Project Manager

DeBra-Kuempel Inc.; Louisville (KY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

DeBra-Kuempel Inc. is seeking a Project Manager to plan, coordinate, and oversee projects from preconstruction through completion.

You will work with superintendents, estimators, safety personnel, field leadership, and local unions to manage manpower, materials, equipment, and site logistics while representing the company with owners, contractors, and vendors. The ideal candidate has 10+ years of mechanical construction experience, strong leadership and communication, and a proven ability to

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of recent experience in mechanical construction/projects.
• Strong leadership, problem-solving, and decision-making in a union environment.
• Ability to read and interpret construction drawings, specs, and blueprints; support estimating.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects from preconstruction through completion, ensuring safety, efficiency, schedule, and budget.
• Represent the company in meetings with owners, contractors, vendors, and stakeholders.
• Coordinate manpower, sequencing, productivity, safety standards, and subcontractors.
• Oversee field operations and site visits, including supervision of field crews and shutdowns.
• Manage project documentation: RFIs, submittals, change orders, permits, and closeout docs.
• Lead startup and coordination efforts: kickoff, weekly, and crew meetings.
• Contribute to preplanning: sequencing, manpower, material handling, procurement, delivery.
• Manage materials, tools, and equipment for uninterrupted flow and cost control.
• Ensure compliance with policies and codes and maintain safe job sites and training.
• Monitor performance: cash flow, job costs, forecasting, and weekly reporting.
• Identify risks and advise on mitigation strategies.
• Support estimating and preconstruction: walkthroughs, quotes, productivity factoring.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Communication

Union coordination

Scheduling

Problem-solving

Negotiation

Reading blueprints

MS Office

Construction software

Tools

Construction software

Estimating software

Bluebeam

MS Office

Job description

About Us

We are a mechanical, electrical, and plumbing (MEP); building automation; and industrial piping contractor. Our team offers a variety of MEP and process piping services, including design-build engineering for new construction and renovation, installation and specialty construction, maintenance, and air balancing, start-up, and energy efficiency services.

Job Summary

DeBra-Kuempel is seeking to fill a Project Manager position. This position is responsible for planning, coordinating, and overseeing projects from preconstruction through completion, ensuring work is performed safely, on schedule, and within budget. This role works closely with superintendents, estimators, safety personnel, field leadership, and local unions to manage manpower, materials, equipment, subcontractors, and job site logistics while serving as a company representative with owners, contractors, and vendors.

Essential Duties & Responsibilities

• Lead, plan, coordinate, and oversee projects from preconstruction through completion, ensuring work is performed safely, efficiently, on schedule, and within budget.
• Serve as the company representative in meetings with owners, contractors, vendors, and stakeholders, providing professional communication and timely customer support.
• Collaborate with superintendents, estimators, subcontractors, and safety personnel to coordinate manpower, job sequencing, productivity, safety standards, and overall project execution.
• Oversee field operations and site visits, including supervision of field crews, coordination of shutdowns, outages, and service work.
• Manage project documentation, including RFI's, submittals, change orders, permits and closeout documentation.
• Lead project startup and ongoing coordination efforts, including job kickoff meetings, weekly project and manpower meetings, and crew meetings when applicable.
• Contribute to detailed preplanning activities, including work sequencing, manpower projections, material handling, procurement, delivery coordination, and equipment planning.
• Strategically manage materials, tools, and equipment to ensure uninterrupted project flow and cost control within approved estimates.
• Ensure compliance with all company policies, safety programs, and local, state, and federal codes and regulations, including maintaining safe job site conditions and required training.
• Monitor and drive project performance through productivity tracking, cash flow management, job cost reporting and forecasting (including prevailing wage and Davis‑Bacon requirements), and weekly reporting.
• Proactively identify project risks, schedule impacts, and work conflicts, and advise management on mitigation strategies and corrective actions.
• Support estimating and preconstruction efforts by participating in walkthroughs, providing documentation, assisting with design‑build and service quotes, collaborating in productivity factoring, and supporting project handoff meetings.
• Perform other duties as assigned to support the success of the project and organization.

Qualifications

• Minimum of 10 years of recent relevant experience, with demonstrated understanding of field operations, project execution, and workforce management.
• Proven leadership abilities with strong problem‑solving, negotiation, and decision‑making skills in a union mechanical construction environment.
• Familiarity and working knowledge of local unions, including labor coordination and apprenticeship structures.
• Ability to read and interpret construction drawings, specifications, and blueprints, and to support estimating and preconstruction activities.
• Proficiency in construction management and estimating softwares
• Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel, PowerPoint).
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to interact effectively and professionally at all levels of the organization and with external stakeholders.
• Self‑directed, team‑oriented professional with a proactive, positive approach and a commitment to quality, safety, and continuous improvement.

Physical Demands

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit, see, talk, and hear. The employee is regularly required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls. The employee is regularly required to walk, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee may be required to commute to field locations. Th