Associate Director, Design & Construction

Job Summary:

The Associate Director of Design & Construction provides strategic leadership for the planning, design, and delivery of capital, renovation, deferred maintenance, and infrastructure projects across Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute’s campus. Reporting to the Director of Campus Planning & Facilities Design, this position oversees projects from concept through occupancy, ensuring they are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and in alignment with institutional priorities, campus standards, applicable sustainability practices, and regulatory requirements.

RPI’s project portfolio spans a historic campus core alongside modern research, laboratory, and instructional facilities, requiring the Associate Director to balance preservation of existing building character with the technical demands of research-intensive space.

Serving as the Institute’s representative, the Associate Director directs an internal team of project managers and engineers while managing the work of external architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, and, when appropriate, owner’s representatives. The position works collaboratively with campus stakeholders to deliver high-quality projects that support the Institute’s academic, research, and student experience. This role supports the physical realization of the Institute’s strategic priorities, including those articulated in RPI Forward and the forthcoming campus master plan.

Who we are:

Founded in 1824, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) is the first technological research university in the United States. We bring creativity, science, and technology together to address society’s greatest challenges. We cultivate exceptional problem-solvers by immersing them in a culture of rigorous inquiry, disciplined practice, and hands-on application. Our strategic plan, RPI Forward, charts a pioneering course for the next era of RPI. Explore the RPI Forward plan. ︎

Nestled on a beautiful 275-acre campus in upstate NY, RPI is home to five schools, 32 research centers, three makerspaces, an observatory, one of the world’s fastest supercomputers, and the IBM Quantum System One - the first university-based quantum computer in the world.

With top notch employee health and retirement benefits, Rensselaer offers its full-time employees a generous paid time off program, tuition remission, and opportunities for career growth.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, or a closely related field.
• Minimum of eight (8) years of progressively responsible experience managing design and construction projects.
• Minimum of three (3) years of supervisory or team leadership experience.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple capital projects through planning, design, procurement, construction, and closeout.
• Strong knowledge of project management, construction administration, budgeting, procurement, and applicable building codes.
• Experience managing architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, and construction contracts.

Relevant combinations of education, training and experience may be considered.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, Architecture, or a closely related field.
• Experience in higher education, research, healthcare, or other complex institutional environments.
• Experience managing occupied renovation, laboratory, research, or other technically complex capital projects.
• Professional licensure or certifications such as Professional Engineer (PE), Registered Architect (RA), Project Management Professional (PMP), or Certified Construction Manager (CCM).
• Knowledge of sustainability practices, including LEED, WELL, or energy-efficient building design.

Minimum Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Knowledge of design and construction project delivery methods, construction administration, and best practices for continuous improvement in project execution.
• Ability to manage multiple complex projects and competing priorities while aligning resources, schedules, and decisions with institutional goals and measurable outcomes.
• Understanding of building systems, infrastructure, and applicable regulatory requirements, with the ability to review technical drawings, specifications, cost estimates, and project performance data to support informed decision-making.
• Strong financial, analytical, negotiation, decision-making, and problem-solving…