Director of Project Development and Strategy, High Voltage

SOLV Energy is a leading provider of infrastructure services to the power industry. The Director of Project Development and Strategy leads all preconstruction activities for the High Voltage Infrastructure business unit, from early-stage opportunity identification through estimate finalization, proposal submission, and handoff to project execution. The role owns accuracy, consistency, and competitiveness of HV bids and budgets and works closely with Business Development, Engineering, Procurement, and Operations leadership to convert pipeline opportunities into well‑scoped, biddable, and constructible projects.

This full‑time position is based in San Diego, California.

Job Number: J13633.

• Lead the HV preconstruction team through all phases of estimating and proposal development — conceptual/budgetary pricing, competitive hard‑bid estimates, negotiated pricing, and change‑order/scope development for existing projects.
• Own the preconstruction stage‑gate process for the HV business unit, ensuring consistent scope definition, take‑off methodology, risk review, and estimate quality across all opportunities and estimators.
• Partner with Business Development to evaluate incoming opportunities, support go/no‑go decisions, and shape win strategy, pricing philosophy, and differentiation for client proposals and RFP responses.
• Direct quantity take‑offs, unit pricing, and labor productivity assumptions for HV scope, including substations, switchyards, transmission lines, and BOP tie‑in work, using both self‑perform and subcontracted delivery models.
• Lead constructability reviews with Engineering and Operations to identify schedule, sequencing, and cost risk during design development, and to ensure estimates reflect buildable, field‑validated approaches.
• Manage subcontractor and major equipment vendor bid solicitation, leveling, and qualification (transformers, switch gear, structures, conductor, and specialty subcontract scopes), working closely with Procurement and Supply Chain.
• Develop and present cost estimates, risk registers, and pricing recommendations to executive leadership and ownership (American Securities) as part of proposal and award approval processes.
• Ensure a clean, well‑documented handoff of awarded projects from preconstruction to project execution teams, including budget basis of estimate, key assumptions, and identified risk/contingency items.
• Track win rates, estimate‑to‑actual performance, and productivity/pricing benchmarks across the HV portfolio; use this data to refine future estimating assumptions and unit costs.
• Standardize estimating tools, templates, and historical cost databases across HV, incorporating lessons learned from ongoing process improvement work and integration of Spartan Infrastructure and Roberson Waite Electric.
• Build and develop the preconstruction team’s bench strength, including hiring, mentoring, and succession planning for estimators and preconstruction managers as the HV pipeline grows.
• Support long‑lead item identification and early procurement (LNTP) coordination with Operations and Supply Chain to reduce transformer, switch gear, and structure lead‑time schedule risk.

• 10+ years of progressive experience in preconstruction, estimating, or engineering roles within high‑voltage transmission, substation, or heavy electrical/industrial construction.
• 3+ years in a preconstruction leadership role.
• Demonstrated experience leading competitive and negotiated pricing efforts for HV/substation EPC or self‑perform projects, including hard‑bid, design‑build, and progressive design‑build delivery models.
• Strong command of substation and transmission scope, major equipment (power transformers, GIS/AIS switch gear, structures, protection & control), and associated cost drivers.
• Experience building and leading an estimating team, including process standardization across multiple concurrent pursuits.
• Working knowledge of construction project controls, scheduling, and constructability principles, and how they inform estimate accuracy and risk.
• Strong executive communication and presentation skills, with experience presenting…