HVAC Controls Project Manager

Johnson Controls; Knoxville (TN); On-site; USD 72,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Paid time off and holidays

Comprehensive benefits package

On-the-job training and cross-training

Collaborative team environment

Zero Harm safety commitment

Job summary

Johnson Controls is seeking a Controls Project Manager for HVAC systems to lead on-site projects from planning through closeout. You will coordinate hardware, programming, installation, commissioning, and documentation while ensuring safety, quality, and contractual compliance.

You will balance technical delivery with customer satisfaction and financial performance, guiding subcontractors and teams to achieve successful outcomes in a fast-paced environment.

Qualifications

• HVAC/building automation knowledge and system commissioning experience.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Understanding of project accounting and contracting.

Responsibilities

• Lead control systems projects from planning to closeout.
• Coordinate hardware design, programming, installation, and commissioning.
• Manage project financials: costs, billings, profitability, cash flow.
• Maintain regular customer communication and pursue change orders when needed.
• Ensure safety, compliance, and on-time delivery across all phases.

Skills

HVAC controls

Customer communication

Independent work

Windows & Excel

Project leadership

Education

Technical associate degree

Bachelor’s degree preferred

Tools

Windows

Excel

Job description

Johnson Controls is a global organization focused on smart, healthy, and sustainable buildings. In this role, you will help customers achieve reliable building performance by leading HVAC controls projects from planning through closeout with strong technical execution, clear communication, and a commitment to safety and ethics.

What you will do As a Controls Project Manager for our HVAC division, you will act as the on-site project leader for assigned customers. You will coordinate the full lifecycle of control systems projects, balancing technical delivery, customer satisfaction, and financial performance while ensuring work is completed to contract requirements and applicable legal standards.

Key Responsibilities

Lead assigned control systems projects from planning and execution through final completion and closeout. Coordinate hardware design, system programming, installation coordination, system and network commissioning, and project closeout activities. Provide direction to subcontractors, electrical installers, technicians, designers, and administrative support as needed. Manage project financial results, including costs, billings, collections, profitability, and cash flow. Maintain regular communication with the customer throughout all project phases and actively pursue change orders when scope changes occur. Oversee material selection, ordering, budget control, delivery scheduling, and vendor or subcontractor pricing. Ensure work is completed in compliance with state, local, and federal requirements and in line with Johnson Controls standards. Support site‑specific training, documentation, warranty handoff, and project closeout deliverables.

What You Will Do It

Own project outcomes with accountability, safety, and integrity while maintaining a strong balance between customer satisfaction and financial performance. Use established standards to complete typical installation hardware design and software programming when required. Validate complete system functionality, resolve commissioning issues, and work with subcontractors and partners to restore proper operation quickly and accurately. Evaluate contractual scope, client bulletins, field directives, and scheduling changes to understand impact and identify opportunities for change orders. Stay close to the work and remove obstacles by coordinating panel and field device locations, installation sequencing, and jobsite readiness. Provide accurate as‑built, commissioning, billing, warranty, and operation documentation so project records are complete and usable. Communicate technical and business matters clearly with customers, management, Johnson Controls staff, and subcontractors. Improve every day through candid problem‑solving by tracking revenue, costs, gross margin, and progress, then adjusting plans when needed. Win as one team by coaching technicians, electrical installers, designers, and subcontractors and by building trust across the project team. Ensure delegated tasks are completed on time, within budget, within scope, and to the expected quality standard.

What we look for

Technical associate degree with four years of field experience, or 3 years of equivalent related field experience in the HVAC/building automation industry. Relevant hands‑on experience in systems design and commissioning of digital HVAC/building automation controls systems. HVAC controls knowledge, customer communication experience, organizational skills, and proven ability to lead projects. Proven verbal and written communication skills with the ability to explain technical material to a non‑technical audience. Ability to work independently with sound judgment and follow‑through. Computer proficiency in Windows, Excel, and related business tools. Knowledge of control theory and HVAC/building automation systems. Understanding of project accounting, costing principles, and contracting. Preferred Bachelor’s degree in a technical field, or equivalent experience with six years in the HVAC industry. Experience preparing status reports for upper management. Strong awareness of employee and subcontractor safety practices.

Why Join Us

• Competitive salary.
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick time.
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, vision, and 401K.
• On‑the‑job and cross‑training opportunities.
• Encouraging and collaborative team environment.
• Dedication to safety through the Zero Harm policy.

HIRING SALARY RANGE: $72,000-105,000 (Salary to be determined by the education, experience, knowledge, skills, and abilities of the applicant, internal equity, and alignment with market data.) This role offers a competitive Bonus plan that will take into account individual, group, and corporate performance. This position includes a competitive benefits package. The posted salary range reflects the target compensation for this role. However, we recognize that exceptional candidates may bring unique skills and experiences that exceed the typical profile.

To support an efficient and fair hiring process, we may use technology assisted tools, including artificial intelligence (AI), to help identify and evaluate candidates. All hiring decisions are ultimately made by human reviewers.

For details, please visit the About Us tab on the Johnson Controls Careers site at https://jobs.johnsoncontrols.com/about-us.

#LI-AA2 Johnson Controls International plc. is an equal employment opportunity and affirmative action employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, protected veteran status, genetic information, sexual orientation, gender identity, status as a qualified individual with a disability or any other characteristic protected by law.

To view more information about your equal opportunity and non-discrimination rights as a candidate, visit EEO is the Law. If you are an individual with a disability and you require an accommodation during the application process, please visit here.

Johnson Controls: Enhancing the Intelligence of Buildings Your buildings have a purpose. They are places for people to live or work. Facilities for learning or healing. Venues for entertainment and shopping. Sites for the specialized storage of tangible goods or mission‑critical data. Your buildings have a huge variety of functions; they are central to your mission. This is where Johnson Controls comes in, helping drive the outcomes that matter most. Through a full range of systems and digital solutions, we make your buildings smarter. A smarter building is safer, more comfortable, more efficient, and, ultimately, more sustainable. Most important, smarter buildings let you focus more intensely on your unique mission. Better for your people. Better for your bottom line. Better for the planet. At Johnson Controls, we’ve been making buildings smarter since 1885, and our capabilities, depth of innovation experience, and global reach have been growing ever since. Today, we offer the world’s largest portfolio of building products, technologies, software, and services; we put that portfolio to work to transform the environments where people live, work, learn and play.