Assistant Director of Construction

Primary Purpose:

Support the daily operational execution of the district’s bond construction program under the leadership and decision-making authority of the Executive Director of Facilities & Maintenance. Provide coordination, communication, and reporting for a portfolio that includes projects managed directly by district personnel and projects supported by a third-party program management team. Supervise construction staff; coordinate planning, procurement, design, construction, financial controls, stakeholder engagement, closeout, and warranty activities; and provide accurate recommendations and reporting to support executive decisions.

Qualifications:

Education/Certification:

• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, architecture, engineering, facilities management, business, public administration, or related field preferred.
• An equivalent combination of relevant education and progressively responsible experience may be considered.
• Valid Texas driver’s license with a driving record that meets district requirements.

Special Knowledge and Skills:

• Comprehensive knowledge of planning, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, closeout, turnover, and warranty processes.

• Knowledge of Texas public-school construction procurement, contracts, purchasing controls, and bond accountability requirements.

• Ability to evaluate plans, specifications, estimates, schedules, proposals, contracts, change documentation, pay applications, and project reports.

• Strong leadership, supervision, negotiation, communication, analytical, and conflict-resolution skills.

• Ability to develop reliable project controls, identify risks, make operational recommendations, and elevate decisions appropriately.

• Proficiency with office, financial, project management, scheduling, and document-control systems.

Minimum Experience:

• Seven years of progressively responsible experience in commercial or institutional construction, facilities development, capital project management, architecture, engineering, or related work.

• Three years of experience leading project teams, supervising personnel, or managing multiple concurrent projects preferred.

• Experience with school district, governmental, or bond-funded construction programs preferred.

Major Responsibilities and Duties:

Operational Leadership and Supervision

• Lead daily execution of the district’s bond construction program under the direction and decision-making authority of the Executive Director of Facilities.
• Communicate priorities and decisions established by the Executive Director into project assignments, schedules, controls, communications, and follow-up actions.
• Supervise, develop, and evaluate the Coordinator of Construction and assigned department personnel.
• Establish and maintain consistent department procedures for planning, project delivery, procurement coordination, document control, payment review, reporting, closeout, and warranty administration.
• Assign district-managed projects and PMT-supported project responsibilities based on workload, complexity, expertise, and schedule requirements.
• Promote an environment of accountability, timely communication, service, ethical conduct, and continuous process improvement.

Bond Program and Portfolio Management

• Maintain current information regarding active and planned bond projects, including scope, budget, schedule, procurement status, risks, decisions, and operational impacts.
• Maintain portfolio-level project plans, milestone schedules, cash-flow inputs, dashboards, risk registers, and exception reports.
• Coordinate communication on project sequencing and resource needs across campuses and departments to support district priorities and instructional operations.
• Identify emerging scope, budget, schedule, quality, procurement, contractor-performance, or stakeholder risks and present timely options and recommendations to the Executive Director.
• Track implementation of leadership decisions and verify that required follow-up actions are completed and documented.

District-Managed Projects

• Provide coordination and communication for projects not assigned to the PMT, from initial scope development through warranty expiration.
• Define project objectives, delivery strategy, stakeholder roles, schedules, budgets, procurement milestones, reporting requirements, and acceptance criteria.
• Coordinate communication with architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, vendors, authorities having jurisdiction, campuses, and district departments.
• Review design development, estimates, schedules, procurement documents, proposals, change requests, pay applications, field reports, testing, commissioning, punch lists, and closeout deliverables.
• Schedule and document project meetings and site observations to assess progress, verify follow-through, and communicate district concerns.
• Recommend corrective actions, contractual remedies, scope adjustments, budget actions, and schedule recovery measures to the Executive Director.

PMT Oversight and Owner Representation

• Serve as the district’s primary operational liaison with the third-party program management team while preserving the Executive Director’s leadership and decision authority.
• Monitor and document PMT staffing, services, deliverables, schedules, budgets, issue resolution, reporting, project controls, and contract compliance.
• Review PMT recommendations and supporting information before routing matters for district review or executive decision.
• Coordinate communication between the district, PMT, design professionals, and contractors to reduce gaps, delays, and duplication of effort.
• Track project risks and ensure timely escalation of information requiring district or executive attention.
• Document service concerns, unresolved items, and performance issues and present them to the Executive Director.

Procurement, Contract, and Financial Administration

• Oversee departmental coordination of procurement and contracting activities for architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, equipment, materials, and related services.
• Coordinate with Finance and Purchasing to support compliance with applicable procurement methods, Board approvals, contract requirements, and internal controls.
• Track project budgets, commitments, expenditures, contingencies, allowances, forecasts, and change impacts and recommend appropriate action.
• Review contracts, amendments, change orders, pay applications, final payments, claims, and other project documents within assigned authority before approval by the Executive Director.
• Support preparation of Board agenda materials, administrative reports, procurement recommendations, and project presentations as requested by the Executive Director.
• Ensure staff maintain complete and audit-ready procurement, payment, contract, and project records.

Stakeholder and Operational Coordination

• Coordinate construction activities with district leadership, campus administration, Facilities, Maintenance, Technology, Safety and Security, Finance, Purchasing, Communications, and other affected departments.
• Ensure project teams consider instructional calendars, campus events, access, shutdowns, utilities, security, life safety, technology, furniture, equipment, move-in, training, and occupancy requirements.
• Facilitate communication of routine project conflicts and elevate matters requiring policy, budget, contractual, or executive decisions.
• Support clear and timely communications regarding project status, impacts, responsibilities, and upcoming milestones.

Quality, Closeout, and Program Accountability

• Maintain compliance with approved project requirements, district standards, contracts, plans, specifications, codes, permits, testing, inspections, and commissioning requirements.
• Coordinate documentation of substantial completion, punch lists, final completion, owner training, record documents, operational turnover, warranties, asset information, and final payment requirements.
• Compile project and program performance information using schedule, budget, procurement, closeout, quality, risk, and responsiveness indicators.
• Support audits, records requests, claims, dispute documentation, and lessons-learned reviews.
• Maintain confidentiality and observe professional, ethical, and legal standards.
• Perform other duties as assigned by the Executive Director of Facilities.

Professional Growth and Development

• Participate in professional development related to construction procurement, school district operations, financial systems, project controls, and records management.
• Maintain proficiency with district software, document-management platforms, and construction-related systems applicable to assigned duties.

• Working Conditions

• Ability to communicate effectively (orally and written), supervise others and work with frequent interruptions.
• Ability to adapt to a variety of circumstances, maintain emotional control under stress.
• Frequent walking, standing, stooping, bending, and reaching.
• Occasional lifting and moving of moderate to heavy objects.
• District/light travel.