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Building the Digital Infrastructure of Tomorrow | Veteran Development & Recruiting
The Role
Lead owner-side preconstruction for large-scale data center projects: manage design coordination, GC/subcontractor procurement, bid leveling, estimating, master schedule, permitting, long-lead equipment planning, risk workshops, and handoff to construction.
Summary Generated by Built In
About Overwatch Mission Critical
Overwatch is a service-disabled Veteran-owned small business (SDVOB) certified through the National Veterans Business Development Council (NVBDC), offering construction professional services, talent acquisition, and general contractor services for the mission-critical infrastructure industry.
Our mission is the construction and management of state-of-the-art data centers with the precision and reliability this industry demands. From high-end engineers to seasoned professionals, we deploy the people you need to get your data center off the ground. At Overwatch, it's more than a job — it's purpose.
Overview
We are seeking an experienced Preconstruction Manager to lead and manage all pre-construction activities on behalf of the owner for a new, large-scale data center construction program. This individual will serve as the owner's primary representative during the critical planning, design, procurement, and contracting phases — before a shovel hits the ground — ensuring that the project is set up for successful execution.
The ideal candidate is equally comfortable in a design coordination meeting, a GC bid leveling session, and a contract negotiation. They bring sharp commercial instincts, strong relationships with the construction market, and the discipline to drive early-phase decisions that protect the owner's schedule, budget, and quality objectives.
Key Responsibilities
- Lead preconstruction planning efforts on behalf of the owner, including programming, design phase management, and constructability review.
- Manage the GC and major subcontractor procurement process: develop bid packages, conduct pre-bid meetings, evaluate proposals, and provide award recommendations to the owner.
- Perform detailed bid leveling and scope gap analysis to ensure complete and competitive pricing; identify scope overlaps, exclusions, and clarifications.
- Develop and maintain the owner's preconstruction budget, including early-phase estimates, GMP validation, and contingency tracking.
- Coordinate design team deliverables (civil, architectural, structural, MEP) and drive the drawing and specification development schedule.
- Lead constructability and value engineering (VE) reviews with the design team and GC; present findings and recommendations to the owner.
- Establish and manage the project's master schedule framework from design through construction turnover, in coordination with the Scheduler (DC-SCH-003).
- Oversee permitting strategy and coordinate with the design team and authorities having jurisdiction (AHJs) to maintain schedule alignment.
- Manage long-lead equipment procurement identification and recommendation, including transformers, switchgear, generators, UPS, and cooling plant.
- Facilitate design-phase risk workshops; document risks, owners, and mitigation strategies in a formal risk register.
- Prepare regular preconstruction status reports and present project readiness updates to the owner's leadership team.
- Ensure a seamless handoff to the General Construction Manager (DC-GCM-001) at construction mobilization.
Required Qualifications
- 8+ years of preconstruction or construction management experience, with at least 3 years supporting owner-side or CM-at-risk preconstruction on large-scale projects.
- Demonstrated experience managing GC/subcontractor procurement processes including RFQ, RFP, bid leveling, and contract negotiation.
- Strong estimating and cost management skills; ability to review, validate, and challenge GC GMP submissions.
- Working knowledge of design phase management including drawing review, RFI tracking, and specification coordination.
- Experience developing and managing master project schedules from design through construction.
- Proficiency in Procore, Bluebeam Revu, and Microsoft Office Suite.
- Ability to read and interpret full construction document sets across all disciplines.
- OSHA 30 certification required.
Nice to Have Qualifications
- Direct experience on data center, mission-critical, or advanced manufacturing preconstruction programs.
- Familiarity with long-lead MEP equipment procurement strategies and lead-time risk management.
- Experience with GMP contract structures, open-book estimating, and target value design processes.
- PMP, CCM, or DBIA credential.
- Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Architecture, or related field.
Data Center Years Experience Needed
- 3 Years
Driver’s License Requirement:
For roles that require on-site presence or travel between work locations as an essential function of the position, candidates must possess and maintain a valid driver’s license appropriate for the role and be eligible to operate a motor vehicle in accordance with applicable laws.
Communication Skills:
Demonstrated ability to communicate effectively in a professional work environment, including preparing written reports and documentation, conveying information clearly to team members, clients, and stakeholders, and responding appropriately to verbal and written communications related to job duties.
Physical Requirements and Work Environment
This position operates primarily in an active data center construction environment, encompassing both indoor and outdoor work settings. The role requires the physical ability to perform essential job functions safely and effectively in a dynamic environment that includes ongoing construction activity and evolving site conditions.
The work environment includes areas and temporary structures owned, leased, or controlled by third parties over which Overwatch may have limited or no control. Because the project remains under construction, certain areas of the site — including access routes, staging zones, and temporary structures — may not yet be fully ADA-compliant until construction is complete or those third-party areas are finalized.
Physical Requirements:
- Must be able to walk, stand, stoop, twist, bend, and climb stairs or ladders for extended periods while navigating uneven, unpaved, or obstructed terrain.
- Must be able to lift, carry, push, or pull up to 50 pounds on an occasional basis.
- Must be able to drive between job sites and access all areas of an active construction zone, including raised platforms, scaffolding, and confined spaces.
- Must be able to tolerate exposure to outdoor weather conditions, dust, and construction-related noise, vibrations, and odors.
- Must be able to communicate effectively with contractors, engineers, and site personnel, and maintain situational awareness in high-activity environments.
- Personal protective equipment (PPE), including hard hats, safety vests, hearing protection, and steel-toe boots, is required.
- Must have sufficient visual acuity to read drawings, specifications, and safety signage, and to observe site activity.
Work Environment:
Work is performed primarily in and around active construction areas, which may include unfinished buildings, temporary field offices, staging areas, and partially completed infrastructure. These locations may contain uneven surfaces, limited accessibility, and other conditions typical of construction projects prior to final completion. Overwatch does not control and cannot modify accessibility conditions within areas, facilities, or temporary structures owned or managed by third parties.
Reasonable Accommodation:
Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable qualified individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position, provided such accommodations do not create safety hazards, impede essential mobility within active work zones, or require modification of facilities not owned or controlled by Overwatch.
Benefits:
Overwatch Construction offers a competitive salary and benefits package, including health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, life insurance, 401(k) retirement plan and paid time off.
Skills Required
- 8+ years preconstruction or construction management experience, including at least 3 years owner-side or CM-at-risk preconstruction on large-scale projects
- Experience managing GC/subcontractor procurement processes (RFQ, RFP), bid leveling, and contract negotiation
- Strong estimating and cost management skills; ability to review, validate, and challenge GC GMP submissions
- Working knowledge of design phase management including drawing review, RFI tracking, and specification coordination
- Experience developing and managing master project schedules from design through construction
- Proficiency in Procore, Bluebeam Revu, and Microsoft Office Suite
- Ability to read and interpret full construction document sets across all disciplines
- OSHA 30 certification
- Valid driver's license and ability to drive between job sites
- Minimum 3 years direct data center experience
- Direct experience on data center, mission-critical, or advanced manufacturing preconstruction programs
- Familiarity with long-lead MEP equipment procurement strategies and lead-time risk management
- Experience with GMP contract structures, open-book estimating, and target value design processes
- PMP, CCM, or DBIA credential
- Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, Architecture, or related field
- Physical ability to work in active construction environments and lift up to 50 pounds
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The Company
What We Do
The fifth industrial revolution is here, and it runs on data centers and the skilled labor who build and sustain them. Behind every AI breakthrough, cloud platform, and digital connection is a data center, and behind every data center are the people who build, commission, and operate them. By bringing blue-collar jobs back to the front lines of innovation, Overwatch(SDVOSB) is proving that the future of technology depends on human expertise as much as it does on machines. Your mission-critical journey starts and scales with us. We deliver end-to-end solutions for the data center lifecycle, design, build, staffing, and sustainment, powered by a workforce you can trust.
