DESIGN AND CONSTRUCTION DIRECTOR

About the Role

The Director of Design & Construction owns the full construction execution lifecycle for every new Wild Fork store—from the moment a lease is signed to the day keys are handed to the Operations team. This role ensures Marketing-approved design standards are delivered in the field, General Contractors and subcontractors are held accountable to scope, schedule, and payment obligations, and the company's financial exposure (bonds, liens, and contractor payment risk) is actively managed in partnership with Legal and Real Estate. With 20–25 new openings per year, the Director leads a team of a construction PM, a coordinator, and an AP specialist, serving as the primary D&C voice in cross-functional approval processes.

Responsibilities

• Portfolio & Program Management
  • Maintain real-time visibility across all active projects—budget, schedule, and risk—and report program health to leadership on a regular cadence
  • Develop and manage the annual project calendar aligned to the 20–25 store opening target
  • Identify capacity constraints and resource gaps before they become schedule problems
  • Own the project management system and ensure it reflects accurate, current project status
  • Participate in regular committee meetings and project approval processes alongside Real Estate and Legal
• Construction Execution & Delivery
  • Coordinate with Marketing (design) and relevant parties (GC, landlord) to manage permitting and construction readiness upon lease execution
  • Manage GC bid process, contract award, and contract administration across all active projects
  • Oversee construction execution through punch list, Certificate of Occupancy, and clean handover to Operations
  • Hold General Contractors and subcontractors accountable to scope, schedule, and budget; manage change orders with rigorous scrutiny
  • Proactively track and manage payment bonds and liens; work with Legal and Real Estate to address disputes or exposures
  • Conduct or delegate site visits at critical milestones; escalate and resolve field issues quickly
• Vendor & GC Relationships
  • Build and maintain a regional panel of preferred GCs to support 20–25 concurrent openings
  • Evaluate GC and subcontractor performance continuously; provide recommendations to Real Estate on vendor relationships
  • Negotiate favorable terms leveraging volume; standardize scopes of work and unit pricing where possible
• Budget & Financial Oversight
  • Own project cost tracking across the portfolio; ensure actuals are reconciled against approved budgets
  • Partner with the AP Specialist to ensure accurate and timely contractor billing, draws, and lease-related payments
  • Drive year-over-year improvement in per-unit build cost without compromising quality or brand standards
• Compliance with Marketing-Approved Design Standards
  • Ensure all construction deliverables comply fully with design standards as defined and approved by Marketing
  • Coordinate with Marketing on site-specific deviations or landlord-required modifications; obtain formal approvals before field execution
  • Escalate conflicts between landlord requirements and approved design to Marketing and Real Estate for resolution
• Team Leadership
  • Lead, coach, and develop the D&C team; set clear priorities and remove blockers
  • Identify capacity needs proactively—recommend adding a second Construction PM as volume demands
  • Build a culture of accountability, urgency, and operational rigor
• Cross-Functional Partnership
  • Serve as the primary D&C liaison to Real Estate, Legal, Marketing, Operations, and Facilities
  • Flag construction-related lease issues to Real Estate and Legal early; provide documented recommendations
  • Ensure clean handoffs to Operations: no open punch items, all systems commissioned, documentation complete

Qualifications

• Required
  • 8–12 years of construction and/or development experience with a multi-unit retail, restaurant, or similar operator—ideally one opening 15+ units per year
  • Demonstrated experience managing a portfolio of 10+ concurrent projects simultaneously
  • Strong working knowledge of construction processes: reading plans and specs, interpreting schedules, evaluating change orders, and managing GC and subcontractor performance
  • Solid understanding of payment bonds, mechanics liens, and construction contract risk—and the discipline to manage them proactively
  • Track record of delivering projects on time and within budget at volume
  • Comfortable operating within a cross-functional model where design, real estate, and legal each own distinct lanes
  • Sharp communicator—able to give leadership a clear and accurate read on program health
  • High organizational discipline; builds and uses systems, not just manages by inbox
• Preferred
  • Background in retail, grocery, QSR, or convenience store rollouts—somewhere that builds the same thing over and over, fast
  • Experience managing both ground-up and second-generation (tenant improvement) builds
  • Familiarity with lease exhibits, landlord work letters, and construction-related lease obligations
  • Experience presenting in committee-style approval environments with Legal and Real Estate stakeholders
  • Degree in Construction Management, Architecture, Civil Engineering, or related field—or equivalent experience