Project Manager

Kay-Twelve; United States; On-site; USD 80,000 - 105,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Travel opportunities

Job summary

Kay-Twelve is seeking an experienced Project Manager to own client relationships, budgets, and the overall project outcome from the signed partnership through final punchlist. You will lead guiding teams, manage scope, and ensure milestones are met while maintaining Kay-Twelve’s standards and collaborative culture.

You’ll coordinate across design, production, and installation, balancing governance with flexibility.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in CM/Architecture/Design or related field, or equivalent experience.
• Five+ years managing complex projects in construction, architecture, or facilities planning.
• Strong knowledge of budgets, timelines, and stakeholder alignment.
• Proficiency with MS Project, Excel, and CRM platforms.

Responsibilities

• Own client relationships and project outcomes from contract through punchlist.
• Develop and manage comprehensive workplans, timelines, and budgets.
• Lead cross‑functional teams toward a single, aligned plan.
• Monitor spend, schedule, and risk, communicating clearly with all stakeholders.
• Coordinate with education market leaders and marketing on updates and milestones.
• Ensure quality standards and on‑time delivery across design and implementation.

Skills

Project management

Client relationship

Budget management

Stakeholder coordination

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience

Tools

MS Project

Excel

CRM software

Job description

You're the person a project turns to when nobody else can see all the moving pieces at once -

the one who can hold a client's trust, a construction schedule, and a seven-figure budget in the

same hand without dropping any of them. If you'd rather own the outcome than just track the task

list, and you like being the calm, steady point of contact when a room full of stakeholders needs

one, keep reading. This is what it looks like to run projects at Kay-Twelve.

Qualifications:

This central point of accountability thrives on order inside complexity. He or she is a driver who takes ownership of outcomes rather than just tracking tasks, and stays calm when a project has a hundred moving pieces and nobody else is watching all of them at once. This person communicates proactively, clarifies expectations before questions arise, and builds trust with clients, administrators, educators and stakeholders alike.

They lead without needing formal authority – directing designers, production specialists, project experience coordinators and installation teams toward one shared plan through influence, clarity and consistency, not title. This person protects margin and protects outcomes at the same time, anticipates scope drift before it becomes a problem, and resets expectations early rather than after something has already gone wrong.

Organized, empathetic and a genuine listener, this person gives full attention to what others are saying and asks the right follow-up questions before reacting. He or she is a team player who fosters a collaborative, positive environment and stays flexible as project assignments shift. Above all, this person lives Kay-Twelve’s core values – Be the Change, You Belong Here, Listen. Care. Follow-Through, and LFG! – in the way the work actually gets done, every day, not just when it’s convenient.

Responsibilities:

The Project Manager’s responsibilities include, but are not limited to, the following:

Scorecard KPI: Deliverable Completeness at Handoff — confirm all four Collaborate non-negotiables (Vision & Guiding Principles, Timeline Alignment, Budget Alignment, Accountability & Stakeholders) at every Collaborate → Design transition. Goal: 100%.

• Own the client relationship and project outcome from the signed Partnership Agreement through final punchlist.
• Own the client budget, overall project commitments, and project outcome, while the Design Solutions Manager owns the design solution and the product/manufacturer decisions needed to meet Kay-Twelve’s gross profit target within that budget.
• Lead or facilitate the Collaborate stage – scaling engagement from a focused conversation to a deeper facilitated discovery based on client need, scope and timeline.
• Confirm the Collaborate-stage vision, timeline, budget and accountability commitments before a project transitions into Design.
• Determine, with the Education Market Leader, when deeper Learning Strategist involvement is warranted, and set that engagement level.
• Develop comprehensive project workplans, including timelines, budgets, resource allocation and milestones.
• Brief the Design Solutions Manager at Collaborate handoff and remain the accountable owner through Design and Implementation.
• Own and coordinate client communication across the project – remaining the responsible party for any commitments, changes, delays, or expectations communicated to the client – even where the Design Solutions Manager, Learning Strategist, or Installation Manager engage directly with the client within their own area of expertise (design presentations, workshops, delivery and installation updates).
• Coordinate and align the Design Solutions Manager, Design Production Specialist, Project Experience Coordinator and Installation Manager to one executable workplan, and serve as final decision authority when a trade-off escalated by any of these resources is client-driven or affects a vision, scope, or budget commitment made at Collaborate.
• Establish initial project scope, budget framework and financial direction during Collaborate; align pricing assumptions with client goals.
• Monitor project budgets and expenses; manage allowances, contingencies and change orders proactively and transparently.
• Maintain the project schedule and track performance against key performance targets.
• Identify and mitigate schedule, financial, operational and stakeholder risk; resolve conflicts and delays effectively.
• Conduct regular site visits and produce site observation reports documenting project status.
• Maintain accurate, up-to-date project documentation – agreements, schedules, reports and meeting notes.
• Set projects up in Purlieu, documenting finance, staff, tasks, milestones and revenue-driven goals.
• Coordinate with Education Market Leaders (Business Development) and Marketing on project updates, visuals and key achievements for social media and client outreach (groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting events), reinforcing Kay-Twelve’s market presence and client relationships.
• Transfer completed projects to the Marketing team for case studies and storytelling.
• Negotiate, manage, and service agreements/contracts between clients and consultants assigned to the project.
• Facilitate clean handoffs between project stages, delivering a stage-end summary that captures outcomes and progress at the close of Collaborate, Design and Implementation.
• Lead internal project alignment meetings and direct the day-to-day work of project resources – setting priorities, assigning tasks, and monitoring adherence to the schedule and workplan.
• Ensure design and delivery solutions meet Kay-Twelve’s quality standards and align with industry best practices, overseeing processes that keep the project consistent and on schedule.
• Maintain decision documentation and change history, and elevate risk with proposed solutions rather than problems alone.
• Create visual presentations for projects to communicate design packages, pursue future work, or support interviews when called upon.

What Success Looks Like:

• The educational vision is realized.
• Stakeholders are aligned and confident.
• Key performance targets are met or exceeded.
• No surprises to the client or internal team.
• The Client Experience is superior and surpasses our competitors.

Specifications:

These responsibilities must be performed daily and may evolve as Kay-Twelve’s process does; employees are expected to take on other job-related duties as assigned.

Required

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Architecture, Interior Design, Business, or a related field, or equivalent experience
• Five or more years of experience managing complex projects in construction, architecture, interior design, or facilities planning
• Familiarity with local building codes, regulations and standards
• Proficiency with MS Project, Excel, Project Management and CRM Software platforms.
• Strong understanding of construction and project-delivery processes, with working familiarity with Kay-Twelve’s Radically Student Centered (RSC) methodology and how it shapes scope, sequencing and stakeholder expectations
• Ability to lift up to fifty (50) pounds and perform the physical demands of an active construction-site environment (standing, walking, reaching, fine motor tasks) when required
• Willingness to work from home or an approved remote office location, with regular travel to active job sites, following all OSHA and site safety requirements (hard hat, safety vest, eye protection, and steel-toe boots as needed)

Preferred

• Project Management Professional (PMP) Certification
• ALEP – Accredited Learning Environments Planner Certification (A4LE)

Why Work for Kay-Twelve

Leadership says:

• A purpose-driven organization, free from public or private equity influence, that prioritizes impact over profit
• Mission to positively impact 10,000,000 students and educators by 12/31/2030
• Manufacturer agnostic – collaborating with 100+ leading manufacturers, beholden to none
• A promise to clients: within our Radically Student Centered™ approach, we never go over budget for the agreed scope
• Core Values lived day to day: Be the Change, You Belong Here, Listen. Care. Follow-Through, and LFG!

The team says:

• The work we do makes the lives of students and educators better, everyday.
• I love the autonomy we have to think differently, try things, build relationships and make an impact without being told exactly how to get there. We have people who genuinely want to see each other grow and a team that cares deeply about our customers, our mission and each other.
• Because it gives me the opportunity to grow, learn new skills, and contribute to a team.
• We are here for the right reasons, we are different, and we are not afraid of getting out there to make a difference, even when it is met with resistance.
• We have an opportunity to help schools create environments that give more students the chance to find the way they learn best.

Pay: $80,000 - $105,000 a year (Salary based on region)

Travel Requirements: Frequent and/or overnight travel is required (Primarily for site visits and client milestones).

Please review our Agency & Recruiter Submission Policy before submitting candidates.

All applicants are considered for all positions without regard to race, religion, color, sex, gender, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, ancestry, physical/mental disability, medical condition, military/veteran status, genetic information, marital status, ethnicity, alienage or any other protected classification, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. By completing this application, you are seeking to join a team of hardworking professionals dedicated to consistently delivering outstanding service to our customers and contributing to the financial success of the organization, its clients, and its employees. Equal access to programs, services, and employment is available to all qualified persons. Those applicants requiring accommodation to complete the application and/or interview process should contact [e-mail].