Pre-Construction Director

SCS is looking for a Pre-Construction Director for our Energy Business Unit. This a leadership role responsible for setting and executing the front-end planning, estimating, and strategic development of large-scale environmental, energy, and infrastructure projects across the organization. This role leads the response to Requests for Proposals (RFPs), ensuring alignment between client expectations, design intent, budget, and execution strategy. The Preconstruction Director plays a pivotal role in winning work, guiding projects through the design phase, and setting the foundation for successful project delivery. This position is client-facing and includes leading preconstruction from early conceptual estimating through subcontract award and contract execution, providing clear, presentation-ready budget narratives and recommendations. For this role you can be remote or hybrid out of any SCS office. There will betarvel nationwide up to 35% for this role.

Review and support cost models, escalation studies, and benchmarking data.
• Lead, review and/or support quantity take-offs, subcontractor pricing, and risk allowances to produce reliable Guaranteed Maximum Price (GMP) proposals.
• Leads and provides strategic oversight of estimating from first conceptual budget through design development, buyout, and subcontract execution, maintaining estimate versions and assumptions through each design iteration.
• Develop variance summaries between estimates as the design evolves and lead value engineering studies to close gaps while protecting scope, quality, and schedule.
• Assemble presentation-ready estimate packages that clearly communicate scope, assumptions, risks/allowances, alternates, escalation, and recommended procurement strategies to owners and internal leadership.
• Review and support value engineering efforts to optimize cost, schedule, and sustainability.
• Collaborate with project management, engineering, procurement, and construction teams to align technical design with constructability and budget.
• Support design reviews to ensure compliance with contract scope, project budget and schedule.
• Champion Target Value Delivery (TVD) principles and early subcontractor engagement.
• Build and maintain a national database of qualified trade partners across key specialties.
• Lead and govern the project buyout bid/proposal process including scope definition, bid leveling, and subcontractor selection.
• Prepare detailed bidder instructions, trade-specific clarifications, and comprehensive bid packages; solicit bids, manage bidder communications, and perform bid leveling/tabs to support award decisions.
• Make subcontractor award recommendations and lead/coordinate negotiations to finalize scopes, commercial terms, insurance requirements, and damages/liquidated damages exposure prior to subcontract execution.
• Proactively identify lead-time, market, and supply-chain constraints (materials/equipment) and propose innovative alternatives and procurement strategies to mitigate cost and schedule risk.
• Foster strong relationships with specialty contractors across environmental, energy, industrial, and infrastructure markets.
• Support development of preconstruction schedules, integrating procurement and construction milestones.
• Oversee and conduct constructability reviews and risk assessments to proactively identify and mitigate early-stage project risks.
• Establish risk management frameworks addressing design, logistics, permitting, and procurement.
• Serve as the primary point of contact during preconstruction for budget tracking, scheduling, and procurement strategy.
• Partner with business development to shape pursuit strategies, proposals, and client presentations.
• Translate complex technical and regulatory requirements into clear cost and schedule impacts for clients and agencies.
• Support & closely collaborate with a multidisciplinary team of estimators, contract managers, design managers, and schedulers.
• Own the development and continuous improvement of preconstruction best practices, SOPs, tools, and training programs for preconstruction.
• Promote a culture of ownership, technical excellence, and sustainable project delivery.

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil, Mechanical, or Environmental Engineering strongly preferred.
• Minimum of 12 years of experience in estimating and preconstruction, with at least 5 years in a leadership role required.
• Proven track record of leading successful design-build pursuits and delivering GMP proposals for projects ranging from $20M to $200M.
• Experience managing subcontractor bid processes and building trade partner networks.
• Knowledge of environmental systems and regulatory compliance is preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple concurrent pursuits/projects, consistently meet deadlines, and produce accurate, high-quality deliverables.
• A strong work ethic and "can-do" attitude; thrives in a collaborative team environment with both internal and external stakeholders.
• Valid driver's license with a driving record in good standing required.