Associate Project Manager

Motive Power; Portland (OR); On-site; USD 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

Motive Power is seeking an experienced Associate Project Manager to support a leading power and utilities client, focusing on large capital projects in Transmission & Distribution. You will engage directly with client leadership and cross-functional teams to strengthen execution and deliver results.

The role requires 5+ years in project management within utilities, with the ability to work onsite in Portland 2–3 days per week and to manage complex projects independently.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of progressive project management experience supporting large capital projects.
• Experience within the power and utilities industry, preferably supporting Transmission & Distribution initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex project deliverables and coordinate multiple stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of capital project execution, scheduling, budgeting, risk management, and project controls.
• Experience working directly with utility owners, engineering organizations, contractors, or consulting firms.
• Strong communication, analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Ability to quickly assess project challenges, establish priorities, and execute with limited oversight.
• Comfortable working in a client-facing consulting environment.
• Ability to work onsite in the Portland area 2 to 3 days per week.

Responsibilities

• Manage day-to-day execution of large-scale utility capital projects, with an anticipated focus on Transmission & Distribution infrastructure.
• Provide direct project management oversight for one or more complex capital projects.
• Develop and maintain project execution plans, schedules, milestones, and deliverables.
• Monitor project performance against established scope, schedule, budget, and quality expectations.
• Identify project risks, constraints, and dependencies, implementing corrective actions to maintain delivery commitments.
• Assess project health and develop actionable recovery strategies for projects experiencing execution challenges.
• Coordinate engineering, construction, procurement, operations, and project controls activities to maintain project alignment.
• Serve as a trusted project management advisor to utility client stakeholders.
• Partner with client leadership to align project execution with broader portfolio objectives.
• Lead project meetings, stakeholder updates, and cross-functional coordination activities.
• Translate complex project challenges into actionable recommendations and practical solutions.
• Build strong working relationships with engineering teams, contractors, project controls professionals, and executive stakeholders.
• Provide objective assessments of project performance and recommend opportunities to strengthen delivery.
• Support portfolio-level planning, reporting, governance, and project prioritization.
• Establish clear visibility into project progress, critical milestones, and emerging risks.
• Evaluate existing project management processes and recommend improvements to execution efficiency.
• Collaborate with project controls teams to monitor schedules, forecasts, budgets, and change management activities.
• Develop consistent project reporting and performance accountability.
• Identify opportunities to improve project delivery consistency across the broader capital portfolio.

Skills

Project management

Power & utilities

Stakeholder management

Scheduling

Budgeting

Risk management

Client-facing

Onsite Portland

Tools

Primavera P6

Microsoft Project

Power BI

Job description

Motive Power is a dynamic consulting firm specializing in the US Utility industry, offering innovative solutions that enable clients to achieve their corporate sustainability and decarbonization goals. We provide comprehensive project delivery, developing and mentoring teams, and expanding our utility business, all while championing ESG and decarbonization initiatives. Our commitment to enhancing efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability is at the core of our organizational development, data innovation, and change adoption expertise. We take a holistic approach, streamlining project management, optimizing processes, and leveraging data-driven insights to foster sustainable growth. Our people-centric change management strategies ensure seamless transitions and alignment with strategic sustainability objectives. With a strong focus on sustainability, we empower organizations to not only improve their performance but also make a lasting positive impact on society and the environment.

Associate Project Manager

At Motive Power, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive work environment that reflects our dedication to ESG principles. We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at all levels of the organization. We are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees and applicants. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other status protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
Motive Power is seeking an experienced, consultative Associate Project Manager to support a leading power and utilities client as it expands its capital project portfolio.

This role will provide hands-on project management and delivery oversight for large capital projects, working directly with client leadership and cross-functional project teams to strengthen execution, improve project performance, and deliver successful outcomes.

The ideal candidate brings a strong foundation in utility capital project delivery, particularly Transmission & Distribution (T&D), and can quickly integrate into a dynamic project environment to establish structure, improve execution, and drive results.

This is not simply a project coordination role. We are looking for a professional who can independently manage complex project activities, engage confidently with senior stakeholders, and bring a consulting mindset to solving operational and delivery challenges.

Key Responsibilities

Capital Project Management

• Manage day-to-day execution of large-scale utility capital projects, with an anticipated focus on Transmission & Distribution infrastructure.
• Provide direct project management oversight for one or more complex capital projects.
• Develop and maintain project execution plans, schedules, milestones, and deliverables.
• Monitor project performance against established scope, schedule, budget, and quality expectations.
• Identify project risks, constraints, and dependencies, implementing corrective actions to maintain delivery commitments.
• Assess project health and develop actionable recovery strategies for projects experiencing execution challenges.
• Coordinate engineering, construction, procurement, operations, and project controls activities to maintain project alignment.

Client Engagement & Consulting

• Serve as a trusted project management advisor to utility client stakeholders.
• Partner with client leadership to align project execution with broader portfolio objectives.
• Lead project meetings, stakeholder updates, and cross-functional coordination activities.
• Translate complex project challenges into actionable recommendations and practical solutions.
• Build strong working relationships with engineering teams, contractors, project controls professionals, and executive stakeholders.
• Provide objective assessments of project performance and recommend opportunities to strengthen delivery.
• Support portfolio-level planning, reporting, governance, and project prioritization.
• Establish clear visibility into project progress, critical milestones, and emerging risks.
• Evaluate existing project management processes and recommend improvements to execution efficiency.
• Collaborate with project controls teams to monitor schedules, forecasts, budgets, and change management activities.
• Develop consistent project reporting and performance accountability.
• Identify opportunities to improve project delivery consistency across the broader capital portfolio.

Qualifications

Required

• 5+ years of progressive project management experience supporting large capital projects.
• Experience within the power and utilities industry, preferably supporting Transmission & Distribution initiatives.
• Demonstrated ability to independently manage complex project deliverables and coordinate multiple stakeholders.
• Strong understanding of capital project execution, scheduling, budgeting, risk management, and project controls.
• Experience working directly with utility owners, engineering organizations, contractors, or consulting firms.
• Strong communication, analytical, problem-solving, and stakeholder management capabilities.
• Ability to quickly assess project challenges, establish priorities, and execute with limited oversight.
• Comfortable working in a client-facing consulting environment.
• Ability to work onsite in the Portland area 2 to 3 days per week.

Preferred

• 7+ years of experience managing utility capital projects.
• Experience managing or stabilizing underperforming capital projects.
• Prior consulting or owner-side project management experience.
• Familiarity with electric transmission, distribution, substations, and grid modernization initiatives.
• Experience managing multiple projects simultaneously.
• PMP certification or equivalent project management credentials.
• Familiarity with Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Power BI, or comparable project management tools.

What Success Looks Like

Within the first 30 to 60 days, the successful candidate will have:

• Established strong working relationships with client stakeholders and project delivery teams.
• Assessed assigned project health, execution risks, and immediate priorities.
• Established clear project governance, reporting, and accountability.
• Developed actionable plans to stabilize assigned projects and address critical delivery challenges.
• Improved visibility into project schedules, budgets, risks, and key milestones.
• Demonstrated the ability to independently drive project execution and resolve delivery challenges.
• Built credibility as a trusted advisor capable of delivering measurable project outcomes.

If you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a position or to participate in the interview process, please contact us at [e-mail] to discuss your needs.

Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. We are unable to sponsor or take over sponsorship of an employment Visa at this time.