Director, Pre-Construction & Scheduling

Who You Are (Job Summary)

The Director, Pre-Construction & Scheduling is responsible for establishing and governing the processes, standards, systems, and controls that enable predictable execution across the QTS Development portfolio. Serving as a strategic partner to regional development execution teams, this leader oversees portfolio-wide planning, pre-construction governance, schedule management, cost and schedule compliance, production reporting, risk management, contractor evaluation support, and project controls functions.

Reporting to the VP, Development Pre-Construction & Scheduling, this role develops and drives the standards, metrics, and governance necessary to improve delivery predictability, increase organizational consistency, and provide leadership with visibility into cost, schedule, and execution risks across a rapidly growing development portfolio.

What You Will Do (Job Responsibilities)

Portfolio Planning & Controls Leadership

• Lead development and implementation of enterprise planning and controls processes across the Development organization.
• Establish governance frameworks supporting project planning, cost management, schedule management, and execution readiness.
• Partner with Development executives to improve portfolio predictability, performance measurement, and project outcomes.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives across pre-construction, project controls, and schedule management functions.
• Develop organizational standards, templates, methodologies, and best practices.

Pre-Construction & Development Planning

• Support project evaluation and early-stage planning activities.
• Lead development and maintenance of cost, schedule, and execution planning standards.
• Provide oversight of estimating methodologies, budgeting assumptions, and cost benchmarking programs.
• Evaluate contractor proposals, schedules, commercial terms, and project delivery strategies.
• Identify value engineering opportunities and risk mitigation strategies during project development.
• Support procurement, contract administration, and work authorization processes.

Schedule Governance & Production Tracking

• Establish portfolio-wide scheduling standards and governance processes.
• Define schedule compliance requirements and performance expectations.
• Lead production tracking, forecasting, and schedule analytics initiatives.
• Develop executive reporting tools and dashboards supporting project and portfolio management.
• Identify emerging schedule risks and coordinate intervention strategies when required.
• Maintain enterprise schedule risk management and escalation processes.

Portfolio Reporting & Analytics

• Develop and maintain performance metrics that provide insight into portfolio health, project execution, schedule performance, and cost management.
• Ensure consistent and accurate reporting throughout the Development organization.
• Partner with Data & Analytics teams to improve reporting capabilities and data quality.
• Deliver executive-level insights and recommendations based on portfolio performance trends.
• Establish KPIs and reporting frameworks supporting strategic decision-making.

Risk Management & Compliance

• Lead development and implementation of portfolio risk management processes.
• Monitor compliance with approved development standards, planning requirements, schedules, budgets, and governance expectations.
• Drive identification, escalation, and resolution of significant project risks.
• Collaborate with Development, Procurement, Finance, Quality, and Design & Engineering leaders to mitigate delivery risks.
• Establish project intervention processes for underperforming or high-risk initiatives.

People Leadership

• Build, develop, and lead teams responsible for development planning, controls, analytics, scheduling, pre-construction, and project governance functions.
• Establish performance expectations and technical standards.
• Mentor and develop future functional leaders within the organization.
• Drive organizational capability building related to project controls and portfolio management.

(Required Qualifications)

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Project Management, Business, or related field.
• Nine or more years of experience in project controls, construction management, pre-construction, scheduling, development, or similar disciplines.
• Three or more years of direct people leadership experience.
• Experience managing complex capital projects or programs.
• Demonstrated expertise in planning, cost management, scheduling, project controls, governance, and risk management.
• Proven experience developing enterprise standards, reporting, and performance management processes.
• Strong collaboration skills and ability to influence leaders across a matrixed organization.
• Strong analytical, business, and executive communication capabilities.

Nice to Have

• Twelve or more years of construction, development, project controls, or related experience.
• Data center, mission-critical, or large-scale infrastructure development experience.
• MBA, master's degree, PMP, CCM, PSP, or other relevant professional certification.
• Expertise with scheduling, project controls, analytics, and portfolio management tools including Primavera P6, Power BI, Tableau, Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, or similar platforms.
• Experience establishing new organizational functions and operating models.
• Advanced experience leading enterprise transformation or process improvement initiatives.

Other Key Skills (KSAs)

• Strong knowledge of project planning, pre-construction, scheduling, project controls, and portfolio governance.
• Ability to analyze complex business and project data to identify risks, trends, and opportunities.
• Knowledge of cost management, schedule management, contractor procurement, and risk mitigation practices.
• Ability to develop KPIs, dashboards, reporting frameworks, and executive-level insights.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to build teams, develop talent, and drive accountability.
• Ability to influence and collaborate effectively across a highly matrixed organization.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
• Proven ability to lead process improvement, standardization, and organizational change initiatives.
• Proficiency with project controls, scheduling, analytics, and reporting platforms.
• Demonstrated strategic thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making capabilities.

In accordance with applicable law, the following represents a reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation for this role if hired in Virginia. Please note that this information is provided for those hired in Virginia only, and this role is open to candidates outside of Virginia with compensation that aligns with your location. The successful candidate’s starting salary will be determined based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as skills, experience, and geographic location.

The estimated pay range for this role, if based in Virginia, is

$144,727.50 - 218,056.10

Please note that this information is provided for those hired in Virginia only, and this role is open to candidates outside of Virginia with compensation that aligns with your location. The successful candidate’s starting salary will be determined based on permissible, non-discriminatory factors such as skills, experience, and geographic location. This role is also eligible for a competitive benefits package that includes: medical, dental, vision, life, and disability insurance; 401(k) retirement plan; flexible spending savings account; paid holidays; paid time off; employee assistance program; and other company benefits.

We conform to all the laws, statutes, and regulations concerning equal employment opportunities and affirmative action. We strongly encourage women, minorities, individuals with disabilities and veterans to apply to all of our job openings. We are an equal opportunity employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or national origin, age, disability status, Genetic Information & Testing, Family & Medical Leave, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. We prohibit retaliation against individuals who bring forth any complaint, orally or in writing, to the employer or the government, or against any individuals who assist or participate in the investigation of any complaint or discrimination claim.

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QTS is committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you need a reasonable accommodation because of a disability for any part of the employment process, please send an e-mail to talentacquisition@qtsdatacenters.com and let us know the nature of your request and your contact information.