Senior Preconstruction and Estimating Manager

The role

Lead the preconstruction process for hospitality and healthcare projects, from early concept through final pricing, procurement, and handoff to construction operations. Build accurate budgets and estimates, work with owners, architects, engineers and subcontractors, and identify risks early. The first major assignment is a ground-up hotel development.

What you will do

• Own preconstruction end to end, from concept and schematic design through construction documents, GMP development, procurement, and operational handoff.
• Lead estimating and budgeting, including conceptual, schematic, design development, and final GMP or lump-sum estimates.
• Drive design-to-budget execution with owners, architects, engineers and designers, including constructability reviews and value engineering.
• Develop accurate hotel construction budgets, including FF&E, OS&E, brand standards, and project requirements.
• Identify and mitigate cost, schedule, procurement and long-lead material risks before they affect delivery.
• Lead subcontractor procurement: develop bid packages, level bids, recommend awards, and support contract buyout.
• Establish clear expectations on costs, schedules and deliverables with clients, design teams and subcontractors.
• Collaborate with operations on master schedules, phasing strategies and construction logistics plans.
• Build cost benchmarks, improve estimating standards, expand subcontractor relationships, and mentor preconstruction team members.
• Deliver complete budgets, schedules, scope documentation and procurement records to construction operations.

Required qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in preconstruction or estimating with a general contractor, construction manager, or design-build firm.
• Proven ground-up construction experience, independently leading estimates from early concept through GMP or final pricing.
• Direct hospitality estimating experience, ideally ground-up hotel construction; lifestyle or luxury hotel projects particularly relevant.
• Strong technical understanding of structural, building envelope, MEP, and interior construction systems.
• Ability to develop and defend detailed construction budgets, assess scope gaps, and manage cost exposure.
• Strong proficiency in construction takeoff, estimating tools, scheduling, and Microsoft Excel.
• Experience coordinating subcontractor bids, scope reviews, pricing comparisons, and procurement recommendations.
• Excellent communication skills with owners, architects, engineers, subcontractors and senior leadership.
• Proactive, detail-oriented problem-solving with the judgment to identify issues early.
• Comfortable in a hands-on environment, accountable for the quality of estimates and the outcomes they support.

Nice to have

• Healthcare construction or occupied-renovation experience.
• Experience coordinating hotel brand standards, FF&E, OS&E, and pre-opening requirements.
• Background in design-build, design-assist, or developer-led construction.
• Experience on projects in South Florida, including familiarity with local subcontractors, pricing, and building requirements.
• Experience with BIM-based coordination.
• A degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a related discipline.

Benefits

• Meaningful ownership of preconstruction on significant projects.
• Direct leadership exposure working closely with the CEO.
• Diverse project experience across ground-up hospitality and complex healthcare construction.
• Opportunity to help establish estimating standards and strengthen subcontractor networks.

Before you apply

• Travel to out-of-state project locations is required as needed.

About the company

The Gowanus Group is a New York-based design-build firm specializing in healthcare renovations and hospitality projects. It has a team of more than 30 professionals and an extensive network of subcontractors.