Vice President, Special Projects

Vice President, Special Projects – Urbacon

Position Overview

The Vice President of Special Projects provides executive leadership and oversight of Urbacon’s Special Projects Division — a business unit focused on delivering complex, fast-track, retrofit, and high-profile projects across the Institutional, Commercial, and Infrastructure sectors.

Working closely with the Vice President of Construction, Vice President of Development, and Vice President of Marketing and Business Development, this role ensures strategic alignment between pursuit, design, and delivery — maintaining operational consistency, financial performance, and client satisfaction across all Urbacon business units.

Department: Construction Operations – Special Projects Division

Reports To: President

Location: Toronto, ON

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Leadership & Division Management

Lead and oversee large projects teams from beginning of projects to end. Own strategic direction, operations execution, client management, and achieving project performance standards.

Mentor and develop senior project staff, fostering leadership growth, accountability, and succession readiness.

Promote a high-performance culture rooted in safety, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

Integrate Special Projects reporting, forecasting, and resource planning into Urbacon’s broader operational framework.

Contribute to the long-term strategic planning and organizational development of the company.

Project Oversight & Delivery Excellence

Oversee the successful execution of all Special Projects from preconstruction through closeout, ensuring delivery excellence in schedule, budget, quality, and safety.

Provide executive leadership on high-risk or technically complex projects requiring enhanced coordination and oversight.

Offer hands-on guidance on constructability, sequencing, logistics planning, and risk mitigation.

Enforce consistent project reporting, change management, and quality-assurance processes across all projects.

Financial Performance & Division P&L

Maintain full profit and loss (P&L) accountability for the Special Projects Division.

Review forecasts, cost reports, and project profitability in coordination with Project Directors and Finance.

Drive continuous improvement in estimating accuracy, operational efficiency, and margin optimization.

Approve all significant subcontract awards, contract changes, and claims to safeguard corporate financial interests.

Contribute to Urbacon’s annual business planning, revenue forecasting, and resource allocation strategies.

Risk Management & Compliance

Identify and mitigate project risks related to logistics, constructability, client operations. Manage and administrate all project delay claims, negotiations and settlements

Oversee all contractual compliance, insurance matters, and claims management.

Ensure adherence to Urbacon’s Health, Safety, and QA/QC.

Client Engagement & Business Development

Serve as executive liaison for key clients within the Special Projects portfolio, ensuring superior communication and client satisfaction.

Support pursuit and proposal efforts by contributing technical insight, constructability planning, and operational credibility to RFP and RFQ submissions.

Develop and maintain long-term client relationships that drive repeat business and strengthen Urbacon’s market reputation.

Collaborate with Business Development on pursuits by Reviewing and participating in pursuit strategies and proposal submissions; Preparing staffing and cost matrices; Assisting in responses for planning, site logistics, and constructability during the pursuit phase; Participating in client interviews, CCDC contract negotiations, and team setup.

Collaboration & Integration

Work closely with the VP of Construction to ensure consistent standards, resource alignment, and seamless coordination across all Urbacon projects.

Coordinate with Estimating, Procurement, and Preconstruction teams to support early budgeting, design reviews, and long-lead procurement strategies.

Partner with Finance, HR, and Operations to maintain cohesive reporting, staff development, and digital systems integration (e.g., Procore, PowerBI, Monday.com).

Ensure the Special Projects Division contributes to Urbacon’s culture of innovation, mentorship, and continuous learning.

Qualifications & Experience

Bachelor’s degree in construction management, Engineering, or Architecture.

Preferred: Degree in Business Management or MBA

20+ years of progressive experience in commercial, institutional, and infrastructure construction, including 5+ years in a senior management role.

Proven track record of successful managing projects with budgets ranging from $50M to $100M++

Experience in Design-Build, CM-at-Risk, IPD, Lump Sum, and public-sector procurement environments.

Comprehensive knowledge of CCDC contract forms, risk allocation, and claims management.

Strong financial and operational acumen with demonstrated P&L accountability.

Proficient with Procore, PowerBI, and other enterprise construction platforms an asset.

Fluency in French is considered a significant asset.

Location

Head Office

Occasional Travel Required

What we Offer:

Competitive compensation and benefits

Opportunity to work closely with visionary leadership

A dynamic, mission-driven culture that values innovation and collaboration

Professional development and growth opportunities