Senior Project Manager

Pegasus Development; Sacramento (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Pegasus Development in the Greater Sacramento Area is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead development and delivery of a complex project. You will drive from development through construction and turnover, coordinating across ownership, design, and construction teams.

The ideal candidate brings strong design management, cost control, and proactive leadership, with the ability to anticipate needs, resolve issues early, and maintain accountability across consultants and partners.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in real estate development, owner's representation, project management, design management, or construction management.
• Demonstrated experience managing multi-disciplinary design teams and complex development projects.
• Bachelor's degree in architecture, engineering, construction management, real estate development, business, or related field preferred.

Responsibilities

• Lead day‑to‑day management and delivery of the project from development and design through construction, closeout, and turnover.
• Develop and maintain project execution plans, schedules, budgets, procurement strategies, and milestone tracking.
• Coordinate across ownership, development, design, construction, operations, and stakeholders.
• Identify risks, constraints, and decisions early and proactively develop strategies to address them.
• Drive open items to resolution and ensure commitments and deliverables are followed through.
• Maintain a strong understanding of the overall project budget and communicate issues needing leadership attention.
• Represent the owner's interests throughout the project lifecycle.

Skills

Project Management

Design Management

Construction Management

Real Estate Development

Budgeting & Forecasting

Stakeholder Management

Team Leadership

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in architecture, engineering, construction management, or related field

Job description

With a focus on Development, Design Management, & Project Delivery

Work Arrangement: On-Site; Hybrid (highly qualified and exceptional candidates outside the immediate area may be considered with the ability to travel to the project site as needed)

Position Type: Full-Time

Pegasus Development is an owner's representative and development advisory firm safeguarding more than $7.5B in portfolio value across hospitality, entertainment, gaming, mixed‑use, multifamily, and civic and stadium projects. We serve owners, principals, lenders, and governing bodies as an unconflicted fiduciary advisor. We hold no financial interest in the contracts, equipment, or materials we oversee. Our value is judgment, discipline, and accountability.

Position Overview

We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to lead the development and delivery of a complex project in the Greater Sacramento Area. This role requires a highly capable, self-directed project leader with strong experience managing projects from development and design through construction and turnover.

The ideal candidate combines strong design management and cost/budget management capabilities with the ability to independently drive projects forward. This individual will be expected to anticipate needs, identify and resolve issues early, maintain accountability across consultants and project partners, and consistently follow through to closure. This is a hands‑on leadership role for someone who is internally motivated, proactive, organized, decisive, and comfortable operating with a high degree of autonomy and urgency.

Key Responsibilities

Development & Project Delivery

• Lead day‑to‑day management and delivery of the project from development and design through construction, closeout, and turnover.
• Develop and maintain project execution plans, schedules, budgets, procurement strategies, and key milestone tracking.
• Coordinate across ownership, development, design, construction, operations, and other internal and external stakeholders.
• Identify project risks, constraints, and decision points early and proactively develop strategies to address them.
• Drive open items to resolution and ensure commitments, decisions, and deliverables are consistently followed through.
• Maintain a strong understanding of overall project budget and proactively communicate issues requiring leadership attention or decisions.
• Represent the owner's interests throughout the project lifecycle.

Design Management

• Lead and coordinate architects, engineers, specialty consultants, and other design partners.
• Manage the design process against established project goals, budget, schedule, operational requirements, and quality expectations.
• Establish clear design milestones, deliverables, responsibilities, and decision timelines.
• Facilitate design reviews and ensure interdisciplinary coordination across architecture, engineering, interiors, specialty systems, and construction.
• Identify potential constructability, cost, schedule, scope, and coordination issues during design rather than allowing them to migrate into construction.
• Manage design changes and evaluate their impact on project cost, schedule, scope, and quality.
• Work closely with contractors and cost consultants to maintain alignment between design development and project budget.

Budget & Cost Management

• Develop, manage, and maintain comprehensive project budgets and forecasts.
• Monitor committed, projected, and actual costs and maintain visibility into anticipated cost at completion.
• Review design consultant and contractor estimates, proposals, change orders, allowances, contingencies, and invoices for accuracy and alignment with project scope.
• Lead value engineering efforts while protecting the project's critical design, operational, and quality objectives.
• Identify budget risks and potential overruns early and develop mitigation strategies.
• Maintain disciplined change management and ensure scope and cost changes are appropriately documented, evaluated, negotiated, and approved.
• Provide clear and accurate cost reporting to project leadership.

Construction & Delivery Oversight

• Partner closely with contractors and consultants throughout preconstruction and construction.
• Monitor construction progress against project schedule, budget, design intent, and quality expectations.
• Facilitate resolution of RFIs, design conflicts, field conditions, owner decisions, and other issues that could affect project delivery.
• Maintain accountability among project participants and actively follow up on outstanding deliverables and action items.
• Participate in site meetings, progress reviews, inspections, punch walks, commissioning, and turnover activities as required.
• Ensure issues are escalated appropriately while taking ownership of resolving matters that fall within the Senior Project Manager's authority.

What We’re Looking For

• Works independently and is comfortable owning significant portions of a project with limited oversight.
• Is proactive rather than reactive and routinely anticipates what will be needed several steps ahead.
• Has exceptional follow-through and does not allow open items, commitments, or unresolved issues to linger.
• Operates with a strong sense of urgency and understands when project conditions require immediate action.
• Is internally motivated and takes personal ownership of project outcomes.
• Can confidently hold architects, consultants, contractors, and other stakeholders accountable for their commitments.
• Is highly organized and able to manage numerous simultaneous priorities without losing visibility into details.
• Understands when to independently solve a problem and when an issue requires escalation.
• Communicates clearly, directly, and professionally with both project teams and senior leadership.
• Balances attention to detail with an understanding of the project's broader strategic, financial, and operational objectives.
• Is comfortable working in a fast-moving environment where priorities may evolve and initiative is expected.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in real estate development, owner's representation, project management, design management, or construction management.
• Demonstrated experience managing complex projects through multiple phases of the development lifecycle.
• Strong experience managing architects, engineers, consultants, and multidisciplinary design teams.
• Demonstrated responsibility for project budgets, cost forecasting, change management, and financial reporting.
• Strong understanding of design development, preconstruction, procurement, construction, commissioning, and project closeout.
• Experience reviewing construction estimates, change orders, schedules, design documents, and consultant deliverables.
• Strong commercial judgment and ability to evaluate the cost, schedule, quality, and operational implications of project decisions.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Bachelor's degree in architecture, engineering, construction management, real estate development, business, or a related field preferred.

Location & Travel

The project is based in the Greater Sacramento Area, and regular in office and project-site presence will be required.

Candidates who are not based locally may also be considered provided they are able and willing to travel to the Greater Sacramento Area as required by the needs and phase of the project.

The level of on-site involvement may fluctuate throughout the project lifecycle, with increased presence expected during critical design, procurement, construction, and turnover periods.