Project Developer, Energy & Infrastructure

ARCO Companies; Chicago, Downers Grove (IL, IL); On-site; USD 84,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

ESOP

Traditional and Roth 401k

Tuition reimbursement for associates

Scholarship for associates’ children

Sabbatical after five years + travel"

Volunteer leave

Health, dental, and vision insurance

Paid parental leave

Discretionary bonus

Job summary

ARCO Companies in Chicago, IL seeks a Project Developer to guide early-stage opportunities from site evaluation through preconstruction. You will manage due diligence, entitlements, permits, design coordination, budgets, schedules, and client communications, serving as the main client contact and trusted advisor.

The role requires 2–5 years in preconstruction or PM, with a PE license preferred. You will collaborate with internal design and construction teams and support business development

Qualifications

• Bachelor degree in engineering, architecture, or real estate.
• 2–5 years in preconstruction or project management; experience with mechanical systems preferred.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license preferred; ARCO will support licensure for EIT.

Responsibilities

• Manage due diligence for prospective sites, including surveys and structural, MEP, and environmental studies.
• Coordinate real estate entitlements, permits, documentation, and external partners.
• Serve as primary client contact during preconstruction and advise on site layout, design, schedule, and cost.
• Develop and maintain preliminary budgets, cash-flow analyses, engineering and construction cost estimates, and preconstruction schedules.
• Lead design coordination through concept development, permitting, and construction documents.
• Research design alternatives and value-engineering, communicating cost and schedule impacts.
• Communicate decisions, risks, budgets, schedules to clients and internal teams.
• Travel to prospective sites for inspections and meetings with authorities.
• Build relationships with internal teams to support ARCO’s collaborative approach.
• Support business development through client relationships, proposals, and presentations.

Skills

Client management

Stakeholder coordination

Budgeting & cost estimation

Project scheduling

Problem solving

Education

Bachelor of Science in Engineering, Architecture, or Real Estate

Tools

Microsoft Project

Excel

Job description

Chicago, IL, US; Downers Grove, IL, US

ABOUT YOU

Are you a passionate problem solver who can turn early-stage opportunities into clear, actionable preconstruction plans?Do you act with integrity and hold yourself and others to the highest standard?Are you comfortable advising clients, coordinating diverse stakeholders, and balancing technical details with business priorities?

If the answer is, “Yes!” then we have an opportunity that will impress you.

The Energy & Infrastructure team is seeking a highly motivated Project Developer to join the team. The Project Developer will guide projects from early site evaluation through preconstruction by managing due diligence, entitlements, permitting, design coordination, budgets, schedules, and client communications. This role will serve as a trusted advisor and primary point of contact, helping clients evaluate sites, develop cost-effective solutions, mitigate risk, and advance projects toward construction while partnering with internal design and construction teams.

A DAY IN THE LIFE

• Manage due diligence for prospective sites, including surveys and architectural, MEP, structural, and environmental studies
• Coordinate real estate entitlements, permits, regulatory documentation, attorneys, landowners, brokers, and development partners
• Serve as the primary client contact during preconstruction and advise clients on site layout, building design, development strategy, schedule, and cost
• Develop and maintain preliminary budgets, cash-flow analyses, engineering and construction cost estimates, and preconstruction schedules
• Lead design coordination through concept development and permit and construction document phases
• Research design alternatives and value-engineering solutions, providing clients with associated cost and schedule impacts
• Communicate project decisions, risks, action items, budgets, schedules, and recommendations to clients and internal teams
• Travel to prospective sites, conduct visual inspections, meet with local authorities, and develop preliminary project plans
• Build strong relationships with internal design and construction teams to support ARCO’s collaborative approach
• Support business development through client relationship management, proposals, marketing initiatives, and public presentations

NECESSARY QUALIFICATIONS

• Bachelor of Science in Engineering (any discipline), Architecture, or Real Estate
• 2-5 years of preconstruction or project management experience; some level of design, procurement, or project management experience specific to mechanical equipment or building systems preferred
• Experience should demonstrate successful project delivery including schedule and budget management
• Professional Engineer (PE) license (preferred but not required), ARCO/Murray will support the pursuit of licensure for EIT
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, specifically Project and Excel

WHAT WE CAN OFFER YOU

We are dedicated to the well-being of our associates and are proud to be consistently recognized as a Best Place to Work. Our compensation and benefits package not only supports our associates and their families but benefits local communities and communities around the world.

• Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
• Traditional and Roth 401k
• Tuition reimbursement for associates
• Scholarship for associates’ children up to $28,000 per child
• 1-month paid sabbatical after every five years of employment, plus $5,000 for travel
• 1-week paid volunteer leave each year
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage
• Paid parental leave
• Typical base compensation for the Project Manager role is between $84,000.00 and $160,000.00. Candidates with extensive experience may exceed this range. In addition to base salary, the role is eligible to receive discretionary bonus compensation based on individual and company performance.

At ARCO, our first core value is to treat people fairly and do the right thing. We are committed to building and sustaining a culture that supports diversity and inclusion. We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. From recruiting, training, and hiring practices to selecting our subcontractors, we understand that diversity of all those involved in the construction process enhances our ability to deliver the best solutions to our customers. We hire the best and the brightest from across the country – constructing a team of experts in architecture, design, engineering, project management, and business services.

MAKE YOUR MOVE

We are proud to be one of the fastest-growing, privately-owned companies in America, celebrating over 30 years of experience as design-build experts. We have completed over 7,500 design-build projects nationwide. We ranked #9 on ENR’s Design-Build Firms list and #34 on ENR's Top 400 Contractors list of 2026. Most importantly, our clients like us, trust us, and want to do business with us. We are looking for people with the same enthusiasm, passion, and respect for the hard work that brought us to where we are today. Are you a person who can make a difference at ARCO? If the answer is “Yes!” we look forward to meeting you.

As set forth in ARCO Companies’s Equal Employment Opportunity policy,we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable law.

ARCO does not accept unsolicited resumes from individual recruiters or third-party recruiting agencies without pre-approval from ARCO’s Human Resources team. Pre-approval is required before any external candidate can be submitted. ARCO will not be responsible for fees related to unsolicited resumes and for candidates who are sent directly to our hiring managers. Agencies must have a fully executed vendor agreement in place as well as written approval to submit candidates from an ARCO TA Manager for a specific position before submitting candidates.