Data Center Preconstruction Director

Summary

A member of the Balfour Beatty National Data Center - Center of Excellence (CoE), providing company-wide leadership, technical expertise, and best-practice guidance to support successful data center delivery across all divisions.Provides strategic leadership and day-to-day oversight of preconstruction services for mission critical and data center projects. Partners with Business Unit Leaders, Operations, Business Development, Design, Estimating, Procurement, and Project Controls teams to deliver best-in-class preconstruction services from site evaluation through project turnover. Leads conceptual estimating, budgeting, value engineering, constructability reviews, procurement strategy, scheduling, risk management, and client engagement across multiple data center projects and campuses. Serves as a trusted advisor to clients, consultants, developers, and project teams with expertise in hyperscale, enterprise, colocation, edge, retrofit, and R&D data center environments.

Essential Functions

Preconstruction Responsibilities

• Lead all phases of preconstruction from project pursuit through GMP development and turnover to Operations.
• Manage multiple mission critical and data center projects while overseeing conceptual budgets, milestone estimates, GMPs, procurement packages, campus cost models, schedules, logistics, and phasing plans.
• Conduct constructability reviews and lead value engineering and Target Value Design efforts to improve safety, quality, schedule, cost, and overall project outcomes.
• Establish estimating standards and best practices across civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, low-voltage, and technology systems.
• Review drawings and specifications to identify risks, scope gaps, design inconsistencies, and long-lead procurement concerns.
• Lead subcontractor procurement activities, including bid packaging, bid leveling, scope analysis, and award recommendations.
• Develop strategic relationships with key trade partners, suppliers, manufacturers, and consultants while evaluating labor availability, supply chain constraints, material pricing, and market trends.
• Provide executive-level budget and schedule reporting; coordinate site due diligence, utility assessments, permitting strategies, and early works planning.
• Support standardized data center delivery models, continuous improvement initiatives, and maintain complete documentation of estimates, assumptions, value engineering items, and client communications.

Mission Critical & Data Center Leadership

• Provide technical leadership for critical facility systems including utility power infrastructure, switchgear, transformers, generators, UPS systems, fuel systems, chilled water systems, air-cooled systems, CRAH/CRAC systems, fire protection and suppression systems, and telecommunications/fiber infrastructure.
• Participate in strategic planning for hyperscale and enterprise data center campuses.
• Evaluate delivery strategies that optimize speed-to-market, constructability, procurement, labor availability, and schedule acceleration.
• Assess emerging technologies, AI infrastructure requirements, and modular construction approaches.
• Support regional and national mission critical growth initiatives.

Operations Services

• Serve as the primary liaison between Preconstruction and Operations, ensuring seamless project handoff from planning through execution.
• Support development of project execution plans, logistics plans, procurement strategies, subcontracting plans, major equipment procurement plans, and risk registers.
• Coordinate with Operations, Safety, Quality, Scheduling, and Project Controls teams throughout design and procurement.
• Support change management efforts and validate changes against approved budgets and assumptions.
• Assist Operations with supplier diversity goals and collaborate with field leadership to incorporate lessons learned into future projects.

Business Development & Client Relationships

• Participate in strategic pursuits, client interviews, presentations, proposal development, pursuit strategies, and contract negotiations.
• Demonstrate the value of integrated preconstruction services and early contractor involvement.
• Develop and maintain executive-level relationships with owners, developers, consultants, and design firms.
• Serve as a trusted advisor throughout programming, planning, design, procurement, and project execution.
• Support growth initiatives within the mission critical and advanced technology sectors.
• Represent the company at industry events and identify future opportunities and market trends.

Culture, Leadership & Employee Development

• Lead, mentor, and develop Preconstruction Managers, Estimators, and support personnel.
• Establish departmental goals, performance metrics, professional development plans, and succession strategies.
• Foster a culture of safety, accountability, collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement.
• Conduct performance reviews and provide coaching and feedback.
• Develop standardized tools, procedures, and training programs to support organizational growth.
• Promote company values, professionalism, integrity, and cross-functional collaboration across estimating, operations, business development, and executive leadership teams.

Perform other duties as assigned.

Working Conditions

• Primarily office-based with frequent interaction with owners, design teams, and executive leadership.
• Periodic travel to project sites, client meetings, trade partner offices, and industry events.
• Travel requirements of approximately 10%-30%, depending on project portfolio.

Education, Experience & Knowledge

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a related field, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
• 12-15 years of commercial construction experience, including 8-10 years of preconstruction experience on mission critical or data center projects.
• Experience delivering hyperscale, colocation, enterprise, or other mission critical facilities.
• Advanced knowledge of estimating, scheduling, procurement, construction operations, critical infrastructure systems, and data center delivery methodologies.
• Experience leading large teams and managing multiple concurrent projects.
• Proven success leading client presentations, negotiations, and strategic planning sessions.
• Proficiency with estimating software, BIM/VDC tools, scheduling platforms, and Microsoft Office.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and organizational skills with the ability to perform effectively in high-pressure environments and represent the company with executive-level clients and stakeholders.

Location

This role is open to candidates located within the Balfour Beatty Buildings operations footprint. This position may be based out of any Balfour Beatty Buildings office location, with preference to Seattle, WA. Please visit our website for a list of office locations.

Pay Rate: $190,000 - $230,000

This is the lowest to highest salary we in good faith believe we would pay for this role at the time of this posting. We may ultimately pay more or less than the posted range, and the range may be modified in the future. An employee's pay position within the salary range will be based on several factors including, but not limited to, relevant education, qualifications, certifications, experience, skills, seniority, geographic location, performance, shift, travel requirements, any collective bargaining agreements, and business or organizational needs.No amount of pay is considered to be wages or compensation until such amount is earned, vested, and determinable. The amount and availability of any bonus, incentive, or any other form of compensation that are allocable to a particular employee remains in the Company's sole discretion unless and until paid and may be modified at the Company's sole discretion, consistent with the law and any applicable plan documents.