Director of Preconstruction - Water & Wastewater
Kansas City, Missouri | Full-Time
About the Role
The firm is looking for a preconstruction leader who can turn estimating into a competitive advantage. You will own the full preconstruction function for water and wastewater work, from go/no-go to bid day to handoff, and build a team that wins the right projects at the right margin.
What You'll Do
Leadership & Strategy
- Lead, build, and develop the preconstruction team of estimators and preconstruction managers
- Set preconstruction strategy, estimating standards, and best practices across the water and wastewater portfolio
- Own department budgets, staffing plans, and resource allocation
- Serve as a key member of the leadership team, partnering with operations and business development leadership
Pursuit & Pricing
- Lead go/no-go decisions and pursuit pricing strategy with business development
- Own final pricing and bid-day decisions on water and wastewater projects
- Oversee cost models across delivery methods, including design-bid-build and collaborative delivery (CMAR, progressive design-build)
- Ensure estimates are complete, covering direct costs, indirect costs, design costs, and general conditions
- Identify, evaluate, and mitigate project risk with senior leadership
Preconstruction Excellence
- Build and maintain historical cost data and pricing benchmarks
- Lead constructability reviews and value analysis
- Develop and maintain trade partner and vendor relationships, and oversee bid evaluation
- Track estimate accuracy and pricing variance through project closeout
Handoff & Execution
- Lead the transition from preconstruction to operations so what gets priced is what gets built
- Coordinate with Project Controls on schedules for design, approval, estimating, and purchasing
- Champion company safety programs across project teams and trade partners
What This Job Is Not
This is not a desk-bound chief estimator seat. You are not here to run takeoffs all day or to price work someone else chose to chase. You lead the people, the process, and the pricing strategy that decide which work the company wins.
What You'll Bring
- 10+ years of estimating or preconstruction experience on water and/or wastewater projects
- Proven leadership of estimating or preconstruction teams
- Strong command of design-bid-build and collaborative delivery models
- Bachelor's degree in engineering, architecture, construction, or a related field (relevant experience may substitute)
- Executive-level communication skills, with the ability to present complex pricing and risk clearly to leadership and clients
- Proficiency in Bluebeam and estimating software; HCSS HeavyBid, Agtek, or PlanSwift a plus
How to Apply
This search is being run confidentially by Raymond Search Group. Reach Jeff Raymond directly at jeff@raymondsearchgroup.com or (904) 618-3460. Every conversation is confidential, and nothing goes to the client without your explicit approval.