Vice President, Pre-Construction

Dashiell

is a leading national provider of technical services to the electric utility, power generation, industrial, renewable and energy industries. These services include planning and systems studies, design and engineering, maintenance and testing, program management, construction, and turnkey EPC projects. Built on 50 years of experience handling large scale complex projects;
Dashiell is unique in that we are a turnkey Engineering, Construction, and Testing company that specializes in medium and high voltage electrical infrastructure. More information about Dashiell can be found at

Vice President, Pre-Construction

12301 Kurland Drive, Houston, TX 77034

In this VP Pre-Construction role, you’ll sit at the intersection of engineering, project management, construction, and field services for a high-voltage (HV) substation EPC business, managing a team of people supporting the Pre-Construction process.

Employee may be called upon to perform any or all of the following functions:

• Partner with project managers, engineers, construction managers, and field service leaders to scope, price, and structure EPC proposals for HV/MV substations, T-Line, and BESS.
• Lead the end-to-end proposal process—from initial opportunity review, through estimating and solution configuration, to final pricing and commercial terms.
• Analyze RFQs, technical specifications, and commercial requirements to identify risks and opportunities and support well-informed technical and commercial decisions.
• Coordinate and challenge internal stakeholders to shorten proposal cycle times while maintaining quality and accuracy.
• Work closely with suppliers and OEMs across the HV/MV, T-Line & BESS ecosystem to secure quotations, validate technical fit, and improve lead times.
• Evaluate and deploy new technologies (software, tools, and equipment solutions) that support engineering, construction, and procurement workflows.
• Collaborate with engineering and construction teams to optimize and standardize substation solutions to improve constructability, consistency, and execution efficiency.
• Maintain and continuously improve proposal tools, cost models, standard templates, and content libraries.
• Support pipeline reviews and bid/no-bid decisions with data-driven insights on scope, risk, and commercial considerations.
• Mentor others involved in proposals and solutioning to build a disciplined, high-performing Pre-Construction culture.

• Shape solution approaches that align technical scope, constructability, and commercial terms with customer needs and market benchmarks.
• Improve margins through value engineering, supplier collaboration, and thoughtful risk allocation, while preserving reliability and compliance.
• Increase proposal throughput by streamlining workflows, reducing rework, and championing tools and standards that allow more high-quality proposals per week.
• Advance digital and BIM capabilities by leveraging and expanding BIM and related applications in design coordination, quantity take-offs, constructability reviews, and other key pre-construction workflows.
• Support efficient project delivery by championing efficient, constructible designs and repeatable design packages that enhance predictability and consistency during execution.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships across the HV/MV, T-Line and BESS supplier ecosystem, supporting favorable lead times, pricing, and collaborative solution development.
• Build a winning culture by modeling cross-functional collaboration, accountability, and urgency, while helping to develop a high-performing team focused on “win-win-win” outcomes (customer, company, and partners).

Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Civil Engineering, or related field required. Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering or a related field, or a Master’s degree in Business, strongly preferred.

• 15+ years of experience in the HV/MV substation EPC business (utility, IPP, industrial, or similar).
• Deep understanding of substation systems (primary and secondary), protection & controls, and field…