Polar Racking Inc. is a North American leader in the design, engineering and manufacturing of PV mounting systems. We are at the forefront of PV innovation, leading the industry in cutting-edge design with a focus on continuous innovation, with a vision to deliver the highest value to our clients at the lowest cost per kWh. Our diversified portfolio of rooftop and ground mount products for the residential, commercial, and utility scale markets, coupled with our unique suite of engineering collaboration tools, technical services, and installation support, allows us to deliver turnkey solutions that are modular, lighter, and quicker to install. We support our North American clients from our locations in North America.
The Director, Preconstruction & Sales Operations leads the work that turns qualified sales opportunities into commercially sound, technically coordinated, and execution-ready projects. The role owns the preconstruction process, including estimating, proposal development, pricing governance, risk review, and the handoff from Sales to Operations.
This is a hands-on leadership position for someone with experience in technical sales and project operations. You will align customer commitments with engineering requirements, supplier capacity, installation needs, and project schedules, while developing the team and processes needed to support growth.
Responsibilities:
Preconstruction leadership
· Lead projects from opportunity qualification through bid submission, contract award, and formal handoff to the delivery team.
· Establish bid/no-bid criteria and project review gates based on profitability, customer requirements, technical feasibility, capacity, and commercial risk.
· Coordinate preliminary layouts, design inputs, foundation assumptions, site information, quantities, and installation requirements with Engineering and Operations.
· Develop preconstruction schedules and identify long-lead materials, supplier constraints, site risks, and required customer decisions before commitments are made.
· Evaluate alternatives that improve cost, constructability, schedule, or customer value, with technical validation by the responsible engineering team.
Estimating and commercial management
· Lead the estimating function and set standards for takeoffs, cost models, supplier quotations, contingencies, and documented pricing assumptions.
· Review material, foundation, installation, freight, duty, currency, and other project costs with the appropriate functional leaders.
· Oversee proposals so that scope, exclusions, deliverables, payment milestones, warranties, and schedule assumptions are clear and consistent.
· Recommend pricing and negotiate commercial terms within delegated authority; escalate margin exceptions and material contractual risks to leadership and legal counsel as appropriate.
· Maintain cost benchmarks and compare bid assumptions with actual project outcomes to improve future estimates.
Sales operations and customer support
· Set consistent processes for opportunity qualification, proposal requests, quote turnaround, approvals, and customer follow-up.
· Maintain CRM discipline and provide reliable reporting on pipeline, forecast bookings, bid status, conversion, and expected project start dates.
· Partner with Sales and Business Development on strategic pursuits, technical presentations, and negotiations with developers, EPC contractors, and other customers.
· Align proposal workloads and expected awards with Engineering, Supply Chain, and Operations capacity.
· Resolve technical and commercial questions during the sales cycle and ensure customer commitments are documented and achievable.
Operational readiness and project handoff
· Coordinate procurement plans, supplier lead times, delivery sequencing, and preliminary installation schedules before project release.
· Lead structured handoff meetings supported by approved scope, budgets, drawings, assumptions, commitments, risk registers, and key milestones.
· Confirm that unresolved design inputs, scope gaps, and customer dependencies have assigned owners and resolution dates.
· Support Operations during early execution and significant scope changes; incorporate lessons learned into future bids and processes.
People leadership and process improvement
· Build and coach the preconstruction, estimating, and sales operations team; set responsibilities, workload priorities, and performance expectations.
· Introduce practical templates, dashboards, and approval workflows that improve accuracy and reduce avoidable rework.
· Promote respectful communication, accountability, and timely decisions across departments.
Qualifications:
· Bachelor’s degree or diploma in engineering, construction management, business, or a related discipline; an equivalent combination of relevant education and experience will be considered.
· Typically 10 or more years of progressive experience in preconstruction, estimating, technical sales, project management, or operations within solar, renewable energy, construction, structural systems, or engineered products.
· At least 5 years of people leadership experience, with responsibility for team performance, budgets, and cross-functional delivery.
· Demonstrated experience connecting technical sales with project execution, including bids, pricing, contract negotiations, and project handoffs.
· Strong understanding of project costing, gross margin, commercial risk, procurement, logistics, construction scheduling, and change management.
· Ability to interpret technical drawings, specifications, bills of materials, and scope documents and work effectively with engineering specialists.
· Experience with CRM and ERP systems, advanced Excel analysis, and project scheduling or reporting tools.
· Strong negotiation, presentation, decision-making, and organizational skills, with the ability to manage several concurrent pursuits.
· Ability to travel to customer, supplier, and project locations in Canada and the United States, as required by the role.
· Experience with solar racking, trackers, steel fabrication, foundation systems, or EPC project delivery.
· Knowledge of Canadian and US construction markets, cross-border supply chains, and international sourcing.
· Experience building or scaling an estimating or preconstruction department.
· PMP, relevant estimating credentials, or P.Eng. licensure would be an asset. P.Eng. is not required for this commercial and operational leadership role; professional engineering approvals remain with appropriately licensed professionals.
Why Polar Racking?
Join our team and become part of a dynamic company at the forefront of the renewable energy sector. In addition to competitive compensation, we offer a comprehensive benefits package including RRSP contributions, generous vacation time, and the opportunity for career growth.
As a valued member of our team, you'll also enjoy collaborative, fun work environment where innovation and teamwork are celebrated. If you're passionate about making a positive impact in the world while working with a supportive team, we invite you to apply and embark on an exciting journey with us.
We value an innovative, diverse workplace where all colleagues feel empowered to be their authentic selves. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.
