Project Director – Heavy Industrial & Pre-Engineered Building Construction

Full time | Open to candidates in British Columbia and Alberta

About Colony Construction

Colony Construction has been delivering complex steel and concrete building projects since 1985.

The company began in pre-engineered steel and grew into a design-build general contractor with work across Canada, the United States and international markets. Over the past 40 years, Colony has completed more than 700 projects across four continents and in every Canadian province and territory.

Its work has included gold and diamond mines, sawmills, aircraft hangars, biomass energy facilities, industrial plants, warehouses and major public facilities.

Colony’s current focus is heavy-industrial construction. Its work may include pre-engineered and conventional steel buildings, concrete, mechanical systems, piping, process steel, conveyors, equipment supports, bridge cranes, cladding and roofing.

Projects often involve remote locations, demanding operating conditions and several connected scopes of work. Colony manages design, engineering, procurement, construction and installation and self-performs some erection.

Why this role exists

Colony is growing its project team and expanding its work in Canada and the United States.

As the number of Project Managers and Project Coordinators grows, the company is building a stronger layer of project leadership between its Operations Manager and individual project teams.

Colony plans to have two Project Directors. Each will lead a team of Project Managers and Project Coordinators and report to the Operations Manager.

The Directors will work closely with operations leadership while holding direct responsibility for the people, project performance and client commitments within their respective portfolios.

This structure will give PMs more direct support and create greater consistency across projects as Colony continues to grow.

The role

This is a player-coach role, particularly during the first year.

Initially, you will likely lead one or two Project Managers and a Project Coordinator while personally managing one or more projects. You will also help hire additional PM and coordination support.

As the team grows and your own projects are backfilled, the role will shift more toward portfolio oversight, coaching and project leadership. However, you must remain willing and able to run projects directly when needed.

Working closely with the Operations Manager, you will be responsible for project performance within your group, including profitability, schedules, client commitments, staffing and the development of your team.

You will need to understand the details behind budgets, schedules, contracts and project risks rather than manage only through reports. When a project or team member requires additional support, you will be expected to step in and work through the issue directly.

This role offers an experienced construction leader the opportunity to help build a growing project team, improve how projects are managed and have a visible effect on performance across the portfolio.

What you will be responsible for

You will be accountable for:

• Profitability, schedules and client commitments across your assigned projects.

• Leadership and development of Project Managers and Project Coordinators.

• Direct management of one or more projects during the initial stage of the role.

• Project staffing, workload planning and allocation of resources.

• Regular coaching, one-on-ones and employee performance reviews.

• Hiring, onboarding and development of project staff.

• Addressing performance concerns directly and constructively.

• Reviewing project budgets, cash flow, schedules, dashboards and risks.

• Identifying projects that are moving off budget or schedule and taking corrective action.

• Resolving client, consultant, subcontractor and vendor escalations.

• Supporting contract strategy and protecting Colony’s financial and legal interests.

• Improving project-management processes, templates and reporting.

• Overseeing project handovers, launch meetings, closeouts and lessons learned.

• Personally managing a project when additional coverage or leadership is required.

Your authority

The Project Director will have meaningful authority within their assigned team and projects while working closely with the Operations Manager and company leadership on broader staffing, financial and operational decisions.

The Project Director will:

• Lead the hiring and onboarding of project staff.

• Conduct performance reviews and address underperformance.

• Participate in termination decisions when necessary.

• Assign project staff and coordinate workloads.

• Review and approve employee vacation and appointment requests within the department.

• Review subcontractor contracts, invoices, cost overruns and other project commitments within established approval limits.

• Develop and enforce project-management processes and controls.

• Escalate legal, commercial and project risks when required.

The background Colony needs

You may currently be a Project Director, Director of Projects, Construction Director or Operations Manager with a strong general contracting background.

Colony may also consider an accomplished Senior Project Manager who already has meaningful responsibility for people and multiple projects.

Experience delivering pre-engineered buildings is required. Colony may also consider comparable heavy-industrial general contracting experience involving structural-steel buildings and connected industrial scopes.

You should bring:

• General contracting or prime-contractor experience.

• Experience delivering pre-engineered buildings or comparable heavy-industrial structural-steel buildings.

• Experience delivering complex projects from preconstruction through closeout.

• Direct responsibility for project budgets, schedules, contracts and profitability.

• Experience leading Project Managers, Project Coordinators or other construction professionals.

• Experience overseeing work through other PMs, rather than managing only your own project team.

• The ability to coach people, set clear expectations and address performance concerns.

• Strong knowledge of subcontracts, procurement, change orders and project controls.

• Experience resolving difficult client, vendor and project issues.

• Sound commercial judgment.

• Close attention to project details and early warning signs.

• The willingness and current ability to personally manage a project when needed.

• Experience with Excel, MS Project, Primavera P6 or comparable systems.

Experience hiring employees, conducting formal performance reviews and improving project-management processes will also be important.

How Colony works

Colony expects its leaders to understand the details rather than simply pass information along.

The company values people who:

• Bring possible solutions when raising a problem.

• Make decisions based on facts and clear reasoning.

• Focus on results rather than activity.

• Follow through on commitments.

• Address conflict directly and constructively.

• Ask questions and accept feedback.

• Protect safety, profitability and client relationships.

• Step in to help when the situation requires it.

• Work collaboratively with the Operations Manager and fellow Project Director.

Why consider Colony?

This role offers more than a change in title.

You will have:

• The opportunity to help build and lead a team of Project Managers and Project Coordinators.

• Formal responsibility for hiring, coaching and performance management.

• Meaningful involvement in project and financial decisions.

• Growing responsibility for a portfolio rather than a single project.

• A close working relationship with the Operations Manager and company leadership.

• Clear ownership of project delivery and PM development within your team.

• A voice in how project-management systems and processes are developed and used.

• Exposure to technically varied heavy-industrial projects.

• Continued involvement in project delivery.

• The opportunity to help build the leadership structure supporting Colony’s growth.

Colony has a long operating history and a substantial record of completed work. The opportunity now is to help the company build the project leadership capacity required for what comes next.

Location

Colony’s head office is in Surrey, with regional offices in Kelowna and Edmonton.

Candidates elsewhere in British Columbia or Alberta will be considered. The position will require project-site travel and regular in-person connection with the team. Specific arrangements will depend on the candidate’s location and assigned projects.

Compensation

Colony offers a competitive compensation package based on the candidate’s experience and the scope they bring to the role.

Details regarding base salary, bonus, benefits, vacation, and vehicle or travel support will be discussed during the hiring process.

About the search

NextStep Recruitment is working directly with Colony Construction and is managing the initial candidate conversations for this position.

If the role interests you, we encourage you to apply below. Applying allows us to review your experience and contact you for an initial conversation. It does not commit you to moving forward.

Your information will not be shared with Colony—or with any other employer—until we have spoken with you and received your permission. There is no cost to candidates, and you do not need to contact or apply to Colony separately.