Program Director - Aviation Market

Gresham Smith; Fort Lauderdale (FL); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Healthcare

401(k) with Company Match

Short- & Long-term Disability

Life Insurance

Parental Leave

Transit Program

Telemedicine

Job summary

Gresham Smith is seeking a Program Director for the Aviation Market to lead project delivery across multiple cities. The role requires extensive aviation-industry experience and a demonstrated ability to manage complex, multi-disciplinary programs on time and within budget.

The position is hybrid, full-time, with potential travel and relocation to listed cities. You will interface with clients, manage budgets, and drive executive-level reporting and risk mitigation.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction, Project or Program Management, Architecture, or Engineering.
• 15+ years of job-related experience.
• 10+ years serving aviation clients in a construction management, consulting, or direct managerial capacity, with routine involvement in capital project delivery (preferred).
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to lead, develop, and deliver highly persuasive presentations that build client confidence and result in securing favorable design contracts.
• Successful project management experience managing multi-disciplinary projects with highly satisfied clients.
• Evidence of strong team leadership, consistently high-quality deliverables, and routinely strong financial outcomes.
• The ability to develop new client relationships and maintain healthy relationships with existing clients.
• Solid operational insight and a commitment to quality for driving projects and executing deliverables.

Responsibilities

• Manage and interface regularly with clients
• Provide overall project leadership, including evaluating project progress and ensuring the contractor stays within scope, budget, and schedule
• Implement and oversee a change management system, risk identification, and mitigation plans
• Review and approve the contractor's payment applications
• Review and oversee contractor safety plan compliance, contractor MOT plan, contractor security plan compliance, and contractor quality plan compliance
• Plan and forecast staffing needs
• Prepare, provide, and lead a monthly executive summary presentation to the client
• Prepare project performance reports to support the monthly executive summary reports, including: An illustrative overview of project progress to date, project progress forecasted for the next month, and project progress photographs to support graphics; Overall schedule milestone tracking review; Earned value financial report and budget review; Project risk identification and mitigation inventory

Skills

Communication skills

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction, Project or Program Management, Architecture, or Engineering

Job description

If you are a job seeker with a disability and require a reasonable accommodation to apply for one of our jobs, you will find the contact information to request the appropriate accommodation by visiting the following our Accessibility Accomodation for Applicants page.

Program Director - Aviation Market

• Posted on November 4, 2026

Locations

Showing 1 location

Gresham Smith | Ft. Lauderdale Office
Ft. Lauderdale, FL 33301, USA

• Hybrid
• Full-Time
• Requisition #: PROGR004244

Description

About Us

At Gresham Smith, we call it Genuine Ingenuity. Our culture is the cornerstone of who we are, and our people are at the heart of everything we do. United by our Core Purpose—to plan, design, and consult to create healthy and thriving communities—we deliver innovative solutions for life’s essential infrastructure and institutions.

What sets us apart is our dedication to care for our people, our clients, and the places we call home. We are more than a team of professionals—we’re a community built on commitment, integrity, respect, and teamwork.

Why Gresham Smith?

When you join Gresham Smith, you’re joining a place where you can connect and thrive. Our employees consistently recognize us as a Best Place to Work because we go above and beyond to ensure that you feel valued, supported, and empowered.

About You

We’re looking for someone who has:

• A bachelor's degree in Construction, Project or Program Management, Architecture, or Engineering.
• 15+ years of job-related experience.
• 10+ years serving aviation clients in a construction management, consulting, or direct managerial capacity, with routine involvement in capital project delivery (preferred).
• Exceptional written and oral communication skills, with the ability to lead, develop, and deliver highly persuasive presentations that build client confidence and result in securing favorable design contracts.
• Successful project management experience managing multi-disciplinary projects with highly satisfied clients.
• Evidence of strong team leadership, consistently high-quality deliverables, and routinely strong financial outcomes.
• The ability to develop new client relationships and maintain healthy relationships with existing clients.
• Solid operational insight and a commitment to quality for driving projects and executing deliverables.

Most importantly, you bring genuine curiosity, creativity, and a collaborative spirit—someone who wants to do great work with great people.

About the Role

The Program Director is ultimately responsible for the delivery of the overall project and directly reports to the client on-site. An ideal mode of operation is that the Program Director performs as if they are an actual client employee acting as if they are the Project Manager for a task. This role could require travel and/or relocation to the following cities: Ft. Lauderdale, FL, Knoxville, TN, Dallas, TX, Tampa, FL, Nashville, TN, Charlotte, NC, Richmond, VA, or Chicago, IL.

As a Program Director, you will:

• Manage and interface regularly with clients
• Provide overall project leadership, including evaluating project progress and ensuring the contractor stays within scope, budget, and schedule
• Implement and oversee a change management system, risk identification, and mitigation plans
• Review and approve the contractor's payment applications
• Review and oversee contractor safety plan compliance, contractor MOT plan, contractor security plan compliance, and contractor quality plan compliance
• Plan and forecast staffing needs
• Prepare, provide, and lead a monthly executive summary presentation to the client
• Prepare project performance reports to support the monthly executive summary reports, including:
  • An illustrative overview of project progress to date, project progress forecasted for the next month, and project progress photographs to support graphics
  • Overall schedule milestone tracking review
  • Earned value financial report and budget review
  • Project risk identification and mitigation inventory

Your work will directly contribute to shaping environments where people live, work, and thrive, all while growing your career within a supportive, people-first culture.

Join Us

If you’re excited to bring your talents to a collaborative, people-first environment where you can make an impact while growing your career, we’d love to hear from you.

Here’s what you can expect:

Professional Growth: In-house Learning, Tuition Reimbursement, Licensure Support, Professional Organization Engagement.

Culture that Cares: 93% of employees say they feel cared for, and 96% are confident in our future success.

• Healthcare (Medical, Dental, Vision, Wellness Programs)
• 401(k) with Company Match
• Short- & Long-term Disability, Paid Life & AD&D
• Supplemental, Critical Care, Pet, Legal & ID Theft Insurance
• Family Planning and Parental Leave
• Mass/Public Transit Program
• Telemedicine and Employee Assistance Program

Gresham Smith is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate. Everyone is invited to apply!

GRESHAM SMITH does not accept unsolicited resumes from recruiters, headhunters, search firms, or agencies. No referral or recruiter fees will be paid without a fully executed GRESHAM PLACEMENT SERVICES AGREEMENT (PSA) in advance. Submissions made without a PSA may be recruited and hired by GRESHAM SMITH with no financial obligation to the submitting party. Any such unsolicited resumes or candidate information—sent to hiring managers or any employee—become the property of GRESHAM SMITH.

Equal Opportunity Employer/Protected Veterans/Individuals with Disabilities
This employer is required to notify all applicants of their rights pursuant to federal employment laws.For further information, please review the Know Your Rights notice from the Department of Labor.