Construction Project Manager - Per Diem

SST Direct; St. Louis (MO); On-site; USD 200,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension plan

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Generous PTO

Job summary

SST Direct seeks a Project Manager to lead data center construction from preconstruction through handover, overseeing schedules, budgets, risks, and quality across multiple sites.

The role partners with Design, Construction, Engineering, Procurement, and Operations; requires 10+ years of PM experience and PMP/PRINCE2 or equivalent certification, with ~50% travel and competitive benefits.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or related technical field; Construction Management preferred.
• 10+ years of project management experience on hyperscale data center, mission-critical, industrial, or large infrastructure projects.
• Experience with fast-track, multi-site construction across regions.
• PMI-PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent certification preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead all phases of data center construction from kickoff through commissioning, turnover and handover.
• Develop and manage integrated project schedules using Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project; monitor critical path and recovery plans.
• Own budgets, cash flow, cost tracking, change orders, and financial reporting.
• Coordinate with Design, Construction, Engineering, Procurement, Commissioning, and Operations teams to align with technical requirements.
• Facilitate design reviews, planning sessions, and maintain project documentation (RACI, logs).
• Manage procurement activities including RFPs, prequalification, bid evaluations, contracts, PCOs, and closeout.
• Identify risks and implement mitigation strategies; resolve issues timely.
• Monitor KPIs, prepare executive dashboards, and report to senior leadership and external stakeholders.
• Lead cross-functional teams across regions, with staffing, mentoring, and performance development.
• Conduct stand-ups, reviews, lessons learned, and retrospectives to drive improvement.
• Ensure compliance with contracts, safety regs, codes, and company standards.
• Build relationships with owners, contractors, vendors, and commissioning teams.
• Support multiple fast-track projects while balancing priorities across portfolios.
• Utilize Primavera P6, MS Project, Procore, Ares, Smartsheet, Confluence, Excel for execution and reporting.
• Travel to project sites ~50%+ as required.

Skills

Leadership

Project management

Stakeholder management

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering or Construction Management

Tools

Primavera P6

Microsoft Project

Procore

Ares

Smartsheet

Confluence

Microsoft Excel

Job description

DIRECT HIRE: The Project Manager leads the planning, execution, budgeting, and delivery of mission-critical data center construction projects from preconstruction through customer handover. Reporting to the Construction Director, this role partners closely with Design, Construction, Engineering, Procurement, and Operations teams to develop integrated project plans, manage project budgets and schedules, mitigate risks, and ensure successful delivery of hyperscale and enterprise data center facilities. The Project Manager drives cross-functional collaboration, maintains stakeholder alignment, and ensures projects are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and to the highest quality standards.

Location: Buffalo, TX.

Per Diem: Paid per working day at GSA rate for site city, travel to/from site at start/end of project also covered

Pay Range: $200K - $240K

• Retirement or pension plan, in line with local norms
• Health, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous PTO policy, in line with local norms

Essential Job Duties:

• Lead all phases of data center construction projects from project kickoff through commissioning, turnover, and customer handover while ensuring alignment with business objectives and project milestones.
• Develop, maintain, and manage integrated project schedules using Primavera P6 and Microsoft Project, monitoring critical path activities and implementing recovery plans to maintain schedule commitments.
• Own project budgets, cash flow forecasts, cost tracking, change order management, and financial reporting while ensuring effective cost control throughout the project lifecycle.
• Coordinate with Design, Construction, Engineering, Procurement, Commissioning, and Operations teams to ensure project execution remains aligned with technical requirements, schedules, and capacity goals.
• Facilitate design reviews, constructability meetings, project planning sessions, and coordination meetings while maintaining RACI matrices, action logs, and project documentation.
• Manage procurement activities including RFP development, contractor prequalification, bid evaluations, contract awards, purchase change orders (PCOs), subcontract administration, and project closeout documentation.
• Identify project risks affecting schedule, budget, quality, safety, procurement, and resource availability; develop mitigation strategies and drive timely resolution of project issues.
• Monitor project performance by tracking key performance indicators (KPIs), preparing executive dashboards, and providing weekly project status reports to senior leadership and external stakeholders.
• Lead cross-functional project teams across multiple geographic regions, providing resource planning, staffing coordination, mentoring, and performance development to support project success.
• Conduct regular project stand-ups, progress meetings, executive reviews, lessons learned sessions, and project retrospectives to promote accountability and continuous improvement.
• Ensure compliance with project contracts, company standards, quality requirements, safety regulations, and applicable building codes throughout all phases of construction.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with owners, contractors, architects, engineers, consultants, vendors, and commissioning teams to ensure effective communication and stakeholder alignment.
• Support multiple fast-track projects simultaneously while balancing competing priorities, managing project risks, and maintaining delivery schedules across global project portfolios.
• Utilize project management and collaboration platforms including Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Procore, Ares, Smartsheet, Confluence, and advanced Microsoft Excel to manage project execution and reporting.
• Travel to project sites as required (approximately 50% or greater) to oversee construction progress, participate in field coordination meetings, resolve project issues, and support successful project delivery.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or a related technical field; Construction Management preferred.
• 10+ years of project management experience supporting hyperscale data center, mission-critical, industrial, or large infrastructure construction projects.
• Experience working for a hyperscale owner, developer, owner's representative, or general contractor delivering data center construction projects.
• PMI-PMP, PRINCE2, or equivalent project management certification preferred.
• Proven success delivering fast-track, multi-site construction projects across multiple regions.
• Strong knowledge of civil, structural, architectural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing (MEP), procurement, scheduling, contract administration, and cost management.
• Advanced proficiency with Primavera P6, Microsoft Project, Procore, Ares, Smartsheet, Confluence, and Microsoft Excel.
• Excellent leadership, communication, stakeholder management, negotiation, and organizational skills with the ability to communicate effectively at executive and field levels.
• Demonstrated ability to build, lead, and develop high-performing project teams while managing multiple complex projects in a fast-paced environment.