Director Of Design & Construction - Branch Real Estate

Director Of Design & Construction - Branch Real Estate

Join a financial services firm where your contributions are valued. Edward Jones is a Fortune 500 company where people come first. With over 9 million clients and 20,000 financial advisors across the U.S. and Canada, we're proud to be privately-owned, placing the focus on our clients rather than shareholder returns. Behind everything we do is our purpose: We partner for positive impact to improve the lives of our clients and colleagues, and together, better our communities and society. We are an innovative, flexible, and inclusive organization that attracts, develops, and inspires performance excellence and a sense of belonging. People are at the center of our partnership. Edward Jones associates are seen, heard, respected, and supported. This is what we believe makes us the best place to start or build your career.

Overview: The Director of Design & Construction will lead the delivery of design and construction projects across a large branch office portfolio, ensuring projects are executed safely, on time, on budget, and in alignment with business objectives and brand standards. This role oversees a team of designers and project managers and serves as a senior leader responsible for setting project delivery strategy, managing the multi-year project roadmap, and maintaining strong financial controls. The Director partners closely with internal stakeholders—including Procurement, Design, Legal, IT, Risk, and Transaction Management—and manages relationships with external partners such as architects, contractors, landlords, and government entities.

What You'll Do

• Lead, manage, and develop a team of designers and project managers responsible for branch office projects.
• Establish clear performance expectations, provide regular feedback, and conduct coaching and mentoring.
• Identify skill gaps and drive training, upskilling, and knowledge-sharing initiatives across the team.
• Foster a collaborative, high-performance culture focused on accountability, continuous improvement, and professional growth.

• Oversee the full lifecycle of design and construction projects, including new locations, renovations, relocations, and decommissions.
• Ensure consistent execution of design standards, construction quality, safety requirements, and regulatory compliance.
• Serve as an escalation point for complex project issues, risks, or disputes.
• Champion best practices, standardized processes, and scalable delivery models across the portfolio.

• Lead development and execution of the multi-year design and construction project roadmap.
• Establish and maintain project budgets, forecasts, and financial controls.
• Track capital and opex spend, monitor variances, and implement corrective actions as needed.
• Partner with Finance and Procurement to ensure accurate reporting, cost control, and capitalization alignment.

• Work closely with Transaction Management to align design and construction delivery with lease milestones and deal strategies.
• Partner with Procurement on vendor selection, contract negotiations, and ongoing performance management.
• Collaborate with Legal and Risk teams to ensure compliance with contracts, insurance, and risk mitigation requirements.
• Coordinate with IT, Design, Facilities, and Operations to ensure seamless project integration and turnover.

• Lead engagement with architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, landlords, and jurisdictional authorities.
• Define scopes of work, project schedules, budgets, and performance expectations.
• Oversee permitting and inspections, including coordination with local, state, and federal agencies.
• Ensure third-party partners deliver high-quality results aligned with company standards and timelines.

• Implement governance frameworks for project approvals, cost controls, and change management.
• Ensure adherence to safety standards, building codes, accessibility requirements, and sustainability goals.
• Maintain consistent documentation, reporting, and audit-ready project records.

This is a high-impact leadership role with the opportunity to shape how the organization delivers design and construction across a large, complex portfolio. The Director of Design & Construction - Branch Real Estate will influence both the built environment and the professional growth of a developing team, while partnering closely with senior stakeholders to support enterprise strategy. A successful candidate will bring strong people-leadership skills, deep project delivery expertise, financial discipline, and a passion for mentoring and upskilling teams.

What You'll Need:

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field.
• 10+ years of experience leading design and construction projects in a corporate or multi-site environment.
• Demonstrated experience managing and mentoring project managers and design professionals.
• Proven ability to manage large-volume project portfolios with significant capital spend.
• Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost control.
• Experience managing external partners including architects, contractors, and landlords.
• Excellent communication, leadership, and stakeholder management skills.

What Could Set You Apart:

• Experience supporting financial services, and/or other large branch-based portfolios.
• Familiarity with standardized design systems and brand rollouts.
• Professional certifications such as PMP, CCM, RA, or PE.
• Experience implementing process improvements and delivery best practices at scale.

• Strategic leadership with execution focus
• People development and mentoring
• Financial discipline and portfolio planning
• Cross-functional collaboration
• Risk management and decision-making
• Continuous improvement mindset

Candidates that live within a commutable distance from our Tempe, AZ and St. Louis, MO home office locations are expected to work in the office four days per week effective June 1, 2026. Before June 1, 2026, candidates that live within a commutable distance from our Tempe, AZ and St. Louis, MO home office locations are expected to work in the office three days per week, with preference for Tuesday through Thursday.

Edward Jones does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, religion, national origin, age, disability, sexual orientation, pregnancy, veteran status, genetic information or any other basis prohibited by applicable law.

Edward Jones' compensation and benefits package includes medical and prescription drug, dental, vision, voluntary benefits (such as accident, hospital indemnity, and critical illness), short- and long-term disability, basic life, and basic AD&D coverage. Short- and long-term disability, basic life, and basic AD&D coverage are provided at no cost to associates. Edward Jones offers a 401k retirement plan, and tax-advantaged accounts: health savings account, and flexible spending account. Edward Jones observes ten paid holidays and provides 15 days of vacation for new associates beginning on January 1 of each year, as well as sick time, personal days, and a paid day for volunteerism. Associates may be eligible for bonuses and profit sharing. All associates are eligible for the firm's Employee Assistance Program. For more information on the Benefits available to Edward Jones associates, please visit our benefits page.