Manager – Pre-construction

Manager, Pre-construction

Company

Orenda is on a mission to make the grid more efficient with renewable energy projects and proprietary asset management technology. We develop, build, own and operate battery energy storage projects in dense urban environments to bridge the gap between renewables and electricity consumption.

We are a dynamic, NYC-based startup at the forefront of a new industry. We are seeking highly motivated and incredibly talented individuals who wish to contribute to our important mission.

About the Team

Orenda’s Project Execution Division is responsible for taking projects from late-stage development through commercial readiness and into safe, predictable construction delivery. We own the operating system that makes delivery repeatable at scale: decision-grade scopes, standardized readiness artifacts, cost and risk narratives, and disciplined handoffs into construction.

We partner cross-functionally with Development, Construction, Procurement, and Finance to ensure project inputs are synchronized before mobilization and exceptions are explicit.

About the Role

This role sits within the Pre-Construction department of Orenda’s Project Execution Division and supports the Director, Pre-Construction by owning day-to-day pre-construction execution for assigned projects. The Manager, Pre-construction drives bid packaging, scope alignment, and readiness deliverables with the discipline required to ensure projects are de-risked and construction-handoff-ready.

You will own assigned projects as they advance through late-stage development and into pre-mobilization, owning the pre-construction workplan, readiness artifacts, and commercial alignment across major equipment, field services, and consultant scopes. Your focus will be on mitigating project risk by ensuring scopes, schedules, procurement timelines, and cost forecasts are synchronized and decision-grade before construction mobilization.

This role is focused on commercial readiness and bid-to-award execution, partnering closely with Development on permitting constraints and with Construction on constructability and mobilization readiness.

• This role is ideal for: someone who is equal parts builder and operator: you can turn messy inputs into clear scopes, run a disciplined bid-to-award process, and produce readiness artifacts that stand up to scrutiny. You are energized by closing loops, surfacing risk early, and coordinating across Development, Construction, Procurement, and Finance to get to decision-grade clarity.

What you’ll do

• Project Readiness Ownership: Own the end-to-end pre-construction readiness plan for assigned projects from late development through Notice to Proceed, maintaining a clear critical path and readiness checklist.
• Bid Packaging & Scope Definition: Define bid packages and detailed scopes of work in partnership with Construction leadership and engineering/design counterparts. Ensure scopes are complete, comparable, and aligned across vendors/contractors.
• RFI / Clarification Management: Run bid-period controls including the Request for Information (RFI) log, clarification register, addenda inputs, and internal approval routing to maintain disciplined bidder communications.
• Commercial Alignment & De-risking (Contracts + Interfaces): Support the synchronization of major equipment, field services, and consultant scopes so there are no scope gaps, interface ambiguities, or misalignments between contracts, schedule, and budget.
• Scope-to-Supply Chain Alignment (Delivery + Logistics): In coordination with the Procurement Manager, ensure GC assumptions, sequencing, and site logistics plans are synchronized with major equipment delivery timelines, staging/handling constraints, and commissioning support needs so field execution is not blocked by procurement realities.
• Schedule & Milestone Management: Maintain pre-construction milestone tracking and schedule inputs (design, permitting, procurement, mobilization) and ensure bid and award plans reflect true constraints.
• Cost Control: Maintain current cost forecasts and cost-risk narratives for assigned projects in coordination with Finance and the pre-construction lead.
• Permitting Coordination (Support): Partner with Development/Permitting to track permitting constraints that impact bid packages and mobilization (e.g., permit set readiness, AHJ iteration risk). Drive internal completeness criteria for inputs needed for procurement and construction readiness, without owning permit submissions.
• Vendor & Contractor Support: Support prequalification activities, bidder coverage, and vendor constraint tracking (e.g., switchgear/transformer lead times, reservations, warranty/service terms inputs).
• Handoff Package Assembly: Systematically compile and deliver a comprehensive handoff package to Construction, including executed scopes/contract status, budgets, schedules, risks, lease/landlord items (as applicable), and procurement documentation.
• Process & Tooling: Help build repeatable pre-construction mechanisms (templates, checklists, DoR matrices) and support adoption of systems/tools (e.g., Kahua) for durable single-source-of-truth execution.
• Configuration-Driven Artifact Standardization: Standardize key pre-construction artifacts (scope templates, readiness checklists, bid package requirements, and handoff deliverables) based on Orenda’s standard product configurations, so each project starts from a consistent, reusable baseline and variations are intentional and controlled.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• Experience: 5+ years of experience in pre-construction, project controls, estimating, procurement support, or construction management on complex projects (energy, utility, industrial, or commercial).
• Commercial Fundamentals: Demonstrated ability to define scopes, support contractor bidding, and manage bid-period controls (RFIs, clarifications, addenda).
• Schedule & Controls: Proficiency building and maintaining integrated schedules and milestone logic.
• Cost Discipline: Comfort supporting multi-million-dollar budgets and maintaining forecast integrity.
• Communication: Clear, concise communicator who can produce decision-grade summaries and coordinate across internal teams and external counterparties.
• Tools: Proficiency with project controls and document management tools; able to adopt platforms such as Kahua/Procore and scheduling tools (MS Project / Primavera P6).

Preferred Qualifications (Bonus)

• Experience in renewable energy, power generation, electrical infrastructure, or BESS projects.
• NYC experience with DOB / FDNY / Con Edison processes and dense-urban execution constraints.
• Experience working under MSAs, alternative contracting mechanisms, or high-volume procurement programs.

Skills and Attributes

• Extremely organized, process-oriented, and capable of managing multiple complex workstreams concurrently in a fast-paced environment.
• Strong judgment and the ability to make timely, well-reasoned recommendations with incomplete information.
• High standards for artifact quality, naming conventions, and version control.
• Highly collaborative, with the ability to work effectively across Development, Engineering, Construction, Finance, and external partners.
• Takes accountability for readiness outputs and closes loops without “hand-waving.”
• A deep passion for clean energy and the company’s mission.
• Positive, solutions-oriented mindset, strong work ethic, and a sense of humor.

Work Environment

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring work from our headquarters (Brooklyn, NY) five days a week, with periodic travel to project sites and vendor/factory visits as needed.

Why Join Orenda?

You’ll do this role in a mission-driven culture that values ownership, accountability, continuous learning, high performance, and genuine collaboration. We work hard, move quickly, and enjoy doing it together.

In addition to the chance to do important work with a great team, Orenda offers a competitive compensation package designed to attract and retain top talent:

• Base Salary: The anticipated base salary range for this full-time position in New York City is $100,000-$200,000 per year. The final base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the successful candidate's relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.
• Bonus: In addition to the base salary, this role is eligible for a significant annual performance-based bonus.
• Benefits: Our comprehensive benefits package includes:
  • Health, dental, and vision insurance
  • 401(k) plan with 3% Employer Match
  • LifeTime Fitness corporate membership
  • Monthly commuter stipend
  • Learning and education stipend
  • Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy
  • Regular company events

Orenda Inc. is an equal opportunity employer committed to fair and inclusive hiring and employment practices in accordance with federal, New York State, and New York City law. We do not discriminate in any aspect of employment—including hiring, promotion, compensation, or termination—on the basis of any protected characteristic, including race, color, religion, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, veteran status, or any other status protected by law.

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