Preconstruction Manager

A well-established, full-service commercial construction management firm is seeking an experienced Preconstruction Manager to lead preconstruction planning and client-facing estimating efforts for complex projects across the Mid-Atlantic region. This is an opportunity to join a relationship-driven builder known for repeat business, collaborative delivery, and a client-first approach from early planning through project completion. The ideal candidate brings strong estimating, design-phase coordination, constructability, and communication skills, with the ability to guide owners, architects, engineers, and internal teams through the preconstruction process.

Position Summary

The Preconstruction Manager will oversee all preconstruction activities for assigned projects, including budgeting, estimating, value analysis, scheduling, procurement planning, constructability reviews, and subcontractor engagement. This individual will serve as a key client contact during the early phases of a project and will help create a seamless transition from design and estimating into construction operations. Projects may include senior living, healthcare, education, commercial, and other institutional construction work.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the preconstruction process from early conceptual planning through final estimate, GMP, and turnover to operations.
• Partner with owners, developers, architects, engineers, consultants, and internal project teams to establish project goals, budgets, schedules, and delivery strategies.
• Prepare conceptual, schematic-design, design-development, and construction-document estimates.
• Perform quantity takeoffs, scope analysis, bid leveling, labor and material cost analysis, and pricing reviews.
• Develop and maintain detailed project budgets, cost models, milestone estimates, and value-engineering logs.
• Identify constructability concerns, long-lead procurement risks, phasing requirements, site constraints, and potential cost or schedule impacts early in design.
• Coordinate with estimating, project management, field operations, VDC, MEP, and purchasing personnel to develop complete project plans.
• Solicit and evaluate subcontractor and supplier pricing; build strong trade-partner relationships and ensure complete scope coverage.
• Lead preconstruction meetings and present budgets, scope recommendations, value-analysis options, schedules, and risk assessments to clients and design teams.
• Support design-build, construction management, and negotiated project-delivery opportunities.
• Assist with preliminary schedules, logistics plans, procurement strategies, and project execution planning.
• Prepare and negotiate GMP proposals, clarifications, allowances, alternates, and bid packages.
• Facilitate a thorough turnover to project management and field teams, ensuring the project scope, pricing assumptions, schedule, risk items, and client expectations are clearly communicated.
• Maintain current knowledge of market conditions, subcontractor capacity, material pricing, labor trends, and construction technology.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant experience will be considered.
• 7 years of progressive commercial construction experience, including substantial estimating and preconstruction responsibility.
• Experience managing preconstruction for commercial, healthcare, education, senior living, multifamily, institutional, or similarly complex projects.
• Strong knowledge of conceptual estimating, hard-bid estimating, negotiated work, GMP delivery, budgeting, value engineering, and subcontractor procurement.
• Ability to read and interpret architectural, civil, structural, and MEP drawings and specifications.
• Strong understanding of construction means and methods, sequencing, logistics, scheduling, and cost drivers.
• Proven ability to build trust with clients, design partners, subcontractors, and internal operations teams.
• Proficiency with estimating, scheduling, spreadsheet, document-management, and project-management software.
• Excellent presentation, negotiation, organization, and written/verbal communication skills.
• A proactive, accountable, collaborative approach with a high level of integrity and attention to detail.

Preferred Background

• Experience working for a commercial general contractor or construction manager.
• Exposure to design-build, construction management at risk, and other collaborative project-delivery methods.
• Familiarity with preconstruction technology, BIM/VDC coordination, and MEP-intensive projects.
• Experience working throughout Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, Delaware, or the broader Mid-Atlantic region is a plus.