Preconstruction Manager
Location: Hybrid or Remote
Employment Status: Full Time
Compensation: $115,000 – $145,000 Annually + Bonus
Travel: Up to 20%
On Call: No
Who We Are
Thermo Systems is a global, full-service control systems integration partner delivering premier class automation solutions across the Energy, Life Sciences, and Mission Critical markets.
Guided by The Thermo Way, we are unified, dynamic, and committed to delivering excellence. Our culture is grounded in three core principles:
- Employee Success – investing in our people and their growth
- Customer Success – delivering reliable, high-quality solutions
- Financial Strength – operating with discipline and long-term focus
We believe strong teams, trusted partnerships, and technical excellence drive sustainable success.
The Opportunity
The Preconstruction Manager (PreM) is a results-driven sales professional who is responsible for delivering accurate, competitive, and technically sound solutions during the sales stage. This role serves as a subject matter expert (SME) in controls design and construction means, methods, pricing strategy, and cost modeling, ensuring projects are positioned for successful execution from concept through handoff to operations.
The ideal candidate brings deep technical estimating experience, strong analytical capabilities, and the ability to influence decision-making through data-driven insights and industry expertise. The PreM must also have a proven track record collaborating with influencers and decision makers on the customer’s organization and project team (Owner, EPC/A&E/Engineer/MEP/Construction firm) and lead with a solution-first mindset.
What You’ll Do
Core Responsibilities:
- Meet or exceed annual goals.
- Partner with other Sales Team members to align project deliverables with customer requirements.
- Engage proactively with customers, general contractors (GCs), subcontractors, and vendors to support project development.
- Communicate clearly and effectively with stakeholders, providing technical guidance, advice, and recommendations.
- Act as a subject matter expert (SME) for focused market and customers, ensuring alignment with industry standards and client-specific requirements.
- Offer value-added engineering solutions and design strategies that enhance efficiency, reduce costs, and strengthen proposals.
- Stay current on design innovations, industry trends, and evolving market standards.
- Lead technical development of project estimates and direct Lead Sales Engineers (LSEs) and Sales Engineers (SEs) in defining scope and developing solutions.
- Review specifications, verify takeoffs, and plan labor requirements in collaboration with Operations to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
- Incorporate lessons learned from past projects to improve cost competitiveness and future estimating practices.
- Lead seamless transitions from preconstruction to Operations by clearly communicating risks, critical project details, and design intent.
- Present Thermo Systems’ solutions with clarity and confidence both internally with teams and externally to customers.
- Represent the firm at industry events and within professional societies.
- Show familiarity and ensure adherence to industry standards and expectations as applicable.
Collaboration & Communication:
- Coordinate with cross-functional teams to align scope, schedule, and deliverables.
- Communicate clearly and proactively with internal teams, customers, and partners.
- Identify and escalate risks, constraints, or scope changes early.
Quality, Safety & Process
- Adhere to company policies, QMS requirements, and established safety standards.
- Deliver accurate, high-quality results with strong attention to detail.
- Identify opportunities for process improvement and contribute to stronger execution and efficiency.
What We’re Looking For
Education & Experience:
- Bachelor of Science; in Engineering or Business, or other pertinent curriculum combined with relevant experience.
- Typically, 5-10 years minimum experience in relevant industry.
Skills & Qualifications:
- Highly self-motivated, proactive, results-oriented, hard-working, accountable, collaborative, team player.
- Effective communication and active listening skills.
- Excellent interpersonal, communication, creativity, and presentation skills.
- Ability to work autonomously and manage priorities while meeting deadlines.
- Sound problem-solving and decision-making skills.
- Commitment to quality, safety, continuous learning, and personal growth.
- Clearly articulate value and demonstrate how solutions map to a customer’s needs.
- Adept at uncovering customer pain points and crafting solutions that align with technical and business needs.
- Knowledge of automation systems in critical environments (e.g., BMS, EPMS). Familiar with platforms such as Rockwell, Schneider Electric, Siemens, or similar.
- Strong competency with Microsoft Office, PDF software, CRM platforms, etc.
What You’ll Get
- Competitive compensation with annual bonus opportunity
- 401(k) with company match
- Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage with low-cost options
- Paid time off and sick leave
- Tuition reimbursement and professional credential support
- In-house and external technical training opportunities
- Exposure to complex, high-impact automation projects
- A collaborative culture built on integrity, accountability, and teamwork
- Learn more at www.thermosystems.com
Work Environment & Physical Requirements
The physical and environmental demands described here are representative of those required to perform the essential functions of this role. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions.
Equal Employment Opportunity
Thermo Systems provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetics, or any other protected status.
Disclaimer
This job description outlines the general nature and level of work expected. Responsibilities may evolve based on business needs.
Skills Required
- Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Business, or related field
- 5-10 years experience in relevant industry (preconstruction, estimating, controls)
- Proven technical estimating and cost modeling experience
- Knowledge of automation systems in critical environments (BMS, EPMS)
- Familiarity with platforms such as Rockwell, Schneider Electric, Siemens
- Strong competency with Microsoft Office, PDF software, and CRM platforms
- Excellent communication, presentation, and stakeholder engagement skills
- Ability to lead and collaborate with cross-functional teams and Sales Engineers
What We Do
Thermo Systems is a full-service control systems integration partner, providing world-class automation solutions within the Energy, Life Sciences, and Mission Critical markets. We excel at managing and delivering turnkey projects to our EPC & AE partners while also specializing in customized direct-to-owner solutions, focusing on industries where we can offer unmatched domain knowledge to deliver the best possible services and technologies for your needs. By investing in our people, we provide a project team with the skill and expertise to overcome your biggest industrial automation and information challenges. To reinforce our commitment to serving our customers locally, we have engineers located throughout North America and Europe. Each office is staffed with automation experts who excel at our focus industries and fit the Thermo culture of encouraging professional growth to exceed customer expectations.
