Director of Preconstruction & Entitlements

The Director of Preconstruction & Entitlements is a strategic leader responsible 

for driving the early-stage execution of Dutch Bros’ new shop pipeline. This role owns the pre-development lifecycle from site approval through construction permitting, with a focus on accelerating timelines, reducing risk, and improving project predictability. This role is primarily accountable for solving upstream development challenges, particularly entitlements, jurisdictional approvals, and utility procurement to ensure projects are fully positioned for successful execution. The Director partners cross-functionally with Real Estate, Design, Construction, and Operations to proactively remove barriers, streamline approvals, and enable scalable growth. 

• Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred in Real Estate, Civil Engineering, Urban Planning, Construction Management, or a related field.  

• 7+ years of experience leading multi-state or national development programs, preferably within high-growth retail, restaurant, convenience, or QSR environments, with the ability to operate strategically while driving execution across multiple projects and markets.  

• Deep expertise in entitlements, zoning, permitting, municipal processes, and site due diligence, including environmental, geotechnical, traffic, ADA, and utility assessments.  

• Experience building scalable pre-development processes and managing complex development projects across multiple markets, with a strong understanding of construction processes and project lifecycles to align pre-development efforts with construction readiness.  

• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing teams, including hiring, coaching, performance management, organizational change, and process improvement.  

• Strong cross-functional collaboration skills, with experience partnering across Real Estate, Design, Construction, Finance, Operations, and external stakeholders.  

• Experience selecting, negotiating with, and managing external partners, including architects, engineers, consultants, developers, general contractors, and national consultant networks, with a focus on vendor performance and accountability.  

• Experience managing operating budgets, capital planning, portfolio forecasting, executive reporting, and evaluating project feasibility, development risks, and financial impacts.  

• Strong understanding of utility coordination, municipal development codes, land use regulations, zoning ordinances, annexation processes, environmental permitting requirements, and development-related legal documents, including easements and access agreements.  

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify risks early, develop proactive solutions, and leverage dashboards and KPIs to improve portfolio visibility and decision-making.  

• Experience with development and project management platforms such as Lucernex, Procore, Smartsheet, Monday.com, or similar tools, as well as Microsoft Office, including Excel and PowerPoint.  

• Excellent communication