Director of Construction

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The Director of Construction is a new position responsible for leading construction project oversight for Vanderbilt University Facilities Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) office. The Director of Construction will serve as the senior PDC leader managing the execution of all Vanderbilt University (VU) construction projects and provides construction project guidance and assistance to other PDC Directorates, VU Maintenance Operations, and Vanderbilt's Academic and Athletic Dean's offices. This position will routinely communicate (orally and in writing) with the other senior officials, including the Chief Facilities Officer, Academic Units, the Chief Financial Officer and the Chancellors Office. This position serves as the senior construction engineer within VU Facilities and reports directly to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Planning, Design and Construction.

The Director of Construction will be responsible for leading and managing all construction' projects within for all Vanderbilt sites, striving to minimize disruptions to VU operations and personnel while maximizing financial efficiency. Total cost per project may range from $20K - $500M .

About Vanderbilt University:

Vanderbilt is a renowned private institution founded in 1873 located a little more than a mile from downtown Nashville, TN. The university's students, faculty, staff and visitors frequently cite Nashville as one of the perks of Vanderbilt. VU is a place where your expertise will be valued, your knowledge expanded, and your abilities challenged. It is a place where your bigger than themselves, take exceptional pride in their work and never settle for what was good enough yesterday.

About the Work Unit:

Planning, Design and Construction (PDC) is a work unit of approximately 25 personnel supporting university faculty, staff, and students in small and large construction and renovation projects and is part of the Facilities Department. The projected VU construction program is estimated at nearly $2 billion across the next ten years, with approximately $1 billion currently in programming or design. PDC is responsible for planning, designing and executing new construction and renovation projects for VU. PDC will coordinate the design, bid, and management of all assigned projects in a safe, timely, and organized manner. They coordinate current and potential projects with all university stakeholders and act as a representative of the university to outside vendors and contractors to acquire adequate and competitive pricing.

Facilities annual budget exceeds $100 million in operating expenses and includes over 500 employees. Facilities manages major capital project expenditures totaling ~$300 million annually and facility renewal, replacement and large maintenance project expenditures totaling ~$20 million annually.

Key Functions, Responsibilities and Expected Performance:

This position is primarily an on-campus position (estimated 75% on site, minimum), as walking the campus and monitoring assigned construction projects is expected. This position provides administrative and technical supervision over numerous employees, including direct supervision of VU Construction Managers, Construction Inspectors and Construction Coordinators, as well as technical oversight of contracted support staff. The incumbent regularly evaluates workload and critical project priorities and deadlines and schedules and assigns manpower to accomplish all tasks assigned by higher authority. The incumbent evaluates work performance of subordinates and subordinate supervisors, interviews candidates for subordinate positions, recommends hiring, promotion or reassignments, and takes corrective measures such as performance and accountability counseling, identifies developmental and training needs of employees, provides and/ or arrange for needed development and training. The incumbent is the hiring official for all construction positions within PDC and provides guidance, counsel and instruction to subordinate employees on both technical and administrative matters. The incumbent reviews the quality of work products of assigned personnel and provides guidance to satisfy new or changing requirements including innovative techniques or reorientation of work.

This position will promote team building and improve business practices, provide construction-engineering expertise in major engineering disciplines on projects of an unusual or complex nature. Acts as a construction and technical expert supporting all of Facilities and the remainder of VU. The position leads all assigned construction staff, designers and contractors on projects or issues involving highly technical issues, construction practices, quality, safety, schedule, cost and changed conditions. Responsible for constructability reviews on all contract plans (to include drawings and sketches) and designs, this position acts as the expert of technical/front-end specifications with authority not to award any contract found to have design or constructability defects that would result in improper contracting or result in an unsatisfactory end product. Constructability reviews include providing input on the independent VU cost estimate and design completion/ finalization as it relates to the construction cost and schedule for elements such as project phasing, laydown areas, and mark-ups on various contract vehicles. Resolves technical problems and conflicting plans and specifications on construction for VU construction staff, designers and contractors. Responsible for technical acceptability and quality approval of all construction managed by PDC. Acts as the VU witness at claims or hearings requiring engineering and construction expertise. Advises the AVC for PDC and Chief Facilities Officer on all construction issues and remedies managed by the office for prominent or high visibility projects. During the absence of the AVC for PDC, may act as the AVC in all aspects except budget authority. Establishes effective management procedures for office and field administration. Directs the assigned engineers, architects, inspectors and contractors. Provides construction management, engineering and contract administration experience and expertise to VU Facilities and PDC. Ensures technical representation for all procurement and financial matters related to construction projects. Direct contact is necessary with high-ranking University leadership, local government personnel and elected officials. Incumbent is directly responsible to the AVC for PDC for carrying out the full range of office and field administrative and engineering functions, provides accurate workload (Work-in-Place) projections and provides monthly status of anticipated shortcomings of earned to target values. Assists in developing and executing PDC's annual budget for labor and support. Monitors and adjusts team's expenses to optimize operations and provide product and services and ensures financial fund sources are appropriate, appropriate internal controls are in effect and identifies developmental, professional, and training needs of employees through coordination with staff and community managers. Frequently represents PDC at meetings with the Chancellor, CFO and Academic Units where decisions reached are final and commit VU to an established course of action. Makes recommendations for changes in the organizational structure of the team. Utilizes the various electronic applications to develop improved data management and consequently a reduction in operating costs, adhering to VU instructions, Policies, and Business Processes. Ensures use of eBuilder and Oracle reports for workload management, project status updates, and management of construction contract closeouts.

Supervisory Relationships:

This position is supervisory over all assigned construction personnel, as described above. This position reports administratively and functionally to the Assistant Vice Chancellor for Planning, Design and Construction.

Education and Certifications:

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university in Engineering or Architecture is required, with the following disciplines highly preferred: Civil, Electrical, Mechanical, Fire Protection, or Architecture.
• An advanced degree in Engineering or Architecture is highly preferred.
• The position requires the applicant is a registered professional engineer or architect.