Project Manager - Horizontal

Office of the County Engineer; Houston (TX); On-site; USD 85,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, vision & dental insurance

Wellness programs

Professional development opportunities

Flexible spending accounts

457(b) deferred comp.

Retirement pension (TCDRS)

Transportation assistance

Disability & life insurance

Public Service Loan Forgiveness (PSLF)

Job summary

Office of the County Engineer in Houston, TX seeks a Project Manager to oversee multiple capital improvement projects, ensuring work aligns with sealed plans and Harris County specifications. The role reports to a CIP Manager and collaborates with agencies, consultants, and inspectors to deliver projects from planning through close-out.

Responsibilities include resource allocation, risk mitigation, schedule and cost management, and supervising staff and consultants.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering, Engineering Technology, Construction Science, or Construction Management from an ABET-accredited university.
• Minimum four (4) years of experience in roadway civil engineering design and construction.
• Strong written and oral communication skills; ability to read and comprehend construction plans, estimates, and specifications.

Responsibilities

• Deliver projects from pre-planning through close-out.
• Develop and negotiate scopes of work, resources, schedules, and cost estimates with Clients, Consultants, and Project Team.
• Facilitate consultant procurement and manage internal and external resources for project delivery.
• Coordinate efforts with the project delivery team to prepare final deliverables (engineer reports and constructible plan set).
• Ensure deliverables meet client preferences, standards, regulatory compliance, and permitting requirements.
• Evaluate and manage risk to meet scope, schedule, and budget.
• Coordinate with management, elected officials, external agencies, and the public as needed.
• Assist in emergencies and recovery efforts following local disasters to ensure safe infrastructure.
• Lead and mentor junior staff; staff the project delivery team effectively.
• Oversee consultant procurement and manage staffing and budgets for capital roadway projects.
• Promote project controls and reporting using Project Management Software (eBuilder).
• Coordinate with clients and CIP-Inspections & Quality Assurance staff through all phases of project delivery.
• Maintain knowledge of the entire project portfolio and report status to management.

Skills

Strong written communication

Strong verbal communication

Stakeholder engagement

Read construction plans

Education

ABET-accredited engineering degree

Job description

Position Overview

The position will manage multiple capital improvement projects, ensuring they are constructed in accordance with the engineer of record's sealed plans and Harris County specifications. The position is supervised by a Senior Project Manager or Capital Infrastructure Projects (CIP) Manager and will work with Harris County, contractors, consulting firms, labs, coordinating agencies, and outside organizations to identify and resolve issues on the job site. Project Managers are successfully delivering Harris County's capital portfolio, comprising numerous projects valued at approximately $100M per team member across a wide spectrum of public infrastructure.

Position Description

The position will manage multiple capital improvement projects, ensuring they are constructed in accordance with the engineer of record's sealed plans and Harris County specifications. The position is supervised by a Senior Project Manager or Capital Infrastructure Projects (CIP) Manager and will work with Harris County, contractors, consulting firms, labs, coordinating agencies, and outside organizations to identify and resolve issues on the job site. Project Managers are successfully delivering Harris County's capital portfolio, comprising numerous projects valued at approximately $100M per team member across a wide spectrum of public infrastructure. This position ensures project goals and objectives are achieved by allocating resources, developing solutions, identifying and mitigating risks, and fostering team cohesion. This includes maintaining a solid working knowledge of the Project Manager's portfolio to respond rapidly to client or management inquiries, identify systemic challenges, and initiate solutions. The position may supervise Assistant Project Manager and/or Graduate Engineers. The CIP Division focuses on projects ranging from the design and construction of roads, drainage, bridges, parks, facilities, trails, and bicycle paths. The division oversees multiple teams of engineers, landscape architects, engineers-in-training, computer-aided designers, project managers, construction managers, inspectors, constructability technicians, and consultants working on projects across all fields.

Job Duties & Responsibilities

• Deliver projects from pre-planning through close-out.
• Develop and negotiate scopes of work, resources, schedules, and cost estimates for projects with Clients, Consultants, and the Project Team.
• Facilitate and negotiate the consultant procurement, along with managing internal and external resources to develop the project delivery team.
• Coordinate efforts with the project delivery team to prepare the final deliverables in the form of engineer reports and/or constructible plan set.
• Ensures deliverables meet the client's preference, the Engineer Department's standards, regulatory compliance, and permitting requirements.
• Evaluate and perform risk management to achieve project scope, schedule, and budget expectations.
• Coordinates and communicates effectively with management, Harris County elected officials and representatives, external agencies, and the public as necessary.
• Assist with emergencies and recovery efforts following local disasters to ensure Harris County has safe infrastructure following the event.
• Assists in leading a team in achieving program goals and objectives through mentoring, resource management, facilitating project solutions, and promoting team cohesion by encouraging a positive, working team atmosphere.
• Oversee consultant procurement and manage internal and external resources to adequately staff the project delivery team, including contract negotiation and managing the project budget.
• Promote project controls, tracking, and enhanced reporting using Project Management Software (i.e., eBuilder), which includes advancing projects from planning to design, to construction, to occupancy. Utilize the software to manage project scopes, costs, schedules, and documents.
• Assist and coordinate with clients and the Capital Infrastructure Projects - Inspections & Quality Assurance staff with all phases of project delivery, as needed, from negotiation and initiation through the warranty phase and close out.
• Maintain responsibility, oversight, and knowledge of the entire portfolio of projects assigned to the Project Management Team; meet regularly with department management and senior client representatives to discuss the Program.
• Identify and address risks to schedule, budget, or performance with subordinate project managers and engage management as necessary to resolve issues and mitigate risks before impacting project delivery.
• Assist in managing and supervising Assistant Project Managers, Graduate Engineers, consultants, and other related subject matter experts in the preparation of planning and construction documents, and complete ancillary support tasks to successfully bid and award capital roadway projects.
• Ensure that quality assurance, risk management, regulatory compliance, and permitting are properly executed, utilizing the Project Management Institute (PMI) business model, and work closely with Division leadership to track and report project status.
• Coordinate with inspectors, design engineers, consultants, and contractors to resolve issues found during construction. Maintains a project presence in e-Builder.
• Coordinate with the Office of the County Engineer (OCE) personnel to conduct pre-construction field walks, review plans, resolve design issues, utility conflicts, and other issues as required.
• Review and recommend approval of change orders for condition changes, quality changes, reasonable costs, and appropriate solutions to issues found. during project construction.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Equal Opportunity Employer

Harris County is an Equal Opportunity Employer

https://hrrm.harriscountytx.gov/Pages/EqualEmploymentOpportunityPlan.aspx

If you need special services or accommodations, please call [phone] or email [e-mail].

This position is subject to a criminal history check. Only relevant convictions will be considered and, even when considered, may not automatically disqualify the candidate.

Requirements

Education

• Bachelor's degree in engineering, Engineering Technology, Construction Science, or Construction Management from an ABET-accredited university.

Experience

• Minimum four (4) years of experience in roadway civil engineering design and construction.

Knowledge, Skill & Abilities (KSAs)

• Strong written and oral communication skills.
• Effectively communicate with team members with an emphasis on stakeholder engagement.
• Excellent interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, and the ability to deal tactfully with a diverse group of people in a professional manner in a complex organization.
• Ability to read and comprehend construction plans, estimates, and specifications.
• Ability to exercise flexibility in accommodating shifting priorities, demands, and schedules.
• Valid driver's license (Texas upon hire), a good driving record, and the ability to drive a County vehicle to various job sites as needed to accomplish tasks.

Emergency Deployment & Continuity of Operations Requirement

In accordance with Harris County’s Continuity of Operations Plan (COOP) Policy, this position is subject to emergency response and deployment protocols. The employee may be designated as supporting a Mission Essential Function (MEF) and must:

• Participate in the classification process of departmental staff based on MEF responsibilities. Be available for temporary deployment to an alternative work location, role, or telework assignment during emergency events.
• Confirm work assignments with their supervisor prior to reporting to any worksite during such events.
• Remain flexible in assuming alternative duties as directed to support County operations continuity.

Preferences

Education

• Hold an advanced degree in architecture from an accredited university.

Experience

• Prior government experience.
• Experience coordinating with regional agencies (e.g., COH, TxDOT, etc.)
• Experience with working with Local, State, and Federal Agencies and Funding

Knowledge, Skill & Abilities (KSAs)

• Licensed Professional Engineer (or ability to obtain in the State of Texas within 6 months of hire).

General Information

Position Type, And Typical Hours Of Work:

Full-Time | Regular | 40 hours per week.

Subject to early mornings, late evenings, weekends, and holidays at times, depending upon the project or workload.

Salary: Commensurate with experience, based on 26 pay periods.

Physical Demands And Environmental Exposure

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:

• Occasional driving of a vehicle with automatic and four-wheel drive controls
• Frequent standing and walking; prolonged sitting for extended periods of time
• Frequent stooping, bending, reaching, lifting, and carrying of items up to 10 pounds with occasional lifting of up to 20 pounds
• Extensive use of a video display terminal (computer monitor)
• Occasional sorting, filing, shelving, and handling of documents, books, files, materials, and equipment
• Frequent standing and walking on rough, uneven, or rocky surfaces and ground during field visits.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is exposed to weather conditions prevalent at the time:

• Approximately 90% of duties will be performed indoors in a normal office environment with acceptable lighting, temperature, air conditions, and noise levels.
• Approximately 10% of duties will be performed outdoors, where there will be exposure to heat, cold, moisture, air pollution, wind, and dust.
• Must be willing to work in various weather and working conditions when visiting a field location.

Featured Benefits

• Medical, vision, and dental insurance.
• Wellness.
• Professional development opportunity.
• Flexible spending account.
• 457 deferred compensation plans.
• Retirement pension (TCDRS).
• Transportation assistance (Metro Ride Sponsor Program).
• Disability and life insurance.
• Harris County is a Qualified Employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF).

Employment may be contingent on passing a drug screen and meeting other standards.

Due to a high volume of applications, positions may close prior to the advertised closing date or at the discretion of the Hiring Department.