Construction Services Director

Working as a Construction Services Director, you will work under the direction of the VP- Construction Services. You will be responsible for providing leadership and oversight of Construction Managers I & II along with evaluating, validating, and implementing complex and difficult construction projects. On a daily basis, you will promote and facilitate a collaborative effort between Equity Residential’s Construction Management, Investment Officers, Facilities, Operations, and general contractors to ensure long-term hold-oriented design decisions are executed and any construction issues are resolved appropriately. Each day will be unique, requiring an ability to prioritize, multitask, think strategically, take initiative, and employ a diverse set of skills. 

WHO YOU ARE 

• Knowledgeable.  Residential construction management is not new to you.  Through your previous work experience, you’ve managed  construction projects successfully and have a variety of project management experience under your belt, from complex urban mid to high-rise buildings to suburban garden-style apartments.
• A Strong Communicator. Your writing and speaking skills are clear, articulate, and effective, demonstrating your ability to interact with the entire project team and helping you connect well with others. 
• Proactive and Productive. You take initiative, manage your work efficiently, meet your  deadlines, and consistently go above and beyond to contribute quality work and to assist other team members and business partners.
• Organized, Efficient, and Accountable. You have a keen eye for detail and pride yourself on delivering quality work. You multitask well, re-prioritize accordingly, and meet deadlines consistently.  Above all, you are flexible and able to juggle the needs of changing priorities of the business. 
• Analytical and Creative. You are comfortable analyzing and deciphering data, and evaluating trends. You’ve got strong quantitative skills and you know how to apply them accordingly. You also like thinking outside the box to come up with smart solutions to new challenges, and embrace the day-to-day construction management activities that challenge you to live in the gray.
• A Solution-Oriented Team Player. You enjoy partnering with others —whether internal or external— in order to get work done and deliver great results.  You are united with teammates and follow through on commitments.

WHAT YOU’LL DO 

• Manage and direct all construction projects within your assigned region to ensure that they are completed within deadlines and budget parameters.
• Review and coordinate ADA and FHA surveys on properties during the acquisition process and completion of scheduled work.
• Assist supervising and assigning projects to the Construction Services Managers to ensure timely completion of projects within their portfolio. 
• Mentor team on contract negotiations, construction standard, and accepted practices and code requirements. 
• Provide regular progress reports on team’s performance and conduct annual performance reviews.
• Inspect properties within your portfolio with your team to build a list of capital needs and budget estimates on an annual basis.
• Establish consistency within your region on evaluation, prioritization, and implementation of projects by meeting with all appropriate Investment Officers, Area VPs, and Regional Managers on a monthly or quarterly basis and provide analysis of pending workloads and the availability of resources to complete proposed projects.
• Develop difficult and complex construction specifications and evaluate, validate, recommend, and implement the ones that are approved. 
• Create standard specifications and details for all projects related to repair and rehabilitation of an apartment community for use by the Construction Services Managers. 
• Compile the cost for projects, services and items required for budget, acquisitions and disposition analysis on a Regional basis. 
• Review progress reports submitted by your team and provide timely critiques and suggestions to successfully ensure completion of projects. 
• Responsible for the due diligence process for new acquisitions in your region.  
• Coordinate third party consultants and in-house personnel for due diligence reports and audits. Coordinate efforts to complete all acquisition capital as the properties are acquired during the year by prioritizing projects and personnel workload throughout the Region. Participate and review all ten (10) year pro forma during the process. 
• Develop a preferred vendor program to identify and establish relationships with vendors for major elements of work such as painting, roofing, or paving, so as to secure advantageous pricing and consistent quality and response time on large, repetitive tasks. A preferred vendor program shall be established for each major market and updated annually. 
• Audit pricing to ensure the continuation of financial benefits to EQR. 
• Review ten-year Capital Plans in your region. Act as a support resource to Construction Services Managers, Facility Services Managers, and Asset Managers. 
• Perform project and construction management on large multifaceted rehabilitation projects. 

REQUIREMENTS  

• 10 years experience in a construction services environment managing multiple projects and personnel.  Construction management degree or equivalent preferred.
• Ability to develop and monitor budgets.
• Experience in performing trend analysis on a property regional, and market level.
• Excellent organizational and communication skills are required.  
• Must have excellent analytical skills, be detail oriented, have good business sense, and be able to work on numerous projects concurrently and prioritize workload independently. 
• Proficient in the use of Google, Microsoft Excel, Word, Project, Primavera, and other industry relevant programs, as necessary.  
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills and knowledge of work processes, spreadsheets, and EQR systems required as well as strong presentation skills. 
• Travel may be required.

REWARDS

We recognize everyone has different needs outside of work. That’s why, in addition to a competitive benefits package (medical, dental, vision and paid time off), we offer many unique options to employees, like adoption benefits and paid time off for community service projects.