Project Manager

Essential Search; Washington, Baltimore (District of Columbia, MD); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401k match

Vehicle/phone allowance

Job summary

Essential Search partners with a well-established DC-area general contractor seeking a Project Manager to lead commercial projects from preconstruction through closeout.

You'll own budgets and schedules for a varied portfolio spanning office, multifamily, healthcare, higher education, and light industrial, with project sizes typically in the $30M–$75M range. The team values long-tenured staff and hands-on leadership, with direct access to ownership.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of project management experience with a commercial GC.
• Proven track record owning budgets, schedules, and subcontractor relationships.
• Strong judgment and the confidence to take ownership as a team anchor.

Responsibilities

• Lead commercial projects from preconstruction through closeout with full ownership.
• Manage budgets, schedules, subcontractors, and client communication to ensure delivery.

Skills

Project management

Budget management

Schedule management

Subcontractor relations

Client communication

Decision making

Team collaboration

Job description

Our client is a well-established, growing general contractor in the DC Metro area, known as much for how they treat their people as for the quality of their work. They've stayed a mid-sized, close-knit organization as they've grown, which means leadership is still on job sites, still involved in decisions, and still knows every person on the team by name, not by employee number.

They're looking for a Project Manager to join a group that's been together for years, where the culture is genuine rather than a line on a careers page, people who know each other beyond work. It's not just a talking point: average employee tenure here is 7+ years.

The firm's reputation speaks for itself — 85% of their work comes from repeat clients, and they've been recognized with four industry awards in the past two years alone.

The Work

You’ll run commercial projects across a genuinely varied portfolio — a mix of ground-up and renovation work spanning office, multifamily, healthcare, higher ed, and light industrial — with full ownership from preconstruction through closeout. Project sizes generally range $30M–$75M.

What You'll Bring

• 5+ years of Project Manager experience with a commercial general contractor
• A track record owning budgets, schedules, subcontractor relationships, and client communication
• Strong judgment and the confidence to run with it
• Someone who wants to be known on a team, not just staffed on a project

What You'll Get

• Competitive base salary + performance bonus
• A clear, visible path to Senior PM / Project Executive
• Direct access to ownership and decision-makers
• Full benefits package (health, 401k match, vehicle/phone allowance)
• A team with genuinely long tenure, 7+ year average