Director, Pre-Construction; Project Execution

Director, Pre-Construction (Project Execution)

New York, New York, United States

Director, Pre-Construction

Orenda is on a mission to make the grid more efficient with renewable energy projects and proprietary asset management technology. We develop, build, own and operate battery energy storage projects in dense urban environments to bridge the gap between renewables and electricity consumption.

We are a dynamic, NYC-based startup at the forefront of a new industry. We are seeking highly motivated and incredibly talented individuals who wish to contribute to our important mission.

Orenda's Project Execution division is responsible for designing, permitting, procuring equipment, and constructing distributed energy resources. Led by the Chief Project Officer, Orenda’s Project Execution division is divided into the Development, Pre-Construction, and Construction departments.
We are seeking an experienced and strategic Director of Pre-Construction to lead this critical commercial department of the Project Execution team.

This senior leadership role will report directly to the Chief Project Officer.

This leadership role is responsible for the entire commercial strategy, from handoff from the Origination division all the way up to the start of construction. You will take command of project portfolios as they advance through the design phase, owning the master project schedule, all commercial agreements, and all lease compliance activities. Your focus will be on mitigating risks for the projects by ensuring all major equipment, field service, and consultant contracts are fully synchronized and executed before breaking ground.

You will lead a new, dedicated team, including a Procurement Manager and a Pre-construction Manager, to manage all strategic sourcing, bidding, and contracting. This position is ideal for a seasoned professional with a talent for team leadership and deep commercial expertise in scheduling, procurement, and complex contracting, who can ensure our projects are financially sound, de-risked, and primed for a seamless handover to our Construction department, all while building a scalable commercial engine to support a high-velocity project pipeline.

• Strategic Commercial Leadership: Provide leadership and strategic oversight for all pre-construction commercial activities, ensuring alignment with corporate goals and the successful, efficient delivery of the entire project portfolio.
• Team Leadership & Development: Lead, mentor, and manage a team of direct reports, including the Procurement Manager and Pre-construction Manager. Set clear objectives, develop performance KPIs, encourage leadership and autonomy within the team, and foster a culture of accountability, precision, and high performance.
• Process Development & Standardization: Develop, implement, and refine robust commercial processes and workflows that align with the Project Execution division's goals. This will include standardizing all commercial agreements and defining clear workflows between internal departments, ensuring seamless coordination with the Director of Project Development and the Director of Construction to manage handoffs, mitigate risk, and ensure scalability to support a high-velocity project pipeline.
• Vendor Universe Management: Actively identify, vet, prequalify, and onboard strategic partners for procurement and construction, including major equipment manufacturers, General Contractors, and key field service contractors. Manage and maintain the company's comprehensive database of qualified procurement and construction partners to ensure a robust and competitive supply chain.
• Major Equipment Procurement: Lead the strategic negotiation and execution of all major equipment contracts, including Master Supply Agreements (MSAs) and project-specific purchase orders. A key responsibility is to ensure all warranties and long-term service agreements are negotiated to align with the requirements of the Asset Management team.
• Field Services Contracting: Lead the competitive bidding, negotiation, and execution of all contracts for field-based services. This includes the main General Contractor…