Mackenzie Eason & Associates has been retained by Cornerstone Projects Group to help recruit the Director of Construction. Cornerstone prides itself on fostering a flexible culture that promotes a balance of work-life and family values. They are a close-knit team of leaders with high expectations of quality products and customer service. They are founded on Christian principles, which set the expectation of how people act at the office and treat their colleagues and customers. They seek an independent, entrepreneurial leader to grow with the company and become a key member of their supportive work family that shares in their founding principles.
Reporting to the President, the Director of Construction will oversee and monitor all stages of the design-build project life-cycle. At Cornerstone, no two projects are alike. This full-time position offers an opportunity to contribute to interesting projects with a diverse group of clients, including the commercial, health care, retail, worship, and multi-family housing sectors. As an organization, they will lean on the Director of Construction’s project management expertise and knowledge to negotiate contracts and ensure project delivery according to schedule and budgetary parameters.
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Cornerstone knows and appreciates the North Texas market. Their mission is to breathe life into underdeveloped urban areas and revitalize historical districts to become attractive destinations for residents, employers, and retailers. By balancing consumer needs with environmental stewardship, their sustainable method increases the real estate’s value to the city, and most importantly, makes a difference in the communities they serve.
Cornerstone Projects Group offers commercial clients an unrivaled service and a commitment founded on the simple principle of stewardship: lead in the development, architecture, and construction of real estate investments by serving each client's individual needs. Their team of experienced professionals collaborates to provide a complete solution, managing all aspects of real estate development, including site selection, concept, financing procurement, permits, design, and construction so their clients can focus on what they do best. Additionally, the Director of Construction will be heavily involved with in-house development projects, determining how deals are structured and how construction is integrated into those decisions.
Reporting to the President, the Director of Construction will oversee and monitor all stages of the design-build project life-cycle. At Cornerstone, no two projects are alike. This full-time position offers an opportunity to contribute to interesting projects with a diverse group of clients, including the commercial, health care, retail, worship, and multi-family housing sectors. As an organization, they will lean on the Director of Construction’s project management expertise and knowledge to negotiate contracts and ensure project delivery according to schedule and budgetary parameters.
Based in Fort Worth, Texas, Cornerstone knows and appreciates the North Texas market. Their mission is to breathe life into underdeveloped urban areas and revitalize historical districts to become attractive destinations for residents, employers, and retailers. By balancing consumer needs with environmental stewardship, their sustainable method increases the real estate’s value to the city, and most importantly, makes a difference in the communities they serve.
Cornerstone Projects Group offers commercial clients an unrivaled service and a commitment founded on the simple principle of stewardship: lead in the development, architecture, and construction of real estate investments by serving each client's individual needs. Their team of experienced professionals collaborates to provide a complete solution, managing all aspects of real estate development, including site selection, concept, financing procurement, permits, design, and construction so their clients can focus on what they do best. Additionally, the Director of Construction will be heavily involved with in-house development projects, determining how deals are structured and how construction is integrated into those decisions.
The Opportunity
The Director of Construction is responsible for overseeing multiple construction projects, all of which are in different phases from conception to completion. Responsibilities include planning and coordinating logistics, managing contractors, subcontractors, and vendors, and liaising with clients. He/she will oversee construction projects to completion by handling planning, budgeting, and making critical decisions to ensure that construction projects conform to the proposed budget and are completed on time.
In addition to traditional scheduling and coordination, this role includes critical and diverse duties in the planning and design phases, assisting the owner and designer in planning, reviewing plans and specifications, determining construction feasibility, providing budget estimates showing both soft and hard costs, coming up with ways to reduce budgets, such as utilizing alternative building materials when necessary, and negotiating contracts with vendors and other professionals, including when changes occur.
An integral role of the Director of Construction is the communication and documentation between the project stakeholders, including owners, developers, designers, and Cornerstone construction teams. The Director of Construction is required to attend and proactively participate in construction meetings to communicate with staff, supervisors, and other parties involved in the construction project to discuss budgets, plans, and goals. The Director manages schedules of work and delegates tasks to senior colleagues, and teams to ensure that each phase of multiple project builds is completed as planned and monitors the progress along the way efficiently, timely, and cost-effectively.
Some challenges that the Director of Construction will address over the next 3-5 years include:
Business development is entirely about building relationships to increase or maintain revenue. No matter where you sit in the Cornerstone office, everyone is responsible for some aspect of business development. Whether simply providing a timely answer or attending a client’s sponsored golf tournament, everyone has a role to play.
In addition to traditional scheduling and coordination, this role includes critical and diverse duties in the planning and design phases, assisting the owner and designer in planning, reviewing plans and specifications, determining construction feasibility, providing budget estimates showing both soft and hard costs, coming up with ways to reduce budgets, such as utilizing alternative building materials when necessary, and negotiating contracts with vendors and other professionals, including when changes occur.
An integral role of the Director of Construction is the communication and documentation between the project stakeholders, including owners, developers, designers, and Cornerstone construction teams. The Director of Construction is required to attend and proactively participate in construction meetings to communicate with staff, supervisors, and other parties involved in the construction project to discuss budgets, plans, and goals. The Director manages schedules of work and delegates tasks to senior colleagues, and teams to ensure that each phase of multiple project builds is completed as planned and monitors the progress along the way efficiently, timely, and cost-effectively.
Some challenges that the Director of Construction will address over the next 3-5 years include:
- Balance a large workload with a small team. The Director of Construction needs to be comfortable delegating and communicating the need to hire support staff to ensure timely quality project delivery while keeping employees engaged.
- Cornerstone is poised for rapid growth with the matrix now in place, expecting to triple in size and volume. The Director of Construction will need to create a long-term vision, then structure and manage the department to ensure seamless delivery.
- Issues and changes arise in construction all the time. Therefore, flexibility, maintaining composure under pressure, and managing them with a level of grace and dignity is very important.
Business development is entirely about building relationships to increase or maintain revenue. No matter where you sit in the Cornerstone office, everyone is responsible for some aspect of business development. Whether simply providing a timely answer or attending a client’s sponsored golf tournament, everyone has a role to play.
The Ideal Candidate
The ideal candidate will be a refined, connected construction project leader with proven experience in the traditional project management duties of cost estimating, budget controls, scheduling, organizational management, quality assurance, and a commitment to meeting clients' expectations. He/ she must have experience generating quality reports and managing data with Procore construction management software, being accountable for daily logs, budgeting, invoicing, monthly financial reporting to owners, and billing. Knowledge of Texas building regulations, building code compliance, and contract law is necessary for preparing, modifying, and tailoring project-specific documents, including RFP/RFQs, General Conditions, and scoping documents, to comply with all applicable laws and codes.
The best candidate will have established relationships with local DFW vendors and suppliers to motivate the project workflow at all stages of project delivery. In addition, he/ she must have demonstrated success navigating the often-competing needs of the owners, construction management teams, and administrators in the delivery of design-build projects. They will also communicate effectively, both written and orally, the project’s progress and commitment in developing and deploying the design-build delivery model in coordination with all applicable internal/external agencies.
The next Director of Construction must be a collaborative, innovative, astute strategic thinker who leads by example with an inclusive, team-building approach. The successful candidate should exhibit strong personal leadership skills that can mentor a young and talented team. He/ she must demonstrate a reliable, responsive and positive work ethic with the highest degree of integrity and attention to detail. Key leadership qualities and competencies necessary to succeed as the Director of Construction include:
The ideal candidate will possess experience, knowledge, and skills in the following areas:
The best candidate will have established relationships with local DFW vendors and suppliers to motivate the project workflow at all stages of project delivery. In addition, he/ she must have demonstrated success navigating the often-competing needs of the owners, construction management teams, and administrators in the delivery of design-build projects. They will also communicate effectively, both written and orally, the project’s progress and commitment in developing and deploying the design-build delivery model in coordination with all applicable internal/external agencies.
The next Director of Construction must be a collaborative, innovative, astute strategic thinker who leads by example with an inclusive, team-building approach. The successful candidate should exhibit strong personal leadership skills that can mentor a young and talented team. He/ she must demonstrate a reliable, responsive and positive work ethic with the highest degree of integrity and attention to detail. Key leadership qualities and competencies necessary to succeed as the Director of Construction include:
- Thinking Strategically - Thinks strategically and promotes best practices and leading-edge ideas.
- Deciding and Initiating Action - Takes responsibility for actions, projects, and people; makes quick, clear decisions which may include tough choices, after considering risks.
- Delivering Results - Sets high standards for quality, quantity, and timelines. Focuses on customer needs and satisfaction. Consistently achieves project goals.
- Persuading and Influence - Gains clear agreement and commitment from others by persuading, convincing, and negotiating. Makes effective use of processes to influence others.
- Coaching - Provides others with clear direction, motivates, and empowers. Provides staff with development opportunities and coaching.
The ideal candidate will possess experience, knowledge, and skills in the following areas:
- Estimating construction costs at all phases of the project lifecycle.
- Knowledge of various contracts, including owner and subcontractor agreements. Proficient in contract language and contract mechanisms for changes in scope and budget. Will negotiate and draft contract language independently.
- Capable of independent project management studies, reports, analyses, interpretations, and recommendations.
- Knowledge of the appropriate documents and procedures and experience with developing and implementing models where the client was utilizing design-build or a similar model for the first time.
- Experience utilizing the “best-value method” versus the “lowest responsible bidder method.”
- Knowledge of bench markings other firms have made and how these issues are approached differently.
- Conflict resolution, negotiation, and risk management.
- Analyze and interpret plans and specifications, government regulations, and building codes.
- Exercise judgment and discretion on the interpretation of codes, guidelines, and as-built conditions related to design-build.
- Set priorities and manage competing demands.
Required Professional Experience, Education, and Licenses
- BA or BS in Construction Science, Engineering, Construction Technology, or Construction Management.
- 15+ years project-related experience managing simple to complex and/or design-build projects.
- Five years of extensive project management experience advising design-build contracts of office, retail, and multifamily commercial projects greater than $5 million in value.
- Procore and Microsoft Office Suite
Preferred Licenses and Certifications
- Professional Licensure is preferred
- A valid Construction Manager (CCM) credential by the Construction Manager Certification Institute (CMCI) or a Project Management Certificate by Project Management Institute (PMI) or Design Build Institute of America Certificate (DBIA)
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Mackenzie Eason & Associates is a performance driven retained executive search firm, focused on delivering measurable results. We are boutique by design – allowing us to eliminate the conflict issues of larger firms and engage in a more collaborative search process. Our partners enter into engagements selectively, limiting the number of searches at any given time in order to maintain the highest level of accountability to each client. We employ a unique methodology, utilizing a highly customized and targeted approach to each search, and a follow through process that further ensures client satisfaction and increased placement success. We also know the importance of diversity to creating long-term strength for an organization, and at MEA, we are committed to delivering a more diverse range of candidates to reflect today’s increasingly inclusive workforce.
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