Design Manager - Water

Wharton-Smith, Inc.; Jacksonville (FL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

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

This hybrid role in the Jacksonville, FL area focuses on early project strategy, design collaboration, constructability reviews, cost development, and owner engagement, working with estimating and operations teams. The position requires 7+ years in municipal water/wastewater and experience as a PM on such projects, with GMP pricing

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience 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.
• Familiarity with CMAR, Progressive Design-Build, or other collaborative delivery models.
• 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 feedback and value engineering input.
• Coordinate subcontractor and supplier participation.
• Develop 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 costs and external costs.
• Ensure compliance with municipal funding requirements.

Skills

Proposal development

Client interviews

Owner relationships

Design coordination

Constructability reviews

Risk management

Preconstruction scheduling

P6 scheduling

Cost management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Primavera P6 (P6)

Cost management systems

Job description

General Description

Wharton-Smith, Inc. is seeking an experienced Design Manager or Project Manager to 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.

Essential Functions

• 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.

Key Requirements

Formal Education:

• 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.

Work Experience

• 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.

Job-Related Knowledge

• 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.

Position Type/ Expected

• Full-time, exempt position. Valid Driver License required.

Hours Of Work

• 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.

Other Duties

The above statements are intended to describe general nature and level of work being performed by employees assigned to this classification. They are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of responsibilities and duties required of those in this position.

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).