Senior Project Manager

Kaiser Industrial; Troy (MI); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Kaiser Industrial, based in Michigan, seeks a Senior Project Manager to lead the company’s most complex, high-risk projects. The SPM guides other PMs, focuses on operational success, safety culture, and senior client relationships to drive business development.

The role entails executive project leadership, strategic decision-making, and mentoring the next generation of project leaders within a fast-paced self-perform environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree and extensive construction project delivery experience on large flagship projects.
• Demonstrated thought leadership in industry associations, speaking, and internal training.

Responsibilities

• Set self-perform strategy on flagship projects and make go/no-go decisions.
• Partner with operations leadership on long-range labor and equipment planning.
• Champion innovation: prefabrication, lean construction, technology adoption.
• Lead subcontractor strategy for complex projects, including JV and integrated delivery.
• Serve as company representative in major dispute resolution and litigation support as needed.
• Drive contractor base development and manage key relationships.
• Provide formal PM oversight: monthly reviews and escalation on commercial/technical issues.
• Drive portfolio-wide performance: schedule integrity, forecasting accuracy, safety, quality.
• Mentor PM I/II, sponsor high-potential staff, support succession planning.
• Participate in forecasting, risk reviews, lessons-learned, and standards shaping.

Skills

Project leadership

Executive client relations

Safety culture champion

Lean construction

Strategic oversight

Education

Bachelor's degree +15–20 years complex large-project delivery

Trades track experience 20+ years

Tools

OSHA 30

PMP/CCM

Job description

Kaiser Industrial specializes in turn-key equipment installation services. This group self performs: millwright services, heavy rigging, certified crane lift planning and more. In both industrial and commercial markets, we can support the most complex of rigging needs.

Position Summary

Most senior individual-contributor project leader. The SPM personally leads the company's most complex, highest-risk, or most strategically important projects, and provides formal oversight to one or more PMs running other projects. The SPM's primary focus is operational success and the development of the next generation of project leaders. The SPM is a recognized authority on project delivery, a champion of the company's safety culture, and a meaningful contributor to business development through executive client relationships and senior pursuit leadership.

Reporting & Scope

Reports To (Organizational): Project Director

Reports To (Functional): Self-directed as project lead on assigned flagship projects

Typical Project Scope: Flagship single projects $75M+, or oversight of a portfolio of projects with combined revenue of $150M – $250M.

Qualifications - Dual Career Path

College Track: Bachelor's degree plus 15–20 years of progressive construction experience, with a track record of complex large-project delivery. OSHA 30, PMP/CCM, and a recognized industry credential expected.

Trades Track: 20+ years of combined experience, including multiple successful flagship projects. OSHA 30, recognized industry credential, and demonstrated thought leadership (industry associations, speaking, internal training) expected.

Self-Perform Responsibilities

• Set self-perform strategy on flagship projects, including go/no-go decisions on which scopes to self-perform.
• Partner with operations leadership and trade superintendents on long-range labor and equipment strategy.
• Champion innovation initiatives - prefabrication, lean construction, technology adoption — at the company level.
• Lead subcontractor strategy on the most complex projects, including joint-venture and integrated-delivery structures.
• Serve as company representative in major dispute resolution, mediation, and litigation support as necessary.
• Drive subcontractor base development at the company level: identifying gaps, cultivating new partners, managing key relationships.
• Provide formal oversight to PMs on assigned projects: monthly project reviews, escalation point on commercial and technical issues, and direct accountability for project performance.
• Drive operational excellence across the assigned portfolio: project controls discipline, schedule integrity, financial forecasting accuracy, safety performance, and quality outcomes. Operational success is the SPM's primary focus.
• Mentor and develop PM I and PM II personnel as a primary responsibility; sponsor high‑potential staff; contribute formally to talent reviews, career planning, and succession planning.
• Participate in operational leadership: forecasting roll‑ups, risk reviews, lessons‑learned dissemination, and shaping company practices and standards.
• Lead preconstruction efforts on assigned pursuits and projects: drive constructability and value‑engineering reviews, develop self‑perform versus subcontract trade strategy, and partner with preconstruction and estimating leadership on bid/no‑bid, fee, contingency, and risk decisions on major pursuits.
• Contribute to business development as a senior firm representative: maintain executive relationships with strategic clients, serve as named project executive on major pursuits, and lead interview teams when called on. The SPM is an important business development contributor, not the lead - pipeline ownership rests with the Project Director.
• Maintain a company‑wide sales mindset: connect clients to the right capabilities across the enterprise (self‑perform trades, supporting businesses, service divisions, prefabrication, specialty divisions) and contribute qualified leads as they emerge from project relationships and sector knowledge.
• Represent the company externally at industry associations, client events, and university recruiting.
• Strategic project leadership across multiple concurrent efforts.
• Executive client management and business development.
• Operational judgment - ability to influence company‑level decisions.
• Talent development - proven record of building the next generation of leaders.
• Leading and developing other project leaders; communicating with credibility at executive client and company‑leadership levels; setting the team‑culture standard across the portfolio.