Director, Pre-Construction

Company

Orenda is on a mission to make the grid more efficient with renewable energy projects and proprietary asset management technology. We develop, build, own and operate battery energy storage projects in dense urban environments to bridge the gap between renewables and electricity consumption.

We are a dynamic, NYC-based startup at the forefront of a new industry. We are seeking highly motivated and incredibly talented individuals who wish to contribute to our important mission. 

Role 

Orenda's Project Execution division is responsible for designing, permitting, procuring equipment, and constructing distributed energy resources.  Led by the Chief Project Officer, Orenda’s Project Execution division is divided into the Development, Pre-Construction, and Construction departments. . We are seeking an experienced and strategic Director of Pre-Construction to lead this critical commercial department of the Project Execution team.

This senior leadership role will report directly to the Chief Project Officer.

This leadership role is responsible for the entire commercial strategy, from handoff from the Origination division all the way up to the start of construction. You will take command of project portfolios as they advance through the design phase, owning the master project schedule, all commercial agreements, and all lease compliance activities. Your focus will be on mitigating risks for the projects by ensuring all major equipment, field service, and consultant contracts are fully synchronized and executed before breaking ground. You will lead a new, dedicated team, including a Procurement Manager and a Pre-construction Manager, to manage all strategic sourcing, bidding, and contracting. This position is ideal for a seasoned professional with a talent for team leadership and deep commercial expertise in scheduling, procurement, and complex contracting, who can ensure our projects are financially sound, de-risked, and primed for a seamless handover to our Construction department, all while building a scalable commercial engine to support a high-velocity project pipeline.

What you’ll do

• Strategic Commercial Leadership: Provide leadership and strategic oversight for all pre-construction commercial activities, ensuring alignment with corporate goals and the successful, efficient delivery of the entire project portfolio.
• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and manage a team of direct reports, including the Procurement Manager and Pre-construction Manager. Set clear objectives, develop performance KPIs, encourage leadership and autonomy within the team, and foster a culture of accountability, precision, and high performance.
• Process Development & Standardization: Develop, implement, and refine robust commercial processes and workflows that align with the Project Execution division's goals. This will include standardizing all commercial agreements and defining clear workflows between internal departments, ensuring seamless coordination with the Director of Project Development and the Director of Construction to manage handoffs, mitigate risk, and ensure scalability to support a high-velocity project pipeline.
• Vendor Universe Management: Actively identify, vet, prequalify, and onboard strategic partners for procurement and construction, including major equipment manufacturers, General Contractors, and key field service contractors. Manage and maintain the company's comprehensive database of qualified procurement and construction partners to ensure a robust and competitive supply chain.
• Major Equipment Procurement: Lead the strategic negotiation and execution of all major equipment contracts, including Master Supply Agreements (MSAs) and project-specific purchase orders. A key responsibility is to ensure all warranties and long-term service agreements are negotiated to align with the requirements of the Asset Management team.
• Field Services Contracting: Lead the competitive bidding, negotiation, and execution of all contracts for field-based services. This includes the main General Contractor agreement, as well as any directly-procured trade contractors (ex. fire alarm, security) and third-party consultants (ex. special inspection, NETA testing).
• Commercial De-Risking & Scope Alignment: Take ultimate responsibility for de-risking projects by ensuring all commercial agreements, including major equipment MSAs/POs, field service contracts, and consultant agreements, are fully synchronized in scope, schedule, and cost. This includes eliminating gaps, mitigating project risk, and finalizing all major costs to ensure budget certainty for the construction phase.
• Value Engineering & Constructability: Act as the primary commercial partner to the Project Development team. Proactively lead constructability reviews and value engineering exercises, analyzing the cost, schedule, and warranty implications of design alternatives to ensure the most cost-effective project is delivered.
• Landlord & Lease Management: Inherit the landlord relationship from the Origination team at project handoff. Act as the main point of contact, proactively tracking and actioning all lease obligations and milestones, including insurance compliance, notice requirements, and milestone payments, throughout the design and pre-construction phases.
• Master Schedule Management: Take primary ownership of developing and managing the master project schedule through the design and pre-construction phases, integrating all critical design, permitting, procurement, and construction milestones.
• Budget, Funding & Governance: Develop, manage, and report on all pre-construction budgets and cash flow projections. Act as the primary owner for preparing and presenting all formal documentation required for key capital expenditure approvals (e.g., authorizing equipment manufacturing, commencing construction). This responsibility includes close coordination with senior finance leadership to align project cash flow needs with the timing of capital funding vehicles.
• Project Handoff: Systematically compile and deliver a comprehensive handoff package to the Construction department, ensuring all final contracts, budgets, schedules, lease obligations, and procurement documents are clearly communicated and formally transferred.
• Continuous Improvement: In conjunction with other department leads, compile and analyze lessons learned from all pre-construction activities and departmental workflows into consolidated quarterly reports. Identify key trends and drive actionable recommendations for process improvement.

Requirements

• Education: Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• Experience: A minimum of 10-15 years of progressive experience in construction, with a significant focus on pre-construction, procurement, estimating, and commercial management.
• Leadership: At least 5 years of experience in a direct leadership role, with a proven ability to manage, mentor, and develop a high-performing commercial team.
• Commercial Expertise: Expertise in managing all commercial facets of pre-construction, including strategic sourcing, vendor prequalification, major equipment procurement, contractor bidding and evaluation, and complex contract negotiation and execution.
• Strategic Communication: Proven ability to operate at a strategic level and communicate effectively with all stakeholders, from C-suite executives, financial partners, and investment committees to other department directors, direct reports, and external counterparties.
• Financial Acumen: Strong financial acumen and experience developing and managing multi-million dollar procurement and construction budgets.
• Technical Software: Proficiency in advanced scheduling software (e.g., Primavera P6, Microsoft Project) and construction project management platforms (e.g., Procore, Kahua).

Preferred Qualifications (Bonus)

• Direct experience in the renewable energy or power generation sectors, particularly with medium voltage power systems, grid-interconnection, or Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS).
• Experience managing procurement, pre-construction, and construction within New York City or a similarly dense and complex urban regulatory environment.
• A Professional Engineer (PE) license or Project Management Professional (PMP) certification.
• Direct experience negotiating and managing large-scale Master Service Agreements (MSAs) or other alternative contracting models in addition to standard GC agreements.
• Established, active relationships with key BESS equipment manufacturers, major electrical contractors, or GCs in the NYC-area energy market.
• Experience in a high-growth startup environment, demonstrating a high degree of flexibility and a track record of building new processes from the ground up.

Skills and Attributes:

• Extremely organized, process-oriented, and capable of leading multiple complex projects concurrently in a fast-paced environment.
• An ability to translate high-level corporate goals into actionable project plans.
• Excellent judgment and the ability to make timely, well-reasoned decisions on complex commercial and project-related issues.
• A highly collaborative work style with the ability to work effectively with other departments to ensure smooth project transitions.
• Takes ultimate accountability for project outcomes and the commercial readiness of the project portfolio.
• A deep passion for clean energy and the company's mission.
• A positive and solutions-oriented mindset, strong work ethic, and a sense of humor.

Work Environment

This is a full-time, in-office position requiring work from our headquarters (Brooklyn, NY) five days a week.

Compensation

Orenda Inc. offers a competitive compensation package designed to attract and retain top talent.

Base Salary: The anticipated base salary range for this full-time position in New York City is $200,000 - $250,000 per year. The final base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the successful candidate's relevant experience, skills, and qualifications.

Bonus: In addition to the base salary, this role is eligible for a significant annual performance-based bonus.

Benefits: Our comprehensive benefits package includes:

• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• 401(k) plan
• LifeTime Fitness corporate membership
• Monthly commuter stipend
• Learning and education stipend
• Flexible Paid Time Off (PTO) policy

Orenda Inc. is an equal opportunity employer.

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