Director of Pre–Construction

Role Overview 

The primary responsibility of the Director is to ensure our homes meet our client’s needs and to provide a clear, fully specified package to our construction team. This individual will lead a team of client-facing sales engineers (Small Home Advisors) and backyard office support staff (architects, engineers, etc.) The Director will also nurture relationships with pre-construction subcontractors (surveyors, wetland scientists, septic engineers) and with the municipalities in which we build. 

The Director should also develop and maintain a culture of empathy for clients. The Director must help their team bridge the gap between client budgets and the realities of construction costs while acting as the Client’s Fiduciary in providing advice and recommendations. The pre-construction team’s fiduciary responsibility to the client extends from Initial feasibility to Move-in and beyond.

This position reports directly to the Chief Executive Officer for Backyard ADU’s.


Organizational

  • Develop personnel goals within the pre-construction team.

  • Lead, train, mentor and motivate all personnel within the pre-construction team to
    achieve goals and objectives.

  • Evaluate the performance of personal goals and objectives.

  • Recruit and select appropriate team members as necessary to develop
    organizational culture, values, and reputation with Backyard ADUs’ customers, suppliers, home factory, municipal officers, and subcontractors.

Strategic and General Planning

  • assist in the planning, development, and implementation of the Company’s Strategic
    Plan objectives within the Backyard ADU’s pre-construction team(s).

  • identify opportunities for the company for growth and utilization of resources.

  • serve on appropriate Backyard ADUs committees.

Operational

  • Keep Backyard’s rolling construction schedule full, without gaps, and with a 5-month lead time. The director is not responsible for inbound/outbound lead generation, however, they are fully responsible for moving projects efficiently through the design, contracting, and permitting process.

  • Facilitate team meetings and set weekly project milestone completion objectives based on filling the company’s construction schedule. The Director will balance Feasibility Study deadlines with hitting Design Client milestones. 

  • Approve home designs, site work specifications, utility connection details, and delivery/crane logistics 

  • Collaborate with their team on home designs, site work specifications, utility connection details, and delivery/crane logistics, and client requirements

  • Manage relationship with Backyard’s construction team to solicit advice on home designs, site work specifications, utility connection details, and delivery/crane logistics 

  • Review and approve contract documentation 

  • Manage relationships with factory production & engineering team 

  • Stay informed of the factory’s backlog to ensure Backyard’s construction schedule is aligned with the factory

  • Develop/finalize project budgets using Backyard internal cost estimating tools

  • Finalize/approve budgets with input from the Director of Construction management as necessary

  • Maintain & develop Backyard’s list of design/finish choices with input from design professionals and vendors

  • Ensure clients are kept informed about their projects during the planning phase and during home construction

  • Maintain relationships with pre-construction subcontractors

Individuals must be...

  • Be able to maintain empathy for the client while providing advice on difficult decisions about budgets and project specifications. 

  • Be able to develop a remote working environment

  • Willing to take personal accountability and responsibility for the
    assigned projects.

  • Willing to accept feedback, constructive criticism, and direction regarding your
    roles and responsibilities and performance thereof.

  • Familiar with and understand the key concepts of project management, overhead/indirect management, safety and environmental operations, risk assessment, leadership and team building.

  • Must be a strong leader and be open and capable of looking at challenges from multiple perspectives to make the best decisions for Backyard ADU’s as a whole.

  • Capable of promoting, encouraging, and executing strong communication skills across Backyards Pre-Construction, Construction, Factory, and Finance teams. 

  • Able to develop personal goals and objectives in line with company objectives

  • Familiar with organizing project budgets, work orders, and change
    orders.

  • Familiar with contract and specification review.

Skills and Abilities

Individuals must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily and possess the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required, including:

NOTE: an extremely well-organized Director ready to build a team is preferred over an expert designer or engineer.

  • Experience with home building and/or manufactured housing operations

  • Able to excel with a remote team and develop strong relationships without a daily physical presence

  • Excellent aptitude for planning small spaces, both inside and outside of a home. 

  • Knowledge of administrative and clerical procedures and systems such as word
    processing, spreadsheets (Excel and Google Sheets), managing files and records (Google Drive), and other procedures and terminology.

  • Ability to speak effectively before the public, customers or employees of an organization.

  • Ability to provide guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.

  • Ability to distribute effective information to co-workers, and subordinates in a remote environment 

  • Actively supports and commits to Backyard ADUs’ mission, vision, and values

  • Skilled in using design software (Revit, Chief, and AutoCad)

Qualifications

  • Degree or licensure in architecture or civil engineering

  • Minimum of 10 years of experience in the design and project planning of residential or commercial construction projects 

Hours 

Working hours are flexible in order to balance personal life and client service, e.g. If work can take a Saturday, life can take a Thursday. 

  • 40 hours of direct project work

  • 5 hours of local community involvement 

  • Self-driven continuing education is expected outside of direct project work. 

Location

  • Remote or from Maine Home Office

  • Must live in Maine, Massachusetts or Southern New Hampshire

  • Willing to travel to client site or Maine home office 2 days per week

Pay

Base Salary: $125,000 – $175,000 

Benefits

  • 401k matching

  • Employee paid HSA

  • 4-week paid vacation plus national holidays

  • Either personal or company phone paid for

  • End of the Year Profit Sharing

  • Management approved continued education

How To Apply

If interested in applying, send a resume and cover letter to info@backyardadus.com

If the job is listed as a regional position on our current openings page, please include which region you are applying for.