Director of Preconstruction

About the Role

A well-established General Contractor based in Calgary, Alberta, known for commercial, light industrial, and institutional projects throughout Alberta, is expanding and seeking a Director of Preconstruction. This senior leadership position entails managing early-stage project phases—ranging from initial client engagement to budgeting, design development, procurement strategies, and smooth handover to operations teams. Candidates will collaborate closely with clients, consultants, owners, and project teams to secure contracts and establish strong foundations before construction begins.

Key Responsibilities

• Direct all preconstruction and estimating activities for commercial, institutional, and light industrial projects.
• Develop and nurture robust relationships with clients, consultants, developers, and industry stakeholders.
• Manage conceptual budgets, cost planning, value engineering, and comprehensive estimating efforts.
• Support business development including proposal preparation, client presentations, and negotiations.
• Identify risks, procurement challenges, and constructability concerns during early project phases.
• Collaborate with Operations teams to guarantee smooth transition from preconstruction to project delivery.
• Mentor and guide estimating and preconstruction staff to enhance team capabilities.
• Contribute insights for company growth strategies, including market awareness, client engagement, and opportunity planning.

Candidate Profile

• A minimum of 10 years' experience within a General Contractor setting.
• Robust experience in estimating, preconstruction, project management, or project delivery roles.
• Proven record with commercial, institutional, and/or light industrial construction projects.
• Strong client relationship development skills with a focus on supporting work acquisition.
• Comprehensive knowledge of project budgeting, procurement approaches, scheduling, and risk mitigation.
• Excellent communication and negotiation abilities; adept at managing stakeholder relationships.
• Demonstrated leadership in mentoring and building cohesive estimating and preconstruction teams.
• Prior experience in senior preconstruction leadership positions such as Director of Preconstruction, Preconstruction Manager, Chief Estimator, or Senior Estimator is favored.

Why Join?

• Become part of a respected Calgary general contracting firm with a consistent project pipeline.
• Influence project strategy and play a pivotal role in securing future contracts.
• Directly engage with company ownership and senior leadership on growth initiatives.
• Opportunity to shape both project success and overall company direction.

Additional Information

This senior role is intended for a proactive leader who values relationship building, team development, opportunity identification, and guiding clients throughout project lifecycle from conceptualization through construction. Mere estimating skills are insufficient for this position.