Senior Project Manager (Hybrid - Arlington, VA)

Chinook Systems; Arlington (VA); Hybrid; USD 135,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Chinook Systems, Inc. is seeking a Senior Project Manager to coordinate and deliver engineering, code compliance, and commissioning services for federal facilities across the lifecycle.

The role emphasizes strong engineering background, leadership, and cross‑functional guidance for internal and external teams. Hybrid work schedule with at least three days per week on client sites, plus potential time at the Arlington, VA HQ and telework based on project needs.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in engineering or related field.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate engineering, code compliance, and commissioning projects for federal facilities.
• Review documents, schedules, budgets, and deliverables to ensure contractual requirements are met.
• Provide senior technical oversight across planning, design, construction, testing, turnover, and operations.

Job description

The Work:

As a Senior Project Manager, you will support Chinook’s government-focused clients by coordinating and delivering engineering, code compliance, and commissioning-related services throughout the facility planning, design, construction, warranty, and operations lifecycle. You will apply a strong engineering background and broad technical experience to evaluate complex facility systems, coordinate multidisciplinary project activities, and provide technically sound solutions to project challenges. In this senior-level role, you will exercise considerable latitude in determining objectives and approaches to assignments, provide technical guidance to project teams, and review the work of others as appropriate. Company has built a reputation for excellence in our industry, and as a Project Manager, you will uphold that tradition by being diligent, proactive, solution-oriented, and a facilitator of success for team members, both internal and external.

In this role, you will work a HYBRID schedule, with a minimum of three days per week at the client site. The remaining schedule may include working from our Arlington, VA HQ office and teleworking, based on project and client needs.

Citizenship/Clearance Requirements:

• Must be a U.S. Citizen and be able to obtain and maintain up to a Top Secret clearance due to our customer requirements and the nature of the work that we do.

Key Responsibilities:

• Manage and coordinate multiple concurrent engineering, code compliance, and commissioning-related projects for new and existing federal facilities in a deadline-driven environment.
• Understand, analyze, and interpret RFPs, scopes of work, design and construction documents, applicable codes and standards, project schedules, and contract deliverables.
• Provide senior-level engineering and technical oversight throughout planning, design, construction, testing, turnover, warranty, and operations activities.
• Coordinate multidisciplinary technical reviews, including design reviews, submittal reviews, requests for information, field observations, inspections, testing documentation, O&M manuals, and closeout deliverables.
• Evaluate engineering designs and installations for technical adequacy, constructability, reliability, maintainability, resiliency, and conformance with project requirements and applicable codes and standards.
• Apply working knowledge of commissioning principles and processes to support commissioning planning, design reviews, pre-functional activities, functional performance testing, issue resolution, and systems turnover.
• Coordinate reviews commissioning plans, specifications, checklists, functional performance test procedures, startup reports, test reports, and other commissioning documentation for technical completeness and alignment with project requirements.
• Conduct site observations and participate in, or witness system startup, testing, functional performance testing, and other verification activities as required.
• Identify and resolve technical and coordination issues affecting system installation, startup, testing, performance, and project completion.
• Coordinate with government clients, architects, engineers, contractors, commissioning providers, facility personnel, and other stakeholders to support effective project execution.
• Provide technical and analytical guidance to project teams and serve as a senior technical resource for complex engineering issues.
• Prepare and maintain project estimates, schedules, work plans, action items, risk items, and status reports/presentations for the company and/or client.
• Monitor project scope, schedule, budget, quality, and deliverables and proactively identify risks or issues requiring resolution or escalation.
• Conduct quality assurance reviews of project deliverables and technical activities to verify completeness, accuracy, consistency, and compliance with contractual requirements.
• Develop and maintain effective working relationships with internal staff, external team members, contractors, design professionals, and government clients.
• Demonstrate your strong leadership skills across all areas of responsibility, sowing an environment that supports high level achievement.

Minimum Qualifications:

• A Bachelor’s degree in engineering or a related discipline.
• At least 10 years of progressively responsible engineering and project delivery experience involving the planning, design, construction, inspection, testing, or operation of building and facility systems.
• Demonstrated experience coordinating or managing engineering-related projects through multiple phases of the facility lifecycle, including design and construction.
• Strong working knowledge of engineering principles, construction practices, design and construction documentation, and applicable building codes and standards.
• Experience coordinating multidisciplinary engineering activities and resolving technical issues among designers, contractors, clients, and facility stakeholders.
• Experience reviewing technical designs, submittals, reports, test documentation, and other engineering deliverables for completeness, quality, and compliance with project requirements.
• Experience supporting federal government projects or facilities and familiarity with federal project delivery requirements, documentation, and stakeholder coordination.
• Proficiency with the Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, Outlook, MS Project, PowerPoint).
• A Valid State Issued Driver's License and the ability to travel to various work sites.

Preferred Qualifications:

• An Active Secret or higher Security Clearance.
• Professional Engineer (P.E.) License or Registered Architect.
• Project Management Professional (PMP) certification or equivalent.
• Experience working on Federally funded projects and with Federal customers.

Physical Considerations:

• Must be able to work in an office environment.
• Must be able to walk construction sites with uneven surfaces, carry up to 25 lbs., climb stairs and ladders, and work both indoors and outdoors in severe weather conditions, in confined spaces, and in dust generating environments.
• Must be able to maintain spatial awareness and comply with safety standards while working near mechanical and electrical building equipment and systems.
• Must be able to wear Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) where required.

Annual Salary, Dependent Upon Qualifications and Experience: $135,000 – $165,000

Who is Chinook?

Chinook Systems, Inc. is a leader in delivering lifecycle energy security solutions to mission critical government and commercial facility Owners. We specialize in the engineering, construction, commissioning, and operations of intelligent, cyber secure, code compliant, and energy efficient building systems. Our solutions save millions of dollars in utility costs, reduce harmful emissions to the environment, and mitigate cyber‐attacks on facilities. Chinook provides motivated employees with the opportunity to advance in a fast‐growing, innovative, entrepreneurial, and collaborative work environment.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement:

Chinook Systems Inc. is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate against anyone because of their differences, such as age, disability, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, gender identity and expression, or sexual orientation.

Chinook is committed to providing veteran employment opportunities to our service men and women.