Senior Project Manager – Buildings (Cities & Places)

Jacobs; Santa Monica (CA); Hybrid; USD 145,000 - 226,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health benefits

401(k)

Stock purchase program

Paid time off (PPTO)

Job summary

Jacobs Engineering Group is seeking a Senior Project Manager to lead vertical building projects across Southern California. You will guide multidisciplinary teams from early planning through closeout, ensuring scope, budget, schedule, and quality targets are met.

The role emphasizes client leadership, construction coordination, and collaboration with architects, engineers, and contractors, delivering life sciences and tech facilities with stringent regulatory standards.

Qualifications

• 10–15 years of experience in project management within the AEC industry.
• Demonstrated success delivering vertical building projects (core & shell, renovations, and tenant improvements).
• Strong experience with life sciences / laboratory facilities, science & technology buildings.
• Proven ability to manage projects through design and construction phases.
• Extensive experience working with general contractors and construction teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of vertical building projects across design and construction phases.
• Serve as the primary client interface, building trusted relationships and ensuring successful project outcomes.
• Manage and mentor project teams, coordinating across architecture, engineering, and consulting disciplines.
• Oversee project scope, budgets, schedules, and risk management strategies.
• Drive collaboration between design teams and general contractors for constructability and execution.
• Lead construction phase activities, including contractor coordination and RFIs.
• Facilitate executive-level reporting, stakeholder meetings, and decisions.

Skills

Project management

Leadership

Stakeholder management

Communication

Team mentoring

Client interface

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or related field

Job description

At Jacobs, we're challenging today to reinvent tomorrow by solving the world's most critical problems for thriving cities, resilient environments, mission-critical outcomes, operational advancement, scientific discovery and cutting-edge manufacturing, turning abstract ideas into realities that transform the world for good.

Your impact

Our Cities & Places team partners with clientsto deliverhigh-performance, sustainable buildings that enable innovation across life sciences, technology, and commercial sectors. We are seeking a Senior Project Manager with deep experience in vertical building projects to lead and grow our project portfolio across Southern California.

Your Impact

As a Senior Project Manager, you will lead the delivery of complex building projects from early planning and design through construction and closeout.You’llguide multidisciplinary teams, working closely with architects, engineers, and contractors to deliver projects that meet scope, budget, schedule, and qualityobjectives.

This role is ideal for a seasoned professional who thrives in a client-facing leadership capacity, has a strong grasp of building design and construction processes, and brings experience delivering projects in life sciences, science & technology, and tenant improvement environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead end-to-end delivery of vertical building projects across design and construction phases
• Serve as the primary client interface, building trusted relationships and ensuring successful project outcomes
• Manage and mentor project teams, including coordination across architecture, engineering, and consulting disciplines
• Oversee project scope, budgets, schedules, and risk management strategies
• Drive collaboration between design teams and general contractors, ensuring constructability and efficient execution
• Lead construction phase activities, including contractor coordination, RFIs, submittals, and issue resolution
• Facilitate executive-level reporting, stakeholder meetings, and decision-making processes
• Support business development, including client engagement, proposals, and identification of new opportunities
• Ensure adherence to quality, safety, and regulatory requirements

Here’s what you’ll need

• 10–15 years of experience in project management within the AEC industry
• Demonstrated success delivering vertical building projects (core & shell, renovations, and tenant improvements)
• Strong experience in one or more of the following:
• Life sciences / laboratory facilities
• Science and technology buildings
• Proven ability to manage projects through both design and construction phases (not limited to conceptual design)
• Extensive experience working directly with general contractors and construction teams
• Strong understanding of building systems, design coordination, and construction methodologies
• Ability to manage multiple large or complex projects simultaneously
• Excellent leadership, communication, and stakeholder management skills

Ideally, You’ll Also Have:

• Experience delivering projects across Southern California markets
• Familiarity with local jurisdictional requirements, permitting, and construction practices
• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture , Engineering, Construction Management, or related field

Our health and welfare benefits are designed to invest in you, and in the things you care about. Your health. Your well-being. Your security. Your future. Employees have access to medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance, a 401(k) plan, and the ability to purchase company stock at a discount. Eligible employees may also enroll in a deferred compensation plan or the Executive Deferral Plan. Jacobs has an unlimited U.S. Personalized Paid Time Off (PPTO) policy for full-time salaried/exempt employees, seven paid holidays, and caregiver leave. And certain roles may be eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, performance discretionary bonus, and stock.

The base salary range for this position is $144,900.00 to $226,450.00. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability or protected veteran status. Job posted on November 03, 2026. This position will be open for at least 3 days.

We value collaboration and believe that in-person interactions are crucial for both our culture and client delivery. We empower employees with our hybrid working policy, allowing them to split their work week between Jacobs offices/projects and remote locations enabling them to deliver their best work.

Your application experience is important to us, and we’re keen to adapt to make every interaction even better. If you require further support or reasonable adjustments with regards to the recruitment process (for example, you require the application form in a different format), please contact the team via Careers Support .