Director of Construction and Special Projects
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Primary Location:
OFFICE OF VC - FACILIT PLAN, CONSTRUC & MGMTBargaining Unit:
No
The City University of New York (CUNY) is undertaking a multi-billion-dollar, multi-year capital design and construction program across its 25 campuses. The Director of Construction and Special Projects serves as a senior member of the Office of Facilities Planning, Construction, and Management and is responsible for leading a portfolio of university-wide construction initiatives, special projects, priority capital assignments, and complex renovations that support academic, administrative, research, infrastructure, and campus operational needs.
This position is intended to provide flexible, portfolio-level leadership across multiple campuses and workstreams. The Director will support and guide Assistant Directors and project management staff, coordinate project priorities, maintain schedule discipline, and ensure that campus end users, including colleges and schools, have clear expectations regarding scope, budget, procurement timelines, construction sequencing, turnover, and operational impacts. The Director of Construction and Special Projects is responsible for the timely completion of all construction projects.
Reporting to senior leadership within Facilities Planning, Construction, and Management, the Director exercises substantial independent judgment in advancing projects from initial need identification through planning, design, permitting, procurement, construction, commissioning, occupancy, and closeout. The Director works collaboratively with campus leadership, end users, consultants, construction managers, contractors, public agencies, regulatory authorities, and internal departments to ensure projects are delivered safely, efficiently, on schedule, within budget, and in alignment with CUNY priorities.
The Director is expected to be a hands-on leader who understands the complete design and construction lifecycle, the realities of public procurement, the importance of realistic schedules, and the need to manage expectations with academic and operational stakeholders. The role requires strong judgment, accountability, urgency, and the ability to move complex projects forward while supporting Assistant Directors in resolving issues, maintaining project controls, and meeting annual construction program goals.
Key Responsibilities
Construction and Special Projects Leadership
• Direct and support a portfolio of capital construction and special projects across multiple campuses, project types, and delivery phases.
• Provide leadership for projects ranging from approximately $10 million to $950 million, including major renovations, infrastructure upgrades, building system replacements, academic space fit-outs, decanting or swing-space projects, and time-sensitive operational initiatives.
• Advance projects from concept through planning, design, permitting, procurement, construction, commissioning, turnover, occupancy, and closeout.
• Distinguish project-specific needs from university-wide priorities and help senior leadership allocate resources, sequence work, and address competing demands.
• Develop implementation strategies that reflect funding constraints, procurement requirements, campus operations, academic calendars, construction logistics, and regulatory approvals.
• Identify critical path issues, schedule threats, long-lead procurement items, permitting constraints, stakeholder dependencies, and operational risks, and develop practical mitigation plans.
Supervision, Team Support, and Performance Management
• Supervise, guide, and coordinate a team of Assistant Directors, project managers, consultants, and other assigned staff responsible for the delivery of active capital projects.
• Set project priorities, assign responsibilities, monitor productivity, and help staff focus on schedule-critical activities and measurable completion goals.
• Mentor Assistant Directors and project staff on project controls, construction administration, procurement sequencing, stakeholder communication, and issue resolution.
• Promote consistent project management practices, documentation standards, meeting discipline, reporting protocols, and follow-up across the portfolio.
• Lead team discussions to identify obstacles, resolve conflicts, and maintain accountability for schedule, budget, scope, and quality outcomes.
Schedule, Goals, and End-User Expectations
• Develop and maintain a clear understanding of each project strategy, including scope, budget, schedule, phasing, logistics, milestones, inspections, occupancy requirements, and turnover commitments.
• Prioritize schedule performance and ensure that project teams identify near-term targets, monthly goals, decision deadlines, and key deliverables required to maintain progress.
• Maintain open, accurate, and proactive communication with campus leadership and end users regarding project status, constraints, required decisions, access limitations, schedule risks, and expected impacts.
• Assist schools and colleges in translating academic and operational needs into implementable construction scopes that can be budgeted, procured, designed, permitted, constructed, and occupied.
• Manage expectations with end users by clearly communicating what is included in the approved scope, what requires additional funding or approvals, and how procurement and permitting timelines affect delivery.
• Coordinate with campus facilities staff, academic leadership, operations personnel, and other stakeholders to minimize disruption and maintain continuity of campus operations during construction.
Design, Permitting, Procurement, and Construction Oversight
• Provide senior-level oversight of design development, construction documentation, constructability review, value analysis, bid packaging, permitting, construction administration, commissioning, and closeout.
• Ensure design and construction documents align with approved scope, budget, schedule, building code requirements, accessibility standards, campus operational needs, and institutional requirements.
• Coordinate with internal procurement, legal, budget, and compliance stakeholders to understand procurement processes, lead times, approval thresholds, advertisement requirements, bid review protocols, award schedules, and contract execution timelines.
• Work with project teams to assemble scopes of work, procurement packages, bid documents, consultant work orders, construction solicitations, change orders, and supporting documentation.
• Review consultant and contractor proposals, bid submissions, responsibility determinations, cost estimates, schedules, payment applications, invoices, change requests, and contract modifications.
• Lead or support resolution of design conflicts, field conditions, contractor performance issues, disputes, claims, change order negotiations, schedule delays, and closeout deficiencies.
• Ensure job site operations comply with approved design intent, specifications, safety expectations, quality requirements, phasing plans, campus access rules, and approved schedules.
Budget, Reporting, Governance, and Risk Management
• Develop, review, and maintain conceptual budgets, cost estimates, cash flow projections, funding requests, project schedules, and implementation plans to support capital planning and executive decision-making.
• Monitor project expenditures, commitments, contingency use, forecasted costs, procurement status, schedule performance, and financial risk.
• Prepare regular reports and executive briefings on project status, risks, milestones, approvals, procurement activities, budget performance, and recommended corrective actions.
• Ensure required City, State, University, Board, budget, and regulatory approvals are identified and obtained prior to bidding, award, construction start, occupancy, or other critical project actions.
• Ensure project managers maintain timely and accurate project records, schedules, financial updates, progress reports, risk logs, meeting minutes, and closeout documentation.
• Alert senior leadership to critical issues and recommend practical, defensible solutions that protect the University’s schedule, budget, operations, and long-term interests.
• Recommend improvements to project controls, procurement planning, reporting tools, team workflows, schedule management, and delivery methods.
• Other duties as assigned.
Qualifications
Minimum Qualifications
• Bachelor’s degree in architecture, engineering, construction management, or a related field.
• Minimum of 10 years of progressively responsible experience managing design, permitting, procurement, and construction activities for complex capital projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple large capital projects simultaneously, including projects ranging from approximately $30 million to $950 million.
• Substantial experience in construction management, project controls, public-sector or institutional procurement, budgeting, scheduling, consultant/contractor oversight, construction administration, and project closeout.
• Strong knowledge of design phases, permitting and agency approvals, bid packaging, public procurement timelines, construction sequencing, change order management, contract administration, and campus occupancy requirements.
• Demonstrated ability to support, coordinate, and lead Assistant Directors, project managers, consultants, contractors, and multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to manage competing priorities, maintain schedule discipline, set goals, track accountability, and communicate effectively with senior leadership, schools, colleges, and end users.
• Knowledge of building systems, construction methods, code compliance, safety practices, contract documents, and construction quality control.
• Excellent written, verbal, organizational, analytical, and problem-solving skills.
Preferred Qualifications
• Master’s degree in architecture, engineering, construction management, public administration, business administration, or a related field.
• New York State Professional Engineer license, Registered Architect license, PMP certification, CCM certification, or comparable professional credential.
• Experience managing public-sector, higher-education, healthcare, laboratory, infrastructure, or institutional capital projects in New York City and/or New York State.
• Experience working with City and State agencies, public authorities, regulatory entities, code officials, permitting agencies, boards, and institutional governance processes.
• Experience with capital planning systems, cost estimating platforms, scheduling software, project management information systems, construction management software, and executive reporting tools.
• Proven record of successfully leading teams through schedule-sensitive, stakeholder-heavy, or operationally complex construction assignments.
Core Competencies
• Portfolio-level leadership with the ability to understand both project details and broader institutional priorities.
• Strong ability to prioritize schedules, set measurable goals, monitor progress, and drive completion.
• Ability to support and motivate Assistant Directors and project teams while holding all parties accountable for results.
• Excellent judgment, professionalism, responsiveness, and discretion in managing sensitive issues and stakeholder expectations.
• Strong understanding of how procurement, permitting, funding, design, and construction timelines interact.
• Ability to communicate clearly with campus end users, senior leadership, consultants, contractors, public agencies, and internal departments.
• Ability to anticipate problems, identify practical solutions, and maintain momentum under deadline pressure.
• Commitment to collaboration, equity, inclusion, service, and continuous improvement.
Pay Range:
$190,000 - $200,000
RFCUNY Benefits
RFCUNY Employee Benefits and Accruals
Equal Employment Opportunity Statement
The Research Foundation of the City University of New York is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Americans with Disabilities Act/E-Verify Employer. It is the policy of the Research Foundation of CUNY to provide equal employment opportunities free of discrimination based on race, color, age, religion, sex, pregnancy, childbirth, national origin, disability, marital status, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, domestic violence victim status, arrest record, criminal conviction history, or any other protected characteristic under applicable law.