Director Construction, East

About the position

The Director of Construction East is responsible for leading the planning, execution, and delivery of all grocery store construction projects, including new store builds, remodels, refreshes, and expansions. This role ensures projects are delivered on time, on budget, and to brand and operational standards, while supporting aggressive store-opening schedules and multi-market growth. The ideal candidate brings deep experience in grocery or big-box retail construction, excels in fast-paced, high-volume environments, and can scale teams, processes, and vendor partnerships as the business grows. This position will support the growing Multi‑Market region (FL, NJ, NY, IL). The ideal candidate will reside in one of these four states.

Responsibilities

  • Sets and owns the long-term construction strategy aligned to enterprise growth plans
  • Lead end-to-end construction delivery for grocery stores, including ground-up
  • Own project schedules and budgets from handoff through turnover and store opening
  • Ensure consistent execution of brand standards and operational needs
  • Drive speed-to-open while maintaining quality and safety standards
  • Develop and manage annual construction budgets and forecasts
  • Establish cost benchmarks by market, project type, and complexity
  • Identify cost-saving opportunities without compromising schedule or quality
  • Review and approve change orders, pay applications, and final reconciliations
  • Build, lead, and mentor a high-performing construction team
  • Ensure proper workload balance, staffing levels, and succession planning
  • Define clear roles, responsibilities, and accountability across the team
  • Partner closely with Real Estate, Design, Facilities, Store Operations, and Finance
  • Establish and manage relationships with general contractors, architects, engineers, and key trades
  • Develop preferred vendor programs and negotiate master service agreements
  • Drive consistent performance across regions and markets
  • Resolve escalations and manage risk proactively
  • Partner with Real Estate on site feasibility, entitlements, and due diligence
  • Partners with Executive Leadership on capital allocations and multi-year development planning
  • Collaborate with Design to ensure constructability and cost alignment
  • Coordinate closely with Store Operations to support training, merchandising, and opening readiness
  • Support executive leadership with clear reporting and insights
  • Leads transformation of construction delivery models to support scale and speed
  • Implement scalable construction processes, tools, and reporting standards
  • Track KPIs related to cost, schedule, quality, and safety
  • Ensure compliance with all local, state, and federal regulations
  • Champion continuous improvement across construction delivery

Requirements

  • 10+ years of construction experience with retail or grocery projects
  • University Degree or equivalent experience and minimum 10 years prior relevant experience
  • 5+ years in a senior leadership or director-level role
  • Proven experience delivering multiple projects simultaneously across markets
  • Strong knowledge of grocery-specific requirements (MEP, refrigeration, food safety, health codes)
  • Demonstrated success managing large capital budgets
  • Excellent leadership, communication, and negotiation skills

Nice-to-haves

  • Experience with high-growth or rollout-driven retail brands
  • Ground-up and conversion experience
  • Familiarity with national and regional contractor networks
  • Proficiency with construction management software (Procore, MS Project, Smartsheet, etc.)

Benefits

  • Competitive pay
  • Sick time plan that you can use to support you or your immediate families health
  • Vacation accrual plan
  • Opportunities for career growth
  • 15% discount for you and one other family member in your household on all purchases made at Sprouts
  • Flexible schedules
  • Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
  • 401(K) Retirement savings plan with a generous company match
  • Company paid life insurance
  • Contests and appreciation events throughout the year full of prizes, food and fun!
  • Bonus based on company and/or individual performance
  • Affordable benefit coverage, including medical, dental and vision
  • Health Savings Account with company match
  • Pre-tax Flexible Spending Accounts for healthcare and dependent care
  • Company paid short-term disability coverage
  • Paid parental leave for both mothers and fathers
  • Paid holidays
  • DailyPay - if you’re hired as an eligible employee, you’ll be able to transfer the money you’ve already earned at no extra cost, and get it the next business day, for free.
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