Project Manager - Data Center, Construction & Commissioning

Univar Solutions; Downers Grove (IL); Hybrid; USD 112,000 - 140,000; Full time

Job summary

Univar Solutions in the Chicago area is seeking a seasoned Project Leader to own complex data center and commercial projects from award through commissioning. You will be the central accountability for scope, schedule, budget, safety, and customer satisfaction.

You will coordinate cross-functionally with Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Finance, and Field Services, lead client-facing communications, manage financial performance, and drive process improvements.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Science, Engineering, or related field (PMP certification preferred).
• 10+ years of experience leading projects, operations, supply chain, logistics, commercial operations, or customer-facing business functions.
• Proven experience owning multiple complex projects simultaneously within industrial services, construction, infrastructure, or related environments.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end execution and delivery of data center and commercial projects from award to closeout.
• Drive performance by managing schedules, budgets, resources, milestones and customer commitments.
• Lead day-to-day project operations, including meetings, site calls, and field coordination.
• Champion cross-functional alignment across Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, and Field Services.
• Serve as the primary customer-facing leader, building trusted relationships with customers, suppliers, contractors, and commissioning teams.
• Own project financial performance, including budgets, forecasting, documentation, risk mitigation and change management.
• Support proposals, bids, and pipeline tracking to advance commercial opportunities.
• Identify upcoming projects and strategic opportunities for early customer involvement.
• Drive continuous improvement and cost-saving opportunities to deliver successful outcomes.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Cross-functional collaboration

Budget management

Stakeholder management

Travel readiness

Education

Bachelor's degree in Business, Science, Engineering, or related field

Job description

A Place Where People Matter.

Start your career journey with Univar Solutions! Here you can make an impact on the world around you and accelerate your career in areas that energize and excite you.

Start your career journey with Univar Solutions! Here you can make an impact on the world around you and accelerate your career in areas that energize and excite you.

Position Overview.

Join a high-impact team and take ownership of complex data center and commercial projects from award through commissioning. In this role, you will be fully accountable for project execution, customer commitments, operational performance, and successful project delivery. You will serve as the central point of accountability, ensuring projects are executed safely, on time, within budget, and to customer expectations.

What You'll Do.

• Own the end-to-end execution and delivery of data center and commercial projects, serving as the single point of accountability from project award through commissioning and closeout.
• Drive project performance by owning schedules, resources, logistics, budgets, milestones, and customer commitments, proactively identifying and resolving issues before they impact project outcomes.
• Lead day-to-day project operations, including internal and customer meetings, site calls, and field coordination activities, ensuring timely decision-making and execution.
• Champion cross-functional alignment across Sales, Operations, Supply Chain, Procurement, Finance, and Field Services to meet project objectives and customer expectations.
• Serve as the primary customer-facing leader, building trusted relationships with customers, suppliers, contractors, and commissioning teams while ensuring clear communication and accountability across all stakeholders.
• Take ownership of project financial and operational performance, including budgets, forecasting, documentation, reporting, risk mitigation, and change management.
• Own proposal support, bid development activities, and pipeline tracking, ensuring commercial opportunities are actively advanced and effectively communicated.
• Drive market engagement efforts by identifying upcoming projects and strategic opportunities for early customer involvement and business growth.
• Champion continuous improvement, identifying cost-saving opportunities, improving execution processes, enhancing customer satisfaction, and delivering successful project outcomes.

What You'll Need.

• Bachelor's degree in Business, Science, Engineering, or a related field (PMP certification preferred).
• 10+ years of experience leading projects, operations, supply chain, logistics, commercial operations, or customer-facing business functions.
• Proven experience owning multiple complex projects simultaneously within industrial services, construction, infrastructure, or related environments.
• Strong leadership, communication, financial, and stakeholder management skills with a demonstrated ability to drive results through cross-functional teams.
• Ability to travel up to 30% for customer meetings, site visits, project reviews, and commissioning support.

Why Join Us?

• Take ownership of high-visibility projects supporting rapidly growing data center and commercial markets.
• Influence project success from initial planning through final execution and commissioning.
• Work directly with customers and internal leaders while driving operational excellence, business growth, and customer satisfaction.
• Make a measurable impact in a role where you are empowered to lead decisions and drive outcomes.

Where You'll Work.

This position is based in the Chicago area. We strongly prefer candidates located within the region; however, remote work arrangements may be considered for highly qualified candidates with relevant industry experience.

Pay & Benefits.

• Salary range: $112,000 – $140,000 annually.
• Actual compensation will be based on factors such as experience, education, training, certifications, qualifications, and geographic location.
• Comprehensive benefits package including medical, dental, and vision coverage, as well as industry-leading retirement and paid time-off programs.

Univar Solutions is a leading, global distributor of chemicals and ingredients essential to the safety, health, and wellbeing of our daily lives from life-saving medicines and vitamins to hand sanitizers and industrial materials used for cleaning, construction, and more. Our global team of more than 9,500 employees support our vision to redefine distribution and be the most valued chemical and ingredient distributor on the planet!

We offer a Total Rewards package that includes market aligned pay and incentives as well as a diverse benefits offering to support our employees’ physical, emotional, and financial wellbeing.

Univar Solutions supports sustainable solutions for the world around us so that we can do our part to help keep our communities healthy, fed, clean, and safe!

We are committed to a diverse workforce and a culture of inclusion. Together, we are building a culture that acknowledges the unique experiences, perspectives and expertise of individuals and provides the development and growth opportunities to empower us to redefine our industry.

Univar Solutions is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment and will not be discriminated against based on their race, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or other protected classification. We are committed to working with and providing reasonable accommodations to individuals with disabilities. If you require a reasonable accommodation due to a disability during the hiring process, please contact us at [e-mail].