Commercial Electrical Project Engineer

California Electrical Solutions; Benicia (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 170,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical

Dental

Vision

Retirement/401(k)

PTO

Paid holidays

Vehicle allowance

Job summary

California Electrical Solutions (CES) seeks an experienced Commercial Electrical Project Manager to own projects end-to-end from pre-construction through closeout. You’ll manage $10M–$15M in active work and partner with field leadership on estimating changes and cost control.

Role requires hands-on estimating, design-build familiarity, and strong leadership to ensure profitable, on-time project delivery. On-site Monday–Friday in Benicia, CA with several project types.

Qualifications

• Strong understanding of electrical construction methods and execution.
• Hands-on electrical estimating including changes.
• Experience with commercial estimating software (Accubid, McCormick).
• Proficient in budgeting, forecasting, costing, and change-order management.
• Ability to read and interpret drawings and contracts.
• Capable of owning projects with leadership responsibility.
• Experience in people management and field leadership.
• Strong communication, organization, and problem-solving skills.
• Ability to identify issues early and develop solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities with accuracy.

Responsibilities

• Manage commercial electrical projects from pre-construction to closeout.
• Own project budgets, schedules, labor performance, procurement, billing, and change orders.
• Forecast costs and monitor job costs and material commitments.
• Identify risks and implement mitigations early.
• Coordinate RFIs, submittals, inspections, and closeout activities.
• Support billing and pay applications with accurate value of work.
• Lead field team and coordinate with foremen and office staff.
• Participate in design-build coordination and pre-construction reviews.
• Ensure design decisions align with budgets and constructibility.
• Maintain relationships with customers and project partners.

Skills

Electrical construction methods

Electrical estimating experience

Estimating software (Accubid/McCormick

Project budgeting & job costing

Reading electrical drawings

Owns projects independently

People-management & field leadership

Communication & negotiation

Identify risks & solve problems

Multitasking & attention to detail

Education

Bachelors in Construction Management / Electrical Engineering / Business or related field

Tools

Accubid

McCormick

Bluebeam Revu

Procore

Job description

California Electrical Solutions (CES) is seeking an experienced Commercial Electrical Project Manager to own projects from pre-construction and estimating through execution and closeout. This is a hands-on role with responsibility for both project delivery and financial performance, not a narrowly defined PM position where estimating, field coordination, and problem-solving sit with separate departments.

You’ll partner closely with field leadership, estimate projects and change orders, and address issues before they affect cost, schedule, or customer relationships. As you get established, you’ll manage approximately $10 million to $15 million in active project work, depending on project size and complexity. CES’s commercial work ranges from several hundred thousand dollars to several million dollars and includes ground-up construction, renovations, hard-bid, negotiated, and design-build projects.

CES offers direct access to leadership and the chance to have a meaningful influence on projects and the business. For someone who earns the team’s trust through strong execution and ownership,

Required Qualifications

• Strong understanding of electrical construction methods, materials, systems, equipment, sequencing, and project execution.
• Hands-on electrical estimating experience, including new work and change orders.
• Experience with commercial electrical estimating software such as Accubid, McCormick, or a similar platform.
• Strong understanding of project budgeting, job costing, forecasting, labor tracking, billing, schedules of values, and change-order management.
• Ability to read and interpret electrical drawings, specifications, contracts, schedules, and construction documents.
• Demonstrated ability to independently own projects rather than focusing solely on project coordination and documentation.
• Previous people-management and field-leadership experience.
• Strong communication, organization, problem-solving, negotiation, and decision-making skills.
• Ability to identify potential project issues early and develop practical solutions.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with medical, multifamily, mixed-use, grocery, retail, or similar commercial projects.
• Electrical field experience as an electrician, foreman, or through a trade apprenticeship.
• Experience working for a smaller or midsized electrical contractor where project managers manage broad responsibilities and wear multiple hats.
• Experience with Bluebeam Revu and Procore.
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Electrical Engineering, Business, or a related field. (Note: A bachelor's degree is preferred but not required, and meaningful electrical trade or construction experience will be strongly considered.)
• Location: Benicia, CA. (Candidates from surrounding Solano County and East Bay communities are encouraged to apply.)
• Schedule: On-site Monday through Friday during normal business hours.
• Site Visits: Approximately once per week depending on project needs.
• Additional Hours: Occasional evenings or weekends may be required based on project conditions.
• Base Salary: $120,000 to $170,000 depending on demonstrated experience and capability.
• Bonus: Performance-based, with project execution and financial performance among the primary considerations.
• Benefits: Medical, dental, vision, retirement/401(k), PTO, and paid holidays.
• Vehicle: Vehicle allowance is typically available for Project Managers, with company vehicle options depending on the arrangement.

Key Responsibilities

*Project Management & Execution

• Manage commercial electrical projects from pre-construction and turnover through final closeout.
• Maintain ownership of project budgets, schedules, labor performance, procurement, documentation, billing, change orders, and overall execution.
• Manage approximately $10M to $15M in active project work once fully established in the role.
• Develop project forecasts and monitor job costs, labor performance, material commitments, and anticipated costs.
• Identify potential cost overruns, schedule impacts, scope gaps, and project risks before they become larger problems.
• Coordinate RFIs, submittals, inspections, shutdowns, material deliveries, project documentation, and closeout requirements.
• Develop schedules of values and support the billing and pay-application process.
• Assist with outstanding payment or collection issues when project-management involvement is necessary.l
• Protect CES's contractual and financial interests while maintaining strong relationships with customers and project partners.
• Estimate new commercial electrical projects as needed in addition to primary project-management responsibilities.
• Prepare accurate pricing for electrical change orders and additional work.
• Perform or review takeoffs, labor assumptions, material requirements, vendor pricing, scope, and project requirements.
• Utilize commercial electrical estimating software such as Accubid, McCormick, or a comparable platform.
• Identify changes in scope and ensure additional work is properly documented, priced, submitted, and tracked.
• Support bid reviews and project turnover from estimating into operations.

Note: Estimating is not the full-time focus of the position, but candidates should arrive with practical electrical estimating knowledge and be capable of contributing from day one.

*Field & Team Leadership

• Partner closely with foremen to establish project expectations, manpower needs, priorities, production targets, and schedules.
• Initially support a smaller group of field leaders, with the ability to support approximately five to seven foremen as trust and responsibility grow.
• Maintain regular communication with the field regarding labor performance, material needs, schedule constraints, RFIs, change conditions, and project risks.
• Provide timely answers and make sound project decisions without unnecessarily escalating routine issues.
• Build strong relationships between CES's office and field teams.
• Lead, coach, and support project staff while holding the team accountable for successful execution.
• Collaborate with accounting, estimating, design, BIM/VDC, purchasing, prefabrication, and field operations.

*Design-Build & Pre-construction

• Participate in design-build coordination with owners, general contractors, engineers, architects, consultants, and other trades.
• Review designs for constructibility, cost impact, scope completeness, and electrical-code requirements.
• Collaborate on value engineering throughout the design process.
• Monitor design decisions against project budgets and proactively identify options that could result in unnecessary cost.
• Manage evolving scope, design revisions, RFIs, and stakeholder communication throughout pre-construction.

Note: Design-build experience is highly preferred because CES's PMs are expected to understand how design decisions translate into real-world cost and constructibility.

CES performs a diverse range of commercial electrical work, including:

• Multifamily and mixed-use developments
• Medical facilities and surgery centers
• Grocery stores
• Retail
• Commercial buildings
• Ground-up construction
• Renovation and improvement projects

Note: CES operates primarily as an electrical subcontractor and design-build partner. Current work includes approximately 75% hard-bid, 15% design-build, and 10% negotiated projects, and the company's field operations are nonunion.

What Success Looks Like

Success in this position will be measured by:

• Projects completed professionally, safely, on schedule, and within budget.
• Accurate understanding and forecasting of project financial performance.
• Strong labor and field performance.
• Early identification and resolution of project risks.
• Effective estimating and change-order management.
• Strong communication with foremen, customers, vendors, and internal teams.
• Ability to operate independently as trust is established.
• Strong leadership and accountability across the project team.
• Positive relationships between CES's field and office teams.