Design Manager

Wharton-Smith, Inc.; Sanford (FL); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Wharton-Smith, Inc. is seeking an experienced Design Manager or Project Manager to support municipal water and wastewater projects from pursuit through GMP development.

Based in the Jacksonville, Florida area, this hybrid role works on projects from $4M to $500M and emphasizes early strategy, design collaboration, constructability, and owner engagement with estimating and operations teams. The role requires a Bachelor’s degree in a related field, 7+ years in municipal Water/Wastewater, strong

Qualifications

• 7+ years in municipal Water/Wastewater construction or design.
• Experience as a Project Manager on municipal Water/Wastewater projects.
• Experience developing or supporting GMP pricing.
• Ability to collaborate with owners, engineers, and operations teams.
• Proficiency with scheduling software (P6 preferred) and cost management systems.

Responsibilities

• Support proposal development, RFQs and RFP responses.
• Participate in client interviews and presentations.
• Establish and maintain strong municipal owner and engineer relationships.
• Lead coordination between engineering and estimating teams during design phase.
• Review drawings, geotechnical reports, and specifications for constructability.
• Identify and mitigate project risks early in the design process.
• Provide constructability comments and coordinate subcontractor participation.
• Develop and coordinate GMP budgets and bid packages.
• Maintain preconstruction schedules in P6 and align with operations for construction planning.
• Lead milestone and stakeholder coordination meetings.
• Track preconstruction financials and costs.
• Provide value engineering solutions to meet budget and objectives.
• Ensure compliance with municipal funding requirements and assist construction transition.

Skills

Project leadership

Client communication

Stakeholder engagement

Risk management

Constructability reviews

Schedule management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering or related field

Tools

Primavera P6

Job description

Wharton-Smith, Inc., a highly regarded General Contractor throughout the Southeast, is seeking qualified candidates for the position ofDesign Manager or Project Manager. We are currently seeking someone who is willing to work in Central, FL.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION:

Wharton-Smith, Inc. is seeking an experiencedDesign Manager or Project Managerto support municipal water and wastewater projects from early pursuit through GMP development. Based in the Jacksonville, Florida area, this hybrid role supports projects ranging from $4M to $500M and is well suited for an experienced Water/Wastewater Project Manager transitioning from daily project execution into a strategic preconstruction and collaborative delivery role.

The Design Manager leads planning, coordination, budgeting, risk analysis, and stakeholder engagement during the pursuit and preconstruction phases. This role focuses on early project strategy, design collaboration, constructability reviews, cost development, and owner engagement, working closely with estimating and operations teams to support successful project delivery

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Support proposal development, RFQs, and RFP responses.
• Participate in client interviews and presentations.
• Establish and maintain strong municipal owner and engineer relationships.
• Lead coordination between engineering and estimating teams during design phase.
• Review drawings, geotechnical reports, and specifications for constructability.
• Identify and mitigate project risks early in the design process.
• Provide structured and meaningful constructability comments.
• Solicit and coordinate subcontractor and supplier participation.
• Develop and coordinate GMP budgets and bid packages.
• Maintain preconstruction schedules in P6 and align with operations for construction planning.
• Lead milestone and stakeholder coordination meetings.
• Track preconstruction financials, including internal and external costs.
• Provide innovation and value engineering solutions to maintain budget and objectives.
• Ensure understanding and compliance with municipal funding requirements.
• Partner with operations to ensure a seamless transition into construction.

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, Engineering, or a related field required.
• Equivalent combinations of education and relevant experience may be considered.
• Continued professional development in estimating, collaborative delivery methods, and project controls is encouraged.
• 7+ years of experience in municipal Water/Wastewater construction or design.
• Prior experience as a Project Manager on municipal Water/Wastewater projects.
• Experience developing or supporting GMP pricing.
• Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with owners, engineers, and operations teams.
• Strong understanding of municipal Water/Wastewater construction practices.
• Experience with CMAR, Progressive Design-Build, or other collaborative delivery models.
• Ability to identify scope gaps and cost exposures.
• Proficiency with scheduling software (P6 preferred) and cost management systems.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Standard work schedule is Monday through Friday (hybrid/remote schedules available), with flexibility required to meet project deadlines and client needs.
• Up to 25% travel is required, including travel outside the geographic region for client meetings, engineer coordination, job site visits, and travel to corporate or regional offices.
• Extended or evening hours may be required periodically based on workload, proposal deadlines, or project milestones.
• Valid Driver License required.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disability

Wharton-Smith provides equal opportunity to qualified disabled veterans, Pre-JVA special disabled veterans and individuals with disabilities to online application systems by making reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access for submitting to job openings. (i.e., wheelchair accessibility, website accessibility, etc).