Project Executive - Life Sciences

Yates Construction; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

Yates Construction in Raleigh, NC seeks a Project Executive to provide executive leadership for complex life science facilities, overseeing acquisition, contract negotiations, client relations, budget management, and trade partner strategy. You will guide multiple departments and ensure compliance with safety and cGMP/cleanroom standards.

You will lead senior teams, drive strategic contracts, manage P&L, and build long-term client relationships with pharmaceutical and biotech clients, while

Qualifications

• 15+ years in general construction; 10+ years in leadership of life science projects or complex lab facilities.
• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management or Engineering.
• Strong negotiation, analytical skills, and CQV/cGMP expertise.

Responsibilities

• Executive leadership and team recruitment for high-performing project teams.
• Drive project acquisition, client relations, and contract negotiations.
• Oversee pre-construction and start-up alignment with budgets and schedules.
• Govern P&L, financial forecasting, and site visits for performance and safety compliance.
• Lead client relationships with pharmaceutical, biotech clients to secure repeat business.

Skills

Leadership

Project controls

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management or Engineering

Tools

Primavera P6

MS Project

ProjectSight

Job description

The Project Executive provides overall executive leadership for project acquisition, contract negotiations, client relations, budget management, and trade partner strategy across complex life science and specialized technical facilities. This role oversees managers and professionals across multiple departments, driving business growth and project execution excellence. The Project Executive serves as the direct executive point of contact for pharmaceutical, biotechnology, and research clients while leading compliance with Yates safety, quality, and cGMP/cleanroom standards.

Autonomy & Decision-Making Operates with executive-level autonomy, leading strategic contract negotiations, project acquisitions, financial P&L oversight, and broad team resourcing decisions across large organizational divisions.

Key Responsibilities

• Executive Leadership & Team Recruitment: Recruits, assembles, and builds high-performing project teams specializing in technical MEP/HVAC commissioning and validated environments. Supervises managers and multi-departmental staff, providing executive direction to exceed project goals.
• Project Acquisition & Business Growth: Generates leads across the life sciences and biotech sectors using industry contacts, leads specialized RFP/RFQ processes, and participates in executive-level contract negotiations.
• Pre-Construction & Project Start-Up: Works with pre-construction teams to align target value design, specialized equipment long-lead procurement, schedules, and baseline budgets, leading smooth turnover meetings between pre-construction and execution teams.
• Operations & P&L Governance: Maintains full accountability for Accounts Receivable, Financial Forecasting, and P&L across life science portfolios. Regularly visits project sites to monitor performance, clean build protocols, and safety compliance.
• Client & Executive Relationship Management: Serves as the primary executive point of contact for pharmaceutical clients, lab planners, and owners, building long-term relationships to secure repeat business.
• Lean & Safety Strategy: Champions company safety programs and leads project team implementation of Lean/Last Planner processes, modular pre-fabrication strategies, and baseline schedule development.

Qualifications & Experience

• Experience: Minimum 15+ years of overall general construction experience, 10+years in construction management leadership including direct oversight of multiple medium-to-large life science, pharmaceutical manufacturing, cGMP, cleanroom, or complex lab projects ($100M+).
• Education: Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management or Engineering.
• Skills & Alignment: Proficient in project control software including Primavera P6, MS Project, and Project Sight. Deep expertise in cGMP compliance, commissioning, qualification, and validation (CQV) processes, EPC delivery models, and legal provisions affecting profitability. Demonstrates exceptional analytical problem-solving skills, proven negotiation capabilities, and complete alignment with Yates core values.

Yates Construction provides equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, or genetics. In addition to federal and state law requirements.

Yates complies with applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment in every location where the company has facilities.