Project Development Director

About Why T.W. Frierson?

• Employee Ownership: As part of our Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP), you're not just working for a company - you're investing in your future. Our collaborative culture rewards long-term vision, team success, and shared achievements.
• People-First Culture: Join a team that values respect, mentorship, and accountability at every level.
• Meaningful Work: Lead diverse, impactful projects that shape communities, industries, and lives. At T. W. Frierson, we are employee-owned and committed to building lasting relationships, developing exceptional people, and creating impactful projects throughout our communities.

Job Summary

The Project Development Director plays a critical role in shaping the future of our organization by driving strategic growth, strengthening partnerships, and fostering a culture of excellence and ownership. The employee-owners of T.W. Frierson Contractor, Inc. deserve a Project Development Director who cares deeply for the well-being of all employee-owners, the reputation of TW Frierson in the community, and fostering preconstruction excellence to achieve strategic client and revenue goals.

The Project Development Director leads strategic initiatives focused on business development to cultivate strategic market pursuits, creates a substantial and repeatable channel of preconstruction activity, and develops internal preconstruction leaders to prosecute the specific project pursuits. Additionally, the Project Development Director will work closely with the Business Development and Preconstruction teams on departmental goals, as well as with the Leadership and Executive Teams on company-wide strategic initiatives.

Knowledge and Experience

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, Engineering or related field
• Minimum of 10 years in corporate leadership with experience leading P&L of business units
• Experience in developing and implementing corporate strategies
• Advanced knowledge of construction/contract law with negotiation/conflict resolution strategies
• Exceptional organizational, leadership, analytical, decision-making, and communication skills
• Possesses a critical eye for continuous improvement of all operational processes
• Ability to accept responsibility for personal and team-wide failures
• Knowledgeable in current and possible future policies, practices, trends, technology and information affecting all business units within the organization
• Holds a reputation of integrity within the company and in the community
• Strong oral and written communication skills with employees, clients, suppliers and public
• Good computer skills including Microsoft Word, Excel, Outlook, and internet-based applications

Duties & Responsibilities

• Champion key relationships with key partners including primary clients as well as architects and engineers to sustain a repeatable project base.
• Lead the team to develop a conceptual benchmarking process for efficiency and accuracy.
• Collaborate with operations teams on fees, financials, staffing, and construction schedules.
• Encourage collaboration on resources and ideas for continuous improvement across teams, and eventually regional offices.
• Participate with Business Development and Executive team on strategic initiatives to explore regionality and additional self-perform business units.
• Investigate, discover, and lead Win Strategies to secure project wins.
• Guide clients, designers, and the preconstruction leaders through budget reviews.
• Lead teams, including designers, clients, and trades, from design to a target budget.
• Represent the TW Frierson team in job interviews and effectively present proposals to clients.
• Build and maintain relationships with architects, owners, engineers, subcontractors, designers, clients, and others for potential business development.
• Research new trends in preconstruction and implement innovative strategies to continuously enhance team performance.
• Collaborate with team to set comprehensive strategic goals for business growth and success for company.
• Perform regular risk assessments of developing projects in due diligence, preconstruction and design.
• Provide oversight to the preconstruction project management team to ensure that all materials are fully complete prior to turnover to Operations.
• Participate in team huddles including Business Development and Preconstruction teams.
• Understands accurate leading indicators, project controls, and the subsequent impact on project profitability and client relations.
• Ensure capital allocation supports the strategic initiatives of the long and short-range goals.
• Lead strategic planning initiatives including quarterly sessions to promote revenue, profitability and growth throughout the organization.
• Participate in Go/No-Go and WIN Strategy sessions with Business Development and Precon team leads.
• Represent all T. W. Frierson companies in the community and at industry advocacy events.
• Conduct key personnel decisions with leaders including recruitment and development of new members.
• Actively support the growth of all ESOP initiatives.
• Perform additional assignments as directed by the President and Board of Directors.

Cultural Goals

• Engage the minds of our teams, challenge team to think critically and explore ideas.
• Celebrate demonstrated behaviors exhibiting Core Values and call out actions contrary to our Core Values.
• Foster a culture of mutual accountability with shared respect.
• Welcome diversity of thought, background, and ethnicity within the company.
• Promote the BHAG of "40 in 40" and ensure its success.
• Cultivate the culture of employee-ownership within each team member.
• Monitor the level of preconstruction client service to our clients as best-in-class.
• Develop a best-in-class working environment where no employee suffers burn-out.

Competencies

• Execution Excellence: Dependable to exceed goals successfully; Sets and reinforces a high standard of performance; Focused on bottom-line success; Steadfastly holds self and others accountable for results; Operates comfortably in tight deadlines and pressure.
• Strategic Agility: Can "connect the dots" strategically between the various T.W. Frierson entities; Knowledgeable about how organizations work and in tune with corporate culture; Can anticipate future consequences and trends accurately; Knows how to accomplish goals both through formal channels and informal network.
• Conflict Management: Rises to meet conflicts, seeing them as opportunities; Reads situations accurately and in a timely manner; Excellent listener and able to accomplish tough agreements with fairness; Can find common ground and achieve cooperation with minimum noise.
• Interpersonal Influence: Ability to rapidly understand individual style preferences of both internal and external customers; Effectively leverages personal relationships to influence decisions and create positive outcomes; Makes good and timely decisions based upon analysis, wisdom, input, data and judgment; Sought out by others for advice and solutions; Motivates and inspires team members to excel even under difficult circumstances; Looking beyond the obvious, pursues every task with energy, drive, and a need to fully complete.
• Building Effective Teams: Shares credit for wins and successes with team members and communicates successes to group; Lets people be 100% responsible for their work; Creates a strong morale with a sense of belonging within the team; Ensures talent development is strategically aligned with organizational goals; Fosters an environment of open dialogue and collaborative teamwork.

Join us in building opportunities, delivering value, and creating a legacy of success.