Senior Manager of Construction

CAVA; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

BONUS program

Unlimited PTO

Parental leave

401k with company match

Free CAVA food

Job summary

CAVA is expanding its Development Group and seeks a Senior Construction Manager to lead nationwide restaurant and production-facility projects. You will coordinate with Real Estate, Design, and Operations, ensuring feasibility, branding compliance, and timely delivery.

The role requires strong PM discipline, cost control, and collaboration with contractors and vendors. Travel up to 50% is expected, contributing to strategic growth across multiple markets.

Qualifications

• Engineering or CM degree or equivalent.
• Post-college experience in construction field.
• 5+ years PM in retail roll-out construction, with 3+ years in foodservice/restaurant.
• Ability to read/interpret construction drawings, specs and other documents.
• Experience managing GC and vendors for construction projects.
• Willingness to travel up to 50%.
• Proficiency with MS Project and Excel.
• Experience with cloud-based project management platforms (Procore, Tririga, Lucernex).

Responsibilities

• Coordinate with cross-functional partners during pre-lease and design to ensure site feasibility and standards.
• Oversee daily PM activities during construction and close-out for national expansion.
• Assist Real Estate and Design teams in evaluating prospective locations.
• Manage project schedules for review by leadership.
• Prepare and manage project budgets and cost projections.
• Validate scope and inputs with design and cost teams.
• Lead GC bid process and final contract awards.
• Ensure permits and approvals are obtained.

Skills

Project management

Multi-project management

Leadership

Communication

Problem solving

Education

Engineering or Construction Management degree

PMP Certification (preferred)

Tools

Procore

Tririga

Lucernex

AutoCAD/REVIT

Job description

Senior Construction Manager

Do you have high standards for executing projects? Are you an organized self-starter, capable of managing multiple projects simultaneously? Do you excel at collaborating with cross-functional partners? If this is you, we want you to join our team.

CAVA is a rapidly expanding fast-casual restaurant and CPG brand focusing on fresh, Mediterranean-inspired, better-for-you cuisine. Born from our full-service restaurants, our chef-driven fast-casual format is currently in four states with further expansion ahead.

We are looking for a Development Manager to join the Development Group at CAVA, helping us reach new communities with each new location "Example: Summarizes cases and prepares reports for the Manager."

What You’ll Do:

• Responsible for coordinating with multiple cross-functional partners during pre-lease and design phases, to ensure site feasibility and compliance with Cava standards. Perform preliminary site visits as needed.
• Responsible for performing, coordinating, and/or overseeing daily project management activities during construction and close-out phases for the national expansion of CAVA restaurants, CAVA Products production facilities.
• Assist Real Estate and Design teams in the evaluation of prospective locations and provide feedback on draft Letter of Intent and/or Landlord Work Letter.
• Work with key internal stakeholders and manage the preparation of schedules for review/approval by corporate leadership.
• Prepare budgets for projects and manage progressive budgets during project execution.
• Partner with RE and Design team members to validate scope and input data into cost projections and pro-formas.
• Partner with internal stakeholders and third-party consultants to ensure thorough due diligence is performed for projects.
• Advise design team/consultants/vendors during design development phase, on matters related to constructability, means and methods, and cost.
• Bring in Contractors for additional input as needed.
• Review design documents and specifications, provide feedback relative to constructability, budget, and schedule impacts.
• Manage GC Bid process, from issuing Request for Quotes, through Validating/Negotiating Bids, obtain required department leadership approvals for final Contract Award.
• Assist Design team in obtaining Landlord approvals of CAVA's design, as required.
• Partner with Design, Architects of Record, and Expediters to ensure building and other permits required for CAVA's build out are obtained.
• Coordinate the transfer of existing utility accounts, and/or if required, installation of new utility services.
• Manage day-to-day site issues as they occur during construction phase.
• Moderate regular progress meetings and perform routine site visits to ensure CAVA project goals are achieved (standard branding, quality, schedule, cost, etc), provide high-level status updates to Department and Company leadership.
• Coordinate with Marketing/Operations on any pre-opening efforts, as required.
• Ensure openings are successfully executed with minimal outstanding items and oversee high-quality Turnovers to Operations Team.
• Ensure all OSI items are priced and procured accordingly for individual restaurant projects, manage Vendors for project-specific needs.
• Coordinate with Operations team in scheduling delivery of loose equipment and/or goods required to commence staff training and open for operations.
• Support Operations/Facilities teams post-occupancy on significant repairs and/or renovations and ensure all construction warranty items are addressed and closed out in a timely manner.
• Review, negotiate and administer contractor and vendor contracts for projects
• Maintain detailed files for all projects in accordance with CAVA filing standards.
• Perform project close-out administration, including but not limited to ensuring Entitlements for individual projects are obtained and all permits are fully closed-out, obtain a complete and accurate set of as-built drawings, with appropriate documentation in CAVA files and/or on site as applicable.
• Work with Department Lead and Finance for Capital Planning at a regular cadence.
• Partner with Accounting to reconcile invoices at a regular cadence.
• Evaluate cross-functional and vendor deliverables and collaborate with teams to develop improved process, planning/tracking documents and communication protocols.
• Drive a culture of continuous improvement, evaluating successes and opportunities of each project. Turn information gathered into results that influence current processes or recommend new/improved initiatives that drive results.
• Ensure construction industry best practices are being applied for all projects.
• Assist with the onboarding and training of new team members.
• Strengthen existing contractor/vendor partnerships by providing ongoing performance feedback and identify opportunities for improvement and increased efficiency.
• Cultivate new contractor/vendor partnerships and assist in their onboarding/training.

The Qualifications:

• Professional college degree (engineering or construction management preferred)
• Project Management Certification (PMP) Preferred
• Minimum 8 years of post-collegiate experience in a relevant construction field.
• Minimum 5 years in a project management role overseeing retail roll-out construction projects, with at least 3 years in the restaurant/foodservice industry
• Ability to read/interpret construction drawings, specifications and other technical documents.
• Experience in managing multiple construction projects simultaneously
• Demonstrated ability to effectively manage general contractors, specialty vendors, and other professionals providing services for construction projects.
• Knowledge of all project documents, including but not limited to construction documents, specifications, GC contracts, purchase orders, standard daily correspondence forms, submittals, RFI's.
• Understanding of basic Lease terms.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite, including MS Project and Excel
• Experience using cloud-based Project Management Platforms (such as Procore, Tririga, Lucernex)
• Proficiency with AutoCAD/REVIT, Bluebeam a plus
• Ability to travel up to 50%

Physical Requirements:

• Ability to maintain stationary position to be able to operate a computer and other office equipment
• Must be able to identify, analyze and assess details
• For certain positions, must be able to occasionally move or transport items up to 50 pounds
• Ability to communicate with others and exchange information accurately and effectively
• Constantly positions self and move about to support ordinary restaurant or food production support or office operations, as applicable
• Ability to work in a constant state of alertness and in a safe manner

What we offer:

• Competitive salary, plus bonus and long-term incentives* Early Wage Access!
• Unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, plus paid opportunities to give back to the community
• Health, Dental, Vision, Telemedicine, Pet Insurance plus more!
• 401k enrollment with CAVA contribution
• Company-paid STD, LTD, Life and AD&D coverage for salaried positions*
• Free CAVA food
• Casual work environment
• The opportunity to be on the ground floor of a rapidly growing brand*Indicates qualifying eligible positions only *Posted salary range is total cash rangeCAVA - Joining "A culture, not a concept"

As an equal opportunity employer, CAVA considers applicants for all positions without regard to race, color, sex, religion, national origin, disability, age, height, weight, marital status, sexual orientation, familial status, genetic information or any other characteristic or protected classes as defined by federal, state, or local law.