VP of Preconstruction

REEDER General Contractors

Vice President of Preconstruction

Reports to: President

Direct reports may include: Estimators, Preconstruction Director

Overview

The Vice President of Preconstruction is a senior leadership role responsible for directing the company’s preconstruction function for K-12, higher education, and municipal projects throughout the DFW market. This position leads estimating, budgeting, design-phase coordination, value analysis, bid strategy, and preconstruction planning from early pursuit through turnover to operations. The role partners closely with executive leadership, business development, operations, project management, and field leadership to help secure work, reduce risk, and position projects for successful execution.

The Vice President of Preconstruction establishes department standards, drives consistency in estimating and proposal practices, and serves as a key client-facing leader during project planning and procurement. Industry job descriptions for comparable roles consistently emphasize leadership of estimating teams, oversight of bid and proposal development, risk recognition, client and trade partner relationship management, and handoff to operations.

Responsibilities:

 Team Management and Leadership

• Lead, mentor, and develop the preconstruction, estimating, and related support staff, including workload assignment, coaching, performance expectations, and succession planning.
• Build a collaborative, accountable department culture focused on accuracy, responsiveness, continuous improvement, and strong internal service to operations and executive leadership.
• Establish and refine department procedures for estimating, proposal development, bid coordination, document control, scope review, and turnover practices.
• Chair or lead internal bid review, pursuit strategy, and preconstruction planning meetings to align staffing, priorities, and decision-making across active opportunities.
• Provide leadership in client presentations, interviews, and early project strategy discussions, helping communicate the company’s approach, value, and technical capabilities.
• Maintain strong relationships with owners, architects, consultants, subcontractors, and vendors to strengthen market intelligence and improve project outcomes.

Department Support

• Oversee conceptual, schematic, design development, GMP, and final estimate preparation for negotiated and competitive work.
• Direct constructability reviews, value engineering, scope alignment, logistics planning, schedule input, and design-phase cost management to support informed owner decisions.
• Monitor design progression and identify budget, scope, schedule, procurement, and market risks early, with recommended mitigation strategies.
• Support business development and executive leadership by tracking pipeline opportunities, advising on go/no-go decisions, and contributing to pursuit planning and proposal strategy.
• Oversee subcontractor and vendor outreach, market coverage, pricing strategy, and maintenance of historical cost and production data.
• Ensure a complete and organized turnover from preconstruction to operations, including assumptions, clarifications, estimate detail, schedules, procurement concerns, and risk items.
• Collaborate with operations, project executives, and project teams to align pre-award planning with project execution needs, especially for occupied campuses, public procurement environments, and stakeholder-heavy projects.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a related field is required; an advanced degree is a plus.
• Minimum 10 years of construction management, estimating, or preconstruction experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership or supervisory role; many comparable roles also call for 15 or more years in the construction industry.
• Demonstrated experience in general contracting, construction management, and design-build or negotiated delivery methods.
• Proven success preparing and leading estimates across multiple design stages, including conceptual, schematic, design development, and construction documents.
• Experience managing preconstruction efforts for institutional or public-sector projects such as schools, higher education, municipal, or similarly complex commercial work.
• Strong understanding of subcontractor procurement, vendor relationships, public and private bidding practices, and local market conditions.
• Valid driver’s license and ability to travel to project sites, client meetings, and industry events as needed.
• Specific software requirements such as Procore, BuildingConnected, OST, Bluebeam, Primavera P6, or Sage/ERP tools.
• Preferred experience in DFW public work, bond programs, CMAR delivery, or municipal procurement.

Required Skills

• Expert knowledge of estimating systems, cost modeling, value engineering, constructability review, and cost-tracking practices.
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and team-building ability, with success developing high-performing staff and improving departmental processes.
• Excellent verbal, written, and presentation skills, including the ability to lead meetings and build confidence with clients, design teams, and internal stakeholders.
• Strong analytical and decision-making skills, with the ability to identify scope gaps, interpret drawings and specifications, and evaluate risk.
• High level of organization and ability to manage multiple pursuits, deadlines, and contributors at the same time.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office and industry software used for estimating, scheduling, takeoff, document review, and project coordination.
• Strong working knowledge of plan/spec review, procurement strategy, contract awareness, and effective handoff to operations.