Director, Estimating & Preconstruction

Description

BLOX is revolutionizing the construction industry by integrating advanced manufacturing principles with innovative technology to deliver high-quality, modular building solutions. We are driven by a mission to rethink how buildings are designed, fabricated, and delivered, ensuring efficiency, scalability, and sustainability.

BLOX is seeking a Director, Estimating & Preconstruction to lead BLOX’s entire estimating and preconstruction function across every platform category (Data Center, Healthcare, Retail, and emerging building types), together with the Associate Directors, Managers, and Estimators who staff it. This role owns the accuracy, integrity, and margin impact of every price BLOX puts in front of a client; owns the historical cost database and the estimating standards the organization prices from; holds final pricing review authority prior to executive sign-off; and presents pursuit, pricing, and margin performance to the Board and C-suite.

Program Management is the central nervous system of BLOX, and estimating is the organ that translates design intent into accurate price and schedule commitment. Every pursuit BLOX commits to is shaped by the precision and credibility of its estimates, and every margin protected or lost at execution traces back to the basis of estimate produced in preconstruction. Where an Associate Director owns pricing outcomes across the programs assigned to them, the Director, Estimating & Preconstruction owns the fountainhead itself at an organizational level: the cost intelligence BLOX prices from, the standards that govern how it is used, the capability to price building types BLOX has never built before, and the estimate-to-actual discipline that turns every completed project back into a better estimate. This role sets what BLOX is willing to price and on what terms, decides where estimating capacity and technology investment go, provides governance for escalated pricing disputes, and serves as BLOX’s credible voice on modular cost and productivity inside the company and across the industry.

Job Responsibilities

Estimating & Preconstruction Leadership

• Own the accuracy, integrity, and margin impact of BLOX’s preconstruction estimates at an organizational level. Accountable for pricing outcomes across all platform categories, not oversight only.

• Hold final review and approval authority over pursuit pricing prior to executive sign-off; establish and enforce the estimate assumptions, risk registers, contingency, and escalation logic BLOX is willing to stand behind.

• Own estimate-to-actual performance as a measured organizational outcome: lead post-project cost reviews, drive corrective action, and translate reconciled actuals into improved benchmarks, unit costs, and productivity factors.

• Define, implement, and uphold organization-wide estimating standards (templates, workflows, Basis of Estimate requirements, and data practices) for conceptual, schematic, design development, and GMP estimates.

• Own BLOX’s preconstruction relational database (historical cost, schedule, and bill of materials) as an enterprise asset; direct Technology and Finance investment to keep it accurate, current, and reconciled to ERP cost actuals.

• Lead capital and capacity planning inputs from the estimating function: manufacturing slot pricing and capacity assumptions, escalation strategy, labor market and supply chain exposure, and the estimating headcount and technology investment required to support forecast pursuit volume.

• Stand up estimating and preconstruction capability for new building types and platform categories. Establish first-of-a-kind cost models, pricing structures, and schedule baselines where no historical data exists.

• Design and evolve the organizational structure of the Estimating & Preconstruction function; make hiring, promotion, restructuring, and succession decisions across Associate Director, Manager, Estimator, and Assistant Preconstruction levels.

• Lead, mentor, and develop Associate Directors and Managers within the function; accountable for their performance, retention, and professional development, and for building the estimating leadership bench BLOX’s growth requires.

• Set organizational standards for preconstruction pricing exercises end-to-end, covering subcontractor outreach and Building Connected administration, RFP compilation, pricing documents, price leveling, and award recommendation, and hold the function accountable to them.

• Own the go/no-go and pursuit prioritization recommendation from an estimating standpoint; provide BLOX Leadership with margin viability, capacity, and risk analysis for programs, clients, and pursuits under consideration.

• Establish the standards and cadence for program and project risk analysis in preconstruction; escalate organizational-level pricing and scope risk clearly and proactively to BLOX Leadership.

• Set the organizational approach to internal and Client-directed Value Engineering; personally lead VE strategy on BLOX’s largest and most complex pursuits.

• Own the standards governing initial DMC and construction schedules developed in preconstruction, and the schedule assumptions Program Management inherits at handoff.

• Own the integrity of the preconstruction-to-operations handoff across the organization. Budgets, risks, assumptions, and estimating intelligence must transfer cleanly to Program and Project Management, Design, Supply Chain, Manufacturing, Construction, and Finance so that estimates live as operational truth after award.

• Provide governance and resolution for escalated pricing disputes, claims, and estimates in serious jeopardy; take direct control when intervention beyond the Associate Director is required and return them to a defensible, margin-safe state.

• Present and defend pursuit, pricing, hit rate, and margin performance to Executive Leadership, the Board, and the C-suite.

• Lead, in collaboration with the Head of Construction Engineering and Director of Field Operations, the development of scalable field self-perform estimating tools; set standards for field-ops estimating (quantity takeoffs, labor estimates, work plans) and constructability review.

• Set organizational standards for the buyout of subcontractor and supplier agreements, and lead buyout strategy on BLOX’s largest commitments.

• Establish organization-wide KPI frameworks for the function: estimate accuracy, hit rate, margin variance at turnover, pursuit cycle time, and estimating capacity utilization.

• Champion safety and quality culture throughout the preconstruction process, including the cost of quality in BLOX’s pricing.

Client & Commercial Leadership

• Own C-suite-level relationships with Client preconstruction, estimating, and capital program leadership, representing BLOX at the highest levels of client organizations during pursuit and negotiation.

• Own long-term commercial positioning with clients: multi-year pricing agreements, program pricing structures, escalation and shared-savings frameworks, and contract positioning that supports repeat and expanded work.

• Accountable for all pricing, preconstruction, and Value Engineering materials presented to Clients or potential Clients; personally lead the presentations that carry organizational consequence.

• Contribute to BLOX’s strategic pipeline decisions by providing input on which programs, clients, and pursuits BLOX commits to, based on margin viability, capacity, and strategic fit.

• Support BLOX’s Commercial / Business Development team in the review and analysis of technical proposal requirements, preparation of proposals and pricing, and participation in meetings with potential Clients.

• Build and maintain positive relationships across BLOX’s DMC ecosystem: subcontractors, general contractors, design consultants, vendors, Architects, Engineers, and Owner’s representatives.

• Support the CEO, CCO, and VP, Program Management in the negotiation of Client contracts; serve as the organization’s authority on pricing structure, cost basis, and commercial risk allocation.

• Serve as BLOX’s credible voice on modular and DMC cost, productivity, and preconstruction practice through conferences, publications, benchmarking bodies, and peer organizations. Establish and protect BLOX’s pricing reputation with clients and the construction industry.

Scope of Authority

• Hold final review and approval authority over pursuit pricing prior to executive sign-off, across every platform category.

• Set and enforce organization-wide estimating standards, templates, Basis of Estimate requirements, and data practices.

• Establish the organization’s contingency, escalation, and risk allowance policy, and approve any departure from it.

• Own and direct investment in the preconstruction relational database and estimating technology within the function’s approved plan.

• Make final hiring, promotion, compensation, restructuring, and termination decisions for the Estimating & Preconstruction organization.

• Decide to stand up estimating capability for a new building type or platform category.

• Issue the go/no-go and pursuit prioritization recommendation to BLOX Leadership.

• Commit BLOX to long-term pricing structures and program pricing frameworks within approved commercial strategy.

• Take direct control of any pursuit or estimate in the organization and displace its leadership for the duration.

• Represent BLOX publicly on modular and DMC cost, productivity, and preconstruction practice.

Requires escalation

• The final go/no-go decision on a pursuit; this role issues the recommendation, BLOX Leadership decides.

• Execution of Client contracts; this role supports the CEO, CCO, and VP, Program Management in negotiation but does not sign.

• Manufacturing capacity commitments; this role prices against capacity, Operations allocates it.

• Enterprise capital allocation and technology investment beyond the function’s approved plan.

• Corporate strategy decisions on which platform categories or markets BLOX enters or exits.

• Changes to BLOX’s standard contract forms, indemnity, insurance, warranty, or enterprise risk position.

• Litigation, mediation, or termination decisions at the prime contract level.

• Any matter requiring Board authorization.

Job Skills & Qualifications

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, Data Analytics, or related field.

• 12+ years of relevant experience in the construction industry, including 6+ years in Preconstruction and Estimating, with demonstrated leadership of estimating leaders, not estimators alone.

• Demonstrated accountability for the estimating and preconstruction function across multiple programs or platform categories totaling more than $250M in annual pursuit value.

• Demonstrated ownership of estimate accuracy as a measured outcome, with a proven track record improving estimate-to-actual variance, hit rate, or margin performance across a portfolio.

• Demonstrated C-suite-level client and commercial partner relationships during pursuit and negotiation, not just estimator-to-estimator contacts.

• Proven ability to build, restructure, and right-size a multi-layer estimating and preconstruction organization, and to develop leaders at the Manager and Associate Director levels.

• Proven track record of presenting and defending pursuit, pricing, and margin performance with Executive Leadership and Board-level audiences.

• Demonstrated experience establishing company-wide estimating standards, templates, workflows, and cost data practices, and directing the technology investment behind them.

• Proven track record of standing up estimating capability for new building types, markets, or delivery models where no historical cost data existed.

• Demonstrated ability to take direct control of a pursuit or estimate in serious jeopardy (scope, client-relationship, or pricing crisis) and return it to a defensible state.

• Deep understanding of multiple delivery methods, contract types, procurement strategies, and risk allocation; expert negotiator with a fair and ethical mindset.

• Strong financial acumen; ability to make sound pricing decisions with explicit margin accountability, and to communicate the consequences of those decisions to executive leadership.

• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills; ability to synthesize complex pricing information for Board, Executive Leadership, and C-suite client audiences.

• Advanced proficiency in estimating technology and preconstruction platforms (Building Connected, Sage Estimating, Timberline, WinEst, or comparable).

• Advanced proficiency in scheduling; ability to set organizational estimating-phase scheduling standards and direct scheduling work across multiple platforms (MS Project, Primavera P6, and Smartsheet).

• Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel for portfolio-level pricing and risk analysis.

• Proficiency in the Microsoft Office suite (Word, Outlook, PowerPoint) and Bluebeam.

• Strategic and operational leadership capacity; calm, precise, and decisive under pursuit pressure.

• Ability to travel up to 35% depending on pursuit activity and client engagement needs.

Preferred

• Master’s degree in a relevant field (MBA, Construction Management, Data Analytics, or similar).

• Relevant professional license, certification, or registration (PE, AIA, PMP, CPE, CCP, LEED AP, ASHE CHC, or similar).

• Established presence in the DMC, modular, or industrialized construction industry, including speaking, publishing, or participation in cost benchmarking and standards bodies.

• Demonstrated capacity to set analytical and data requirements for the estimating organization; ability to evaluate whether the right pricing analysis is being performed, not only whether the number is correct.

• Demonstrated ability to set organizational standards for cost modeling, estimating, and financial analysis; fluency reviewing complex pricing models at an executive level.

• Ability to interpret CAD, Revit, or SolidWorks models sufficient to lead constructability and design strategy discussions during pursuit, and to drive model-based quantification.

• Working understanding of Python, SQL, and data modeling tools sufficient to evaluate and sponsor their application within the estimating database and pricing workflows.

• Working knowledge of AI/ML, statistical modeling, and data engineering concepts sufficient to set organizational adoption strategy for estimating intelligence and direct investment.

• Demonstrated ability to champion adoption of AI tools such as Claude.ai, Claude Code, Lovable, or Replit across estimating and preconstruction organizations; proven track record establishing adoption standards and performance benchmarks.

• Experience directing ERP reporting and data strategy (Microsoft Dynamics Business Central or comparable) for preconstruction and estimating cost actuals and historical reconciliation.

• Demonstrated senior-level leadership experience in estimating, cost analysis, or data analytics within construction, manufacturing, or related industries.

• Experience operating within modular construction, industrialized construction, or design-build environments.

Benefits

BLOX offers the full spectrum of comprehensive benefits including health, dental, and vision insurance. We also offer flexible spending accounts, paid time off, short term disability, long term disability, life insurance and a 401k plan.

BLOX believes in the growth of our people. We provide support for employees pursuing licenses/certifications, creating clear pathways for skill development and career advancement.

BLOX LLC is committed to making employment decisions based on an individual’s qualifications, performance, and ability to contribute to our team. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and do not discriminate based on race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.

We are equally committed to maintaining a respectful and inclusive workplace. Harassment or discrimination of any kind based on a protected status is strictly prohibited.