[Hiring] Director of Preconstruction & Estimating (Chief Estimator) @Vanir Construction Management, Inc.

Role Description

The Director of Preconstruction & Estimating (Chief Estimator) provides strategic, technical, and operational leadership for all preconstruction and estimating activities. This role is responsible for strengthening departmental structure, elevating technical rigor, and ensuring consistent, high-quality delivery across all project types. The Director drives pursuit strategy, market positioning, and internal alignment while building a resilient, scalable team capable of supporting the company’s long-term growth.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Vision & Department Evolution:
  • Establish and communicate a clear vision for a modern, high-performing Estimating and Preconstruction Department, with emphasis on consistency, technical excellence, and scalable processes.
  • Translate organizational goals into actionable departmental strategies, ensuring staff understand priorities and how their work contributes to broader business objectives.
• Market Development & Strategic Pursuits:
  • Identify and evaluate opportunities in existing and emerging markets, using industry insight to shape pursuit strategies and strengthen competitive positioning.
  • Lead or support go/no-go decisions, pursuit planning, interviews, and proposal development, ensuring alignment between estimating, operations, and business development.
  • Represent Vanir at industry events and within professional networks to expand visibility and cultivate new relationships.
• Leadership, Structure & Operational Alignment:
  • Refine departmental structure, workflows, and standards to ensure consistent, repeatable, and high-quality outputs across all disciplines.
  • Oversee staffing plans, resource allocation, and workload balancing to support predictable delivery and reduce single-point dependencies.
  • Establish and maintain a department-wide utilization rate of 80% or higher, including the Chief Estimator, ensuring balanced workloads and efficient staff usage across pursuits and active projects.
  • Develop and manage departmental budgets, identifying risks, inefficiencies, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Ensure adherence to corporate standards and effectively communicate organizational updates and expectations.
  • Foster strong partnerships with operations, design partners, and internal stakeholders to ensure alignment throughout the preconstruction process.
• Strategic Talent Development & Succession Planning:
  • Develop a diverse, technically strong team with depth across all major building systems and delivery methods.
  • Provide coaching, mentorship, and performance management to elevate staff capabilities and prepare future leaders.
  • Establish clear expectations, accountability frameworks, and professional development pathways to support long-term departmental stability.
• Technical Excellence & Complex Project Leadership:
  • Lead estimating and preconstruction efforts on complex, multi-disciplinary, or high-risk projects when strategic involvement is required.
  • Provide expert guidance on design development, cost modeling, constructability, procurement strategies, and contract negotiations.
  • Strengthen QA/QC processes to ensure accuracy, defensibility, and consistency across all estimates and deliverables.
  • Use data, performance metrics, and market intelligence to inform departmental decisions and refine processes.
  • Lead or oversee development of independent cost estimates for change orders and support negotiation strategies with contractors.
  • Identify potential cost impacts from RFIs, submittals, and design changes and advise project teams proactively.
  • Lead or support value engineering efforts, ensuring recommendations align with project goals, performance requirements, and long-term value.
  • Own the development, maintenance, and continuous improvement of Vanir’s cost models, benchmarking tools, and cost databases.
  • Perform additional responsibilities as assigned.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, or related field; or equivalent experience.
• 10+ years of construction experience with extensive estimating and/or preconstruction leadership.
• Demonstrated ability to build and lead high-performing teams.
• Strong business and financial acumen with the ability to interpret market conditions and organizational needs.
• Deep understanding of labor and material markets and their impact on project delivery.
• Comprehensive technical knowledge of building systems, constructability, and preconstruction processes.
• Significant experience with design-build delivery and sustainable construction practices.
• Strong commitment to client service and high-quality deliverables.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to inspire, influence, and align diverse stakeholders.
• Skilled at balancing data, intuition, and experience in decision-making.
• Proven ability to foster collaboration, resolve conflict, and maintain strong internal and external relationships.
• Adaptable, enterprise-minded, and able to lead through organizational change.
• Proficiency with construction management software and digital tools.

Preferred Qualifications

• LEED or DBIA credentials.
• Experience with Bluebeam, On-Screen Takeoff, and Primavera P6 is a plus.

Benefits

• 401(k) Savings with employer matching contributions.
• Medical, dental, vision, health savings account (HSA) with employer contributions.
• Life, AD&D and disability benefits.
• Flexible spending account (FSA).
• Voluntary benefits.
• Teladoc.
• Pet insurance.
• Paid time off.
• National employee assistance program (EAP).
• Employee referral program.