Senior Airport Program Lead — Multi-Site Construction

SkyCity; Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted (United States Virgin Islands, United States Virgin Islands); Hybrid; USD 140,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

SkyCity in the U.S. Virgin Islands seeks a Senior Technical Project Manager to lead large-scale airport infrastructure programs across STT and STX, partnering with VIPA, Tikehau Star Infra, Aecon Group, and consultants.

You will guide planning, design, and construction efforts, manage budgets and schedules, and coordinate contract, QA/QC, and reporting activities with leadership across multiple sites.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, Business Admin, or related field.
• 10+ years of proven airport/civil infra project management experience.
• PM experience in airport projects; PMP is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Lead project teams across two airport sites with strong collaboration.
• Develop plans, budgets, and schedules aligned with VIPA standards.
• Manage risks, contracts, QA/QC, and change control processes.
• Coordinate with stakeholders and reporting to investment committee.
• Oversee design, construction, testing, and commissioning activities.
• Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements and safety standards.

Skills

Project management

Airports experience

Budget & scheduling

Stakeholder communication

Contract management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Engineering/Architecture/PM

Master's degree preferred

Tools

MS Project

Primavera P6

Job description

Purpose of the Job

As a Senior Technical Project Manager, you will be a member of the SkyCity team, working closely with the U.S. Virgin Islands Port Authority (VIPA), Tikehau Star Infra (TSI), Aecon Group Inc., and several seasoned airport consultants as part of the SkyCity consortium. This is an outstanding opportunity to gain broad and deep expertise in the airport industry, covering areas such as commercial aspects with airlines and other stakeholders, existing condition assessment, design & construction, operations & maintenance, regulatory compliance, environmental permitting, human relations, community engagement, insurance, financing, and more.This role is based full-time in St. Croix and carries program-wide responsibility across both Cyril E. King Airport (STT) and Henry E. Rohlsen Airport (STX), with regular travel to St. Thomas to oversee parallel workstreams at that site.

Essential Functions and Responsibilities

As a Senior Technical Project Manager, you will be responsible for guiding project teams, interfacing with contractors, managing resources, and ensuring that project goals align with organizational objectives across both airport sites. This role requires excellent communication, problem-solving, and organizational skills. The first six to twelve months are expected to focus on structuring, negotiating, and establishing contracts and processes related to the technical development, design, and construction aspects of the airports project during the development phase. The following phase, expected to last approximately four years, will focus on executing the technical design and construction elements in an active construction and operating environment at both airports, supporting the leadership of the development company.

1. Project Planning: Develop comprehensive project plans, including schedules, budgets, and resource allocations, in accordance with project requirements, including VIPA standards, coordinated across both STT and STX.
2. Team Leadership: Lead technical project teams at both airport sites by assigning tasks, providing guidance, and fostering collaboration.
3. Risk Management: Identify potential risks (schedule, budget, technical) and develop mitigation strategies to ensure successful project delivery. Support and coordinate with Tikehau Star Infra's investment team for updates and reporting to management and the investment committee.
4. Stakeholder Management: Communicate effectively with stakeholders to gather requirements, provide updates, respond to inquiries, address concerns, and use feedback to adapt the project scope to meet or exceed stakeholder expectations.
5. Reporting: Design, produce, and present reports to various stakeholders, including Tikehau Star Infra's asset management teams.
6. Budget Management: Monitor project budgets and expenses to ensure projects are completed within financial constraints. Provide regular updates on progress vs. budget, including variance, risk, and opportunity analysis.
7. Quality Assurance: Establish program-wide quality standards and ensure that project deliverables meet or exceed expectations. Work with contractor and external QA/QC teams to implement the quality program.
8. Schedule Management: Track project schedules and milestones across both sites, including critical path management. Work with stakeholders to adjust plans as necessary to meet deadlines.
9. Documentation: Maintain accurate project documentation, including progress reports, meeting minutes, and change requests.
10. Consultants Management: Administer consultant contracts for project design development work, as well as participate in the selection process.
11. Contract Management: Coordinate with stakeholders in the administration of contracts with a number of partners, clients, subcontractors, and suppliers, such as the concession contract with the public authority, commercial contracts with airlines and non-aeronautical parties, the operation & maintenance contract with partners, and construction contracts with subcontractors, including J. Benton Construction.
12. Design and Construction Oversight and Coordination: Oversight of design development leading into construction delivery, ensuring compliance with contractual, regulatory, and other agreed-upon requirements.
13. Testing, Commissioning and Demonstration: Management and oversight of construction contractor testing and commissioning activities to ensure compliance with all contractual, regulatory, and other agreed-upon obligations, including ensuring compilation of all as-built and associated documentation by the construction contractor.
14. Defects, Deficiencies and Warranty Management: Development and implementation of appropriate defect, deficiency, and warranty management processes, procedures, and protocols.
15. Conflict Resolution: Address conflicts and issues that arise during project execution, striving to find mutually beneficial resolutions.
16. Continuous Improvement: Identify opportunities for process improvement and implement best practices to enhance project management efficiency.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Bachelor's degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, Business Administration, Project Management, or a related field (Master's degree preferred).
• 10+ years of proven experience as a project manager for airport and civil infrastructure projects, with a successful track record of managing projects from initiation to completion.
• Proven experience in project management, particularly within the airport industry, with a focus on technical aspects.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to multitask, organize, and manage complex projects across more than one site.
• Excellent communication, analytical, and problem-solving abilities.
• Proficiency in project management tools and software.
• Experience working on airport projects is required.
• Certification in Project Management (PMP) is a plus.
• Willingness to relocate to and be based full-time in St. Croix, with regular inter-island travel to St. Thomas and periodic international travel for program-related meetings.

Supervisory Responsibility

Provides leadership and direction to Technical Project Manager, Technical Coordinators (2), P6 Scheduler/Technical Coordinators, and other project management and technical staff supporting the program across both airports. Participates in hiring, onboarding, and performance management for the technical project management function as the team scales.

Extent of Public Contact

• VIPA leadership and staff
• TSI, Aecon Group Inc., Avports, and J. Benton Construction leadership and teams
• Airlines, lessees, licensees, and other commercial tenants
• Design consultants, contractors, and subcontractors
• Regulatory agencies (FAA, TSA, environmental authorities)
• Financing partners and insurers
• Community organizations and public stakeholders
• Aviation/airport industry associations and colleagues

Working Conditions & Environment

• Fast-paced business environment spanning two active international airports.
• Based full-time in airport offices and terminal facilities in St. Croix, with regular travel to St. Thomas.
• Work performed within a live, operating airport environment alongside ongoing passenger operations.
• Local/inter-island travel required on a regular basis for meetings and events with external resources, stakeholders, and airport users; international travel required periodically for program meetings.