tight deadlines.
• Demonstrated ability to perform under pressure while maintaining attention to detail and quality.
• Highly organized, structured, and process-oriented, with a continuous improvement mindset.
• Strong team orientation, with a bias for action and a focus on results, accountability, and integrity.

Nice To Haves

• Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field, or a Master’s degree in Business, strongly preferred.

Responsibilities

• Partner with project managers, engineers, construction managers, and field service leaders to scope, price, and structure EPC proposals for HV/MV substations, T-Line, and BESS.
• Lead the end-to-end proposal process—from initial opportunity review, through estimating and solution configuration, to final pricing and commercial terms.
• Analyze RFQs, technical specifications, and commercial requirements to identify risks and opportunities and support well-informed technical and commercial decisions.
• Coordinate and challenge internal stakeholders to shorten proposal cycle times while maintaining quality and accuracy.
• Work closely with suppliers and OEMs across the HV/MV, T-Line & BESS ecosystem to secure quotations, validate technical fit, and improve lead times.
• Evaluate and deploy new technologies (software, tools, and equipment solutions) that support engineering, construction, and procurement workflows.
• Collaborate with engineering and construction teams to optimize and standardize substation solutions to improve constructability, consistency, and execution efficiency.
• Maintain and continuously improve proposal tools, cost models, standard templates, and content libraries.
• Support pipeline reviews and bid/no-bid decisions with data-driven insights on scope, risk, and commercial considerations.
• Mentor others involved in proposals and solutioning to build a disciplined, high-performing Pre-Construction culture.
• Shape solution approaches that align technical scope, constructability, and commercial terms with customer needs and market benchmarks.
• Improve margins through value engineering, supplier collaboration, and thoughtful risk allocation, while preserving reliability and compliance.
• Increase proposal throughput by streamlining workflows, reducing rework, and championing tools and standards that allow more high-quality proposals per week.
• Advance digital and BIM capabilities by leveraging and expanding BIM and related applications in design coordination, quantity take-offs, constructability reviews, and other key pre-construction workflows.
• Support efficient project delivery by championing efficient, constructible designs and repeatable design packages that enhance predictability and consistency during execution.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships across the HV/MV, T-Line and BESS supplier ecosystem, supporting favorable lead times, pricing, and collaborative solution development.
• Build a winning culture by modeling cross-functional collaboration, accountability, and urgency, while helping to develop a high-performing team focused on “win-win-win” outcomes (customer, company, and partners).

Benefits

• The Company provides life insurance, accidental death & dismemberment insurance, long term disability insurance, and an employee assistance plan at no cost to the employee.
• Benefit offerings also include a choice of traditional PPO or one of two HDHPs, with corresponding FSA or HSA, dental, vision, supplemental life insurance, short-term disability insurance, critical illness insurance, group accident insurance, hospital indemnity insurance, a 401(k) with immediate vesting, and more!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level
• Number of Employees: 501-1,000 employees