Project Manager

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM); New York (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Skidmore, Owings & Merrill (SOM) in New York seeks an experienced Architecture Project Leader to drive design excellence, sustainability and client value. You will lead multidisciplinary teams, coordinate with SOM Partners, and ensure projects meet schedule, budget and quality targets.

The role emphasizes strong communication, governance, and risk management, with a focus on sustainable design and high-impact projects across the firm.

Qualifications

• Professional degree in Architecture; licensure required; LEED accreditation preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of experience or equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities.
• Understanding of sustainable strategies and green building rating systems.
• Proven ability to lead project teams and manage schedule, budget and program.
• Familiarity with AIA contracts and sub-consultants management.
• Strong verbal and written communication; proficiency in MS Office, Smartsheets, Google Workspace, Adobe Suite.

Responsibilities

• Leads Architectural Project Team with SOM Partners to achieve design, technical and financial success.
• Prepares and negotiates client agreements and ensures proper authorization by phase.
• Manages project goals: budget, deliverables and schedule with senior team input.
• Oversees project accounting, billing, collections and profitability analysis.
• Participates in project design discussions and decision making.
• Chairs weekly meetings and maintains project records and communications.
• Manages owner/client relationships to enable effective collaboration.
• Leads new business and marketing responses and maintains firm relationships.
• Develops and monitors project schedule and work plan.
• Tracks scope for contract compliance and potential additional services.
• Engages in project risk management with partners and legal group.

Skills

Project leadership

Budget management

Communication

Education

Professional degree in Architecture

Licensed in state of practice; LEED accreditation preferred

Tools

Microsoft Office

Smartsheets

Google Workspace

Adobe Suite

Deltek Vision

Salesforce

Job description

At SOM, we are a collective committed to shaping a better future for our clients, communities and planet. We aspire to create the most sustainable, impactful work through creative, interdisciplinary teams with all the resources and diversity of a global firm. We value those who are passionate about excellence, innovation, integrity, inclusivity, and collaboration. Together we can achieve great things.

Success at SOM Means

• Ideas: We believe in a meritocracy of ideas. We look to everyone to actively contribute to the discourse in the firm.
• Knowledge: We believe that expertise is the result of lifelong learning. We are not expected to know everything, but rather to passionately pursue answers, develop new skills and deepen our knowledge.
• Product: We strive for excellence in the concept, quality, and delivery of our work.
• Individual: We value individuals who bring the highest standards of professionalism and personal integrity in the way they work. Each person can develop and contribute their wealth of attributes, skills and knowledge to support the overall health of the firm.
• Team: We value the power of interdisciplinary integration. A positive team culture in which everyone collaborates openly towards common goals is essential.
• Firm: We have a history of making transformative contributions to the profession and our communities. We are constantly innovating and attempting to bring new approaches, solutions and processes to our work.

Position Responsibilities

• Leads the Architectural Project Team through close collaboration with SOM Partners to achieve design, technical and financial success.
• Prepares, with Leadership input, quality agreements with clients including letters of intent, memoranda of understanding, and professional service agreements. Executes additional service agreements and gains authorization by phase.
• Collaborates with Partners and senior team to prepare, issue, and manage compliance plans to align project goals including budget, deliverables and schedule. Gains agreement with the senior team for labor allocation. Chairs weekly team meetings to address variances from the project plan.
• Administers internal control procedures with Project Accountant including billing, collections, percent complete, expense management, and year-end activities. Analyzes project reports and proactively manages the profitability of a project.
• Participates actively in project design and technical discussions and decision making.
• Communicates actively through chairing weekly meetings, issuing meeting minutes and accurate project record keeping and sharing project information and correspondence.
• Manages owner/client relationship and expectations to allow SOM and team to work effectively, efficiently and collaboratively.
• Actively leads new business and marketing efforts including responses to marketing requests and maintenance of firm relationships.
• Initiates, monitors and maintains project schedule and work plan including schedule of meetings and presentations.
• Schedules and leads internal team weekly project meetings; develops the meeting agenda and project status update.
• Initiates, monitors and maintains project plan and financial performance of project.
• Initiates and maintains SOM-Client Services Agreement, SOM Sub-Consultant Agreements and requests for additional services.
• Monitors scope for contract compliance and potential additional services.
• Actively engages in project risk management through close collaboration with SOM Partners and legal group.

Leadership Responsibilities

• Actively leads a project team.
• Directly supervises, trains, and mentors team members.
• Engages in talent strategy to find specialists, leaders, and future professionals for the firm through resume review and interviews.
• Demonstrates leadership in the implementation of sustainable strategies in all project assignments and the associated development of staff knowledge.
• Creates and drives new ways of working through contributing to the development of services, standards, procedures based in an understanding of the business principles that protect SOM from financial and legal risk.

Minimum Qualifications

• Professional degree in Architecture.
• Licensed in state of practice; LEED accreditation preferred.
• Minimum 8 years of experience or equivalent knowledge, skills and abilities.
• General understanding of sustainable strategies and principles including familiarity with LEED or other green building rating systems.
• Demonstrated ability to successfully lead project teams and manage project schedule, budget and program.
• Familiarity with standard AIA contracts and sub-consultants management experience required.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Smartsheets, Google Workspace, Adobe Suite.
• Familiarity with Deltek Vision, Salesforce.

Compensation for this role is based upon experience, qualifications, location, and education and typically ranges from $100,000 to $130,000.

For more about SOM: www.som.com

Portfolios must be submitted for all design and project management positions (Architecture, Interiors, City Design, Graphics, etc). Applications without work samples will not be reviewed. Portfolios should be one PDF attachment, 10-20 pages, maximum 5 MB. Submit portfolios as part of your application in the section where the application asks you for your Resume or CV.