Construction Manager

Abacus Service Corporation; Durham (NC); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Abacus Service Corporation is seeking an experienced Construction Manager to support a major expansion project in Durham, NC. You will act as the owner's on-site representative, leading contractor activities and ensuring cost, schedule, quality, and safety targets are met within a GMP-regulated biomanufacturing setting.

You will engage early in design through construction completion, overseeing constructability, change management, and risk mitigation while coordinating with engineering,

Qualifications

• 15+ years in Construction Management or Project Management, preferably large-scale industrial/pharma/life sciences capital projects.
• Experienced Owner's Representative on complex construction projects.
• Experience in GMP-regulated pharmaceutical/biotech manufacturing environments.

Responsibilities

• Serve as on-site owner's representative overseeing contractor-led construction activities and ensuring adherence to cost, schedule, quality and safety objectives.
• Actively participate in detailed design reviews to identify scope gaps, constructability concerns, coordination issues, or ambiguities that could cause cost escalation.
• Monitor baseline and look-ahead schedules, identify delays, and drive recovery plans to meet milestones.
• Optimize construction execution strategies, sequencing, logistics, trade coordination, and constraint management.
• Oversee field quality activities, ensuring GMP compliance and coordination with QA, Validation and Commissioning teams.
• Review design packages, bid documents, and scopes to ensure completeness and constructability.
• Proactively manage change orders and commercial risks while protecting owner interests.
• Prepare concise executive reports highlighting project status, risks, and savings opportunities.
• Foster collaboration among engineering, construction, commissioning, validation, and operations teams.

Skills

Owner's Representative

Construction Management

GMP/Pharma

Cost control

Scheduling

Leadership

Education

Engineering/Construction Management education

High School Diploma

Tools

Primavera P6

Microsoft Project

Excel

Job description

• Client is seeking an experienced Construction Manager to support the Red Cedar Expansion Project in Durham, NC.
• This high-profile capital project involves the demolition and modification of existing manufacturing suites and utility spaces, along with the installation of two high-speed filling lines, inspection equipment, parts washers, autoclaves, and supporting utilities within an operating biomanufacturing facility.
• The Construction Manager will serve as the owner's on-site representative, providing leadership and oversight of contractor activities while maintaining accountability for project cost, schedule, quality, and execution.
• The ideal candidate will engage early in the design phase through construction completion, ensuring constructability, minimizing commercial risk, and driving successful project delivery in a regulated GMP environment.

Key Responsibilities:

• Serve as the on-site owner's representative, overseeing contractor-led construction activities and ensuring adherence to project objectives related to cost, schedule, quality, and safety.
• Actively participate during detailed design reviews to identify scope gaps, constructability concerns, coordination issues, and package ambiguities that could result in cost escalation or change orders.
• Monitor and evaluate baseline and look-ahead schedules, identify potential delays, and drive recovery plans to maintain project milestones.
• Optimize construction execution strategies, including sequencing, logistics planning, trade coordination, productivity improvements, and constraint management.
• Oversee field quality activities, ensuring compliance with GMP requirements and coordination with Quality, Validation, and Commissioning teams.
• Review design packages, bid documents, and construction work scopes to ensure completeness, clarity, constructability, and alignment across disciplines.
• Proactively manage change orders, claims, and commercial risks by evaluating field conditions, entitlement, pricing, and schedule impacts while protecting owner interests.
• Prepare concise executive-level reports highlighting project status, cost and schedule risks, quality concerns, contractor performance, pending changes, dispute resolution, and savings opportunities.
• Foster collaboration among engineering, construction, commissioning, validation, and operations teams to ensure smooth project execution within an active manufacturing environment.

Required Qualifications:

• Minimum 15 years of experience in Construction Management and/or Project Management, preferably supporting large-scale industrial, pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or life sciences capital projects.
• High School Diploma required; additional technical, engineering, construction management, or related education is preferred.
• Strong experience serving as an Owner's Representative on complex construction projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing project cost, schedule, quality, contractor performance, and change management.
• Extensive knowledge of construction means and methods, project controls, contract administration, and field execution.
• Experience working within GMP-regulated pharmaceutical or biotechnology manufacturing environments is required.
• Proven ability to influence stakeholders, challenge assumptions, and drive practical project execution strategies.
• Strong communication, leadership, negotiation, and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting manufacturing facility expansions, equipment installations, and brownfield construction projects within active operations.
• Familiarity with commissioning, qualification, and validation processes in regulated environments.
• Experience working on pharmaceutical filling lines, utilities, clean rooms, or aseptic manufacturing facilities is highly desirable.