Project Manager, K-12 Education

DLR Group; Des Moines (IA); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

DLR Group in Des Moines, IA is seeking a K-12 Education Project Manager to lead one or more educational facilities projects from inception through completion.

The role oversees project teams, coordinates with consultants, manages schedules, budgets, and fees, and ensures design excellence and client satisfaction while maintaining profitability for the firm. Professional licensure is preferred.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Architecture, Engineering, or Interior Design.
• Minimum 8 years of professional experience, including 5+ years as a project manager.
• Proficient in Vantagepoint, Planifi, INDEPRO, and Microsoft Suite (including Project).
• High proficiency in standard A/E/I/P software.
• Excellent written, verbal, and graphic communication skills with multitasking ability.
• Working knowledge of local building and zoning codes.

Responsibilities

• Oversee all aspects of one or more projects, including managing project teams and coordinating with external consultants.
• Ensure adherence to project schedules, budgets, and fees while maintaining design excellence.
• Maintain high standards of quality and ensure financial success of the project.

Skills

Project management

Client communication

Leadership

Budgeting

Education

Bachelor's Degree in Architecture, Engineering, or Interior Design

Tools

Vantagepoint

Planifi

INDEPRO

Microsoft Office Suite (Project)

Job description

DLR Group is an integrated design firm with a promise to elevate the human experience through design. This fuels the work we do around the world and inspires our mission to improve the lives of our clients, our communities, and our planet. If this sparks your interest, you’re in the right place.

We have an opening for a K-12 Education Project Manager. This role can be based in the following cities:

• Des Moines, Iowa

About K-12 Education At DLR Group

Our team of educators, researchers, anthropologists, planners, architects, engineers, building performance experts, and interior designers draw from evidence-based design to aid schools in bridging the gap from old and new to improve all facets of operations, and elevate learning through design. Understanding the rapid pace of technological, social, and cultural change, our K-12 Education Studio works with schools across the country to navigate this change to better serve communities and improve educational experiences and outcomes for students.

Position Summary

As a Project Manager at DLR Group, you will oversee all aspects of one or more projects, including managing project teams, coordinating with external consultants, and ensuring adherence to project schedules, budgets, and fees. You will be responsible for maintaining high standards of quality and design excellence throughout the project lifecycle. Additionally, you will be accountable for the financial success of the project, ensuring it remains on track and within budget.

If you are a collaborative thought leader with a strategic mindset this might be the position for you. DLR Group is 100% employee owned and as such you’ll enjoy the opportunity to have ownership in the Firm. We rely on all our employee-owners to apply their financial acumen to grow the Firm profitably.

What You Will Do

• Support business development by participating in RFQ, RFP, and interview processes
• Assist in negotiating scope of services, fees, and preparing agreements with both clients and consultants
• Ensure accurate input and updates of client and project information into project management systems
• Develop comprehensive project plans, including schedules, milestones, and staffing, and adjust as needed
• Lead and coordinate project teams, vendors, and consultants to meet client expectations for scope, quality, budget, and schedule
• Monitor and track project milestones, deliverables, and ensure submittals meet quality standards
• Communicate project status reports, identify necessary adjustments, and propose solutions for client-directed changes
• Provide leadership, performance feedback, and contribute to recruitment of project team members
• Establish clear communication with clients to ensure project progress and timely decisions are made
• Collaborate with design leaders to ensure compliance with quality standards and integrate design expertise into all project phases

Required Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Architecture, Engineering, or Interior Design
• Minimum of 8 years of professional experience, including 5+ years as a project manager
• Proficient in Vantagepoint, Planifi, INDEPRO, and Microsoft Suite (including Project)
• High proficiency in standard A/E/I/P software
• Strong working knowledge of design techniques, tools, and sustainable design principles for producing technical plans, drawings, and models
• Excellent written, verbal, and graphic communication skills with the ability to multitask while maintaining high-quality standards
• Working knowledge of local building and zoning codes

Preferred Qualifications

• Professional licensure

DLR Group is an integrated design firm delivering architecture, engineering, interiors, planning, and building optimization for new builds, renovations, and adaptive reuse projects.

We are 100% employee-owned: every employee is literally invested in our clients’ success. At the core of our firm are interdisciplinary teams engaged in every step of project lifecycles. Our teams champion true collaboration, open information sharing, shared risk and reward, value-based decision making, and proficient use of technology to deliver exceptional design. We are pursuing the goals of the 2030 Challenge, the ME2040, and the SE2050, and are an initial signatory of the China Accord and the AIA 2030 Commitment.

Through our values – commitment, creativity, environmental stewardship, fun, integrity, ownership, sharing, teamwork – we elevate the human experience through design, together.

DLR Group follows a four-day in-office work model, with employees having the flexibility to work somewhere other than the office on Fridays.

We are proud to be an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/M/F/Veteran/Disabled employer.