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Vice President of Construction

MKL Careers

San Diego, CA

Filed under Staffing and Recruiting

Full job description

Vice President – K-12 Construction (San Diego)

Location: San Diego, CA Reports to: President / Regional CEO Employment Type: Full-Time

About the Role

Our client, an established general contractor with a strong presence in the San Diego market, is seeking a Vice President to lead and grow their K-12 public school construction program. This is a senior executive role with full P&L ownership of the region's K-12 business line — overseeing project delivery, client relationships, and business development strategy.

The ideal candidate has deep San Diego County K-12 experience, established relationships with local school districts and DSA, and a proven track record building and scaling a public education construction program.

Key Responsibilities

  • Own P&L responsibility for the K-12 business line across San Diego County.
  • Set and execute strategic growth plans for the region's public education construction program.
  • Serve as the senior executive relationship holder for San Diego-area school districts, county offices of education, and related public agency clients.
  • Lead pursuit strategy for new K-12 work, including delivery method selection (lease-leaseback, design-build, hard bid, CM-at-risk) and teaming decisions.
  • Oversee a portfolio of Project Executives, Project Managers, and Superintendents delivering active K-12 projects.
  • Navigate DSA approval, funding mechanisms (Prop 39/51, developer fees, GO bonds), and public bidding/procurement requirements specific to California K-12 construction.
  • Represent the company at district board meetings, community outreach events, and industry functions.
  • Partner with preconstruction, estimating, and marketing teams on proposals, shortlists, and district interviews.
  • Build, mentor, and retain a strong bench of K-12-focused project leadership talent.
  • Monitor market trends, competitor activity, and district capital planning cycles to inform pursuit strategy.
  • Report on business line performance, pipeline, and forecasts to executive leadership.

Qualifications

  • 15+ years of construction industry experience, including significant senior leadership time in K-12 public school construction in California.
  • Established relationships with San Diego County school districts, DSA representatives, and the local subcontractor community.
  • Deep knowledge of DSA processes, public funding mechanisms, and public agency procurement/delivery methods.
  • Proven track record of P&L ownership and growing a construction business line.
  • Demonstrated success leading and developing senior project leadership teams.
  • Strong executive presence — comfortable presenting to district boards, superintendents, and c-suite leadership.
  • Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business, or related field (or equivalent experience).
  • Willingness to be based in or relocate to San Diego.


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