Capital Project Manager

Applegreen Travel Plazas; Englewood (NJ); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

401(k) with Company Match

Paid Time Off

10% Annual Bonus

Earned Wage Access – Pay on Demand

Education Assistance

Employee Referral Bonus

Pet Insurance

Job summary

Applegreen USA Welcome Centers Central Services is seeking a Project Manager - Capital Projects to oversee multiple capital projects from planning through opening across active travel plaza environments. You will collaborate with Operations, Commercial, Finance, and brand partners to meet schedules, budgets, and quality standards.

The role requires hands-on leadership, strong organization, and the ability to manage risk while minimizing disruption to store operations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Business, or related field preferred; equivalent relevant project management experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of project management experience in construction, development, retail, restaurant/QSR, hospitality, or multi-site environment preferred.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing multiple concurrent construction or capital projects.
• Strong understanding of project budgeting, scheduling, procurement, construction documentation, change management, and project closeout.
• Experience working in active operating environments and minimizing disruption to the business strongly preferred.
• QSR, restaurant, convenience retail, travel plaza, hospitality, or other multi-site consumer experience preferred.
• Experience coordinating with general contractors, architects, engineers, vendors, and external brand partners.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; experience with project management, scheduling, and reporting platforms preferred (Procore, Smartsheet).
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to project locations and adjust work hours when project execution requires it.

Responsibilities

• Manage multiple concurrent capital projects through full lifecycle from scope through closeout.
• Develop and maintain budgets, schedules, forecasts, and risk logs; report status to senior stakeholders.
• Coordinate with architects, engineers, contractors, vendors, and brand partners to drive projects to opening.
• Align project execution with Operations, Commercial, and brand objectives.
• Lead QSR and retail fit-outs, remodels, reimages, and renovations within active travel plazas.
• Develop phasing to minimize downtime and lost sales; monitor progress and quality.

Skills

Project management

Budgeting

Scheduling

Contract administration

Cross-functional collaboration

Excel

Procore

Vendor coordination

Travel flexibility

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management

Tools

Procore

Smartsheet

Microsoft Office

Job description

Career Opportunities with Applegreen USA Welcome Centers Central Services

A great place to work.

Current job opportunities are posted here as they become available.

At Applegreen, our mission is to delight customers in transit with passionate hospitality and brands they love.

Applegreen is a leading roadside retailer operating high-quality travel plazas and service areas in the US, Ireland, and the UK. Founded on a commitment to innovation, operational excellence, and customer experience, Applegreen combines fuel, convenience retail, and a diverse portfolio of food and beverage offerings to create welcoming destinations for customers.

In the U.S., Applegreen partners with major transportation authorities and operates more than 120 service plazas along some of the country’s busiest highways and turnpikes. The company is known for modern facilities, strong national and local food brands, and an emphasis on freshness, quality, and sustainability.

At Applegreen, our people are at the heart of what we do. We foster a culture that values teamwork, development, and accountability, offering employees opportunities to grow their careers in a fast-paced, dynamic environment. Applegreen continues to expand while remaining focused on delivering exceptional service to customers and creating a great place to work.

Our Core Value

Our core values define who we are and guide how we work every day. They shape our decisions, inspire our actions, and influence how we engage with our customers, suppliers, business partners, and one another.

• Our customers and communities are at the heart of everything we do.
• We value and develop our people.
• We are driven by pace, passion and performance.
• We seek opportunities and embrace change.

Benefits You Receive

Applegreen offers a competitive benefits package designed to support the health and financial well-being of our associates and families. Available benefits include a variety of company-sponsored and voluntary options such as:

• Paid Time Off
• 401 (k) with Company Match
• 10% Annual Bonus
• Earned Wage Access – Pay on Demand
• Education Assistance
• Employee Referral Bonus
• Pet Insurance

POSITION SUMMARY

Applegreen is seeking a Project Manager - Capital Projects to support the execution of its U.S. capital investment program across the travel plaza portfolio. Reporting to the Director, U.S. Capital Projects, this position will manage multiple concurrent capital projects from initial planning and design through construction, turnover, and opening.

The portfolio includes QSR and retail remodels, brand conversions, new concept fit-outs, refresh/reimage programs, retail renovations, and other strategic capital improvements across active travel plaza environments. The Project Manager will work closely with internal Operations, Commercial, Finance, Procurement, and other business teams, as well as restaurant and retail brand partners, architects, engineers, general contractors, vendors, and consultants.

This is a hands-on project management role requiring strong ownership, organization, sound judgment, and the ability to manage numerous projects simultaneously across multiple markets. Success in the role requires delivering projects safely, on schedule, within approved capital budgets, to applicable brand and quality standards, and with minimal disruption to ongoing operations and sales.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage multiple concurrent capital projects through the full project lifecycle, including scope development, design, budgeting, procurement, permitting, construction, turnover, and closeout.
• Develop and maintain project budgets, schedules, forecasts, milestone tracking, and status reporting; proactively identify and communicate risks to cost, schedule, quality, and operations.
• Coordinate architects, engineers, consultants, general contractors, vendors, equipment suppliers, and brand partners to drive projects from concept through opening.
• Partner closely with Operations and Commercial teams to align project execution with operational requirements, merchandising strategies, customer experience, and business objectives.
• Manage QSR and retail new fit-outs, remodels, brand conversions, reimages, refreshes, and renovations within active travel plaza environments.
• Develop project phasing and execution strategies designed to minimize operational downtime, disruption to customers, and lost sales.
• Review construction drawings, specifications, proposals, scopes of work, and quantities for completeness, constructability, coordination, and alignment with project objectives.
• Support contractor bidding, scope leveling, procurement coordination, contract administration, change-order review, and project cost control.
• Lead project meetings and conduct regular site visits to monitor construction progress, quality, safety, schedule, and coordination among trades and stakeholders.
• Resolve field conditions, technical issues, scope conflicts, and other project challenges in a timely manner, escalating material risks with recommended solutions when appropriate.
• Coordinate with restaurant and retail brands to ensure projects meet applicable brand standards, equipment requirements, operational criteria, and opening requirements.
• Maintain accurate project documentation, including budgets, schedules, contracts, change orders, meeting minutes, risk logs, punch lists and closeout documentation.
• Provide clear and timely project reporting to the Director, U.S. Capital Projects and other senior stakeholders.
• Manage turnover and opening activities in coordination with Operations, Commercial, IT, Procurement, vendors, and brand partners.
• Identify opportunities to improve project delivery processes, standardization, cost efficiency, schedule performance, and execution across the broader capital portfolio.

Education, Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Business, or a related field preferred; equivalent relevant project management experience will be considered.
• 5+ years of project management experience in construction, development, retail, restaurant/QSR, hospitality, convenience retail, or a related multi-site environment preferred.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing multiple concurrent construction or capital projects.
• Strong understanding of project budgeting, scheduling, procurement, construction documentation, change management, and project closeout.
• Experience working in active operating environments and managing construction while minimizing disruption to the business strongly preferred.
• QSR, restaurant, convenience retail, travel plaza, hospitality, or other multi-site consumer experience preferred.
• Experience coordinating with general contractors, architects, engineers, vendors, and external brand partners.
• Strong proficiency in Microsoft Office, particularly Excel; experience with project management, scheduling, and reporting platforms preferred (Procore, Smartsheet).
• Ability and willingness to travel regularly to project locations and adjust work hours when project execution requires it.

Key Skills & Attributes

• Strong ownership mentality with the ability to independently drive projects forward from planning through completion.
• Highly organized and capable of prioritizing competing deadlines across a portfolio of active projects.
• Strong commercial awareness with the ability to balance scope, quality, schedule, capital investment, operational needs, and customer impact.
• Proactive problem-solving skills with the ability to anticipate issues and develop practical solutions before they materially affect project delivery.
• Clear, concise, and professional communication with contractors, vendors, brand partners, internal teams, and senior stakeholders.
• Sound judgment and confidence making decisions in fast-moving project environments.
• Collaborative approach and ability to build effective working relationships across Operations, Commercial, Finance, Procurement, IT, and other functions.
• Attention to detail while maintaining an understanding of broader portfolio priorities and business objectives.
• Comfort operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment where priorities and project requirements may change.

The successful candidate will be an accountable project leader who takes ownership of problems through resolution, communicates early when risks arise, and consistently drives projects toward successful delivery.

Applegreen is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. Applegreen prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. We are committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination.