Senior Project Manager (Large Infrastructure Improvement Projects)

Somerville; Somerville (MA); Hybrid; USD 110,000 - 114,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental coverage

Vision care

Retirement/Pension plan

Tuition reimbursement

Transit benefits (MBTA pass)

Job summary

The City of Somerville is seeking a Senior Project Manager to lead large-scale infrastructure improvements, coordinating utility upgrades, streetscape work, and pipeline rehabilitation. You will drive project scope, schedule, and budgets, while ensuring regulatory compliance and effective communication with stakeholders.

Candidate must exhibit strong leadership, risk management, and public engagement skills, with a PE license and relevant degree.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering or Construction Management with 5–7 years of related work experience or equivalent.
• Knowledge of project management principles, scheduling, budgeting, and procurement processes.
• Experience coordinating with consultants, contractors, and multiple city departments.

Responsibilities

• Coordinate large, complex infrastructure projects driven by utility improvements.
• Supervise consultants and contractors and manage project teams.
• Monitor scope, schedule, budget, and design/construction compliance.
• Engage with elected officials, stakeholders, and the public to communicate updates.
• Track budgets, approve invoices, and manage funding sources.

Skills

Project management

Communication skills

Public engagement

Budgeting

GIS

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering or Construction Management

Tools

Arc View

Job description

Statement of Duties

The Senior Project Manager is responsible for managing and coordinating large, complex infrastructure improvement projects. The projects will be driven by major utility improvements and include other required work, such as streetscape improvements, private utility relocation, pipeline rehabilitation, and stormwater management projects. This position coordinates, directs, and communicates all activities involved in the implementation and completion of planning, design and construction projects including but not limited to: defining and controlling scope, schedule, budget, design review, and construction compliance.

Essential Functions:

The essential functions or duties listed below are intended only as illustrations of the various type of work that may be performed. The omission of specific statements of duties does not exclude them from the position if the work is similar, related, or a logical assignment to the position.

• Ensure that projects are designed, constructed, and completed in accordance with:
  • Project goals established by the Infrastructure & Asset Management Department in coordination with other City departments and stakeholders with respect to quality of work, schedule, and budget.
  • Applicable Federal, State, and local regulations and design standards.
• Responsible for supervising the work of consultants and contractors
• Manage, organize, coordinate, and monitor consulting teams of assigned projects including relationships with design professionals and contractors.
• Drive performance of consultants, design professionals, and construction management representatives by integrating into the project team and understanding underlying organizational goals.
• Work with Administration & Finance to:
  • Manage the Massachusetts General Law requirements for public procurement of services, including design professionals and construction contractors,
  • Understand funding source(s), inform a project budget, feedback loop to design consultants the Capital Investment Plan.
  • Track project budget, approve invoices, and spending schedules.
• Works with other City departments in varying capacities from incorporating requirement and standards of practice to informing them of the project.
• Thinks critically about the project including identifying risks, problem solving, researching and implementing best practices, etc.
• Works to identify areas of synergy or impacts with other city projects and initiatives through independent initiative and formal structures including coordination meeting and via construction liaison.
• Exhibit judgment and ingenuity to develop new or adapt existing methods and approaches for accomplishing objectives or to deal with new or unusual requirements within the limits of the guidelines or policies.
• Interact with utility companies and other governmental agencies to coordinate work and obtain necessary permits, clearances, and applicable regulatory compliance requirements.
• Meet and work with elected officials, community representatives, business owners, residents, and other stakeholders to review proposed projects and activities, address questions and comments and educate community on the value and need for proposed projects.
• Through an understanding of departmental goals, assist supervisory and director level staff with project portfolio analysis, including planning of near‑term improvement projects, forecasting costs, making scope change recommendations, and helping translate the greater capital improvement plan into individual projects.
• Assisting supervisory and director level staff with cyclical reporting efforts including departmental goals, regulatory required reporting, and budgetary updates.
• Provide guidance, assistance, and recommendations to staff within the Engineering and IAM Departments relative to the design and construction of large‑scale utility infrastructure projects;
• Responsible for full scope of public engagement including, but not limited to, leading public meetings outside of regular work hours, authoring information pamphlets, presentations, website updates, and communications content.
• Makes presentations to City Council as well as resident advocacy groups and special interest groups.
• Coordinates and performs safety inspections on active construction projects;
• Coordinates with private developers on utility infrastructure.
• Supervise and mentor engineering project managers and staff.
• Demonstrate continuous effort to improve operations, decrease turnaround times, and streamline work processes.
• Analyze and prepare written reports on program and project performance using quantitative and qualitative analyses and other project management techniques.

Recommended Minimum Qualifications:

Education and Experience: Bachelor’s degree in Civil/Environmental Engineering or Construction Management with five to seven (5-7) years of related work experience; or any equivalent combination of education, training and experience which provides the required knowledge, skills and abilities to perform the essential functions of the job.

Special Requirements:

• Professional Engineer (PE) License in Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
• Valid Class D driver’s license
• Preferred: MCPPO, PMP Certified

Knowledge, Abilities and Skill

Knowledge: Knowledge of the principles and practices of engineering, research methods and report presentation; knowledge of the principles and practices of project management, work breakdown structures, communications planning, team management, scheduling, budgeting, accounting and finance methods; knowledge of environmental laws and regulations as they pertain to municipal water and sewer system design, construction and operation; knowledge of applicable local, state and federal laws and regulations related to engineering, environment, ADA compliance, infrastructure and procurement; knowledge and expertise with various local, state and federal funding mechanisms for infrastructure.

Abilities: Ability to produce written documents with clearly organized thoughts using proper sentence construction, punctuation and grammar; use and interpret graphical information such as construction plans, schematic drawings, flow charts, layouts and other visual aids, and electronic project management applications; interpret information accurately and make decisions according to existing laws, regulations and policies; ability to manage multiple projects of various complexities with competing interest and multiple funding sources

Skill: Proficient communication skills, both verbal and written as well as the ability to deal with the public in tense situations; proficiency with computers in all office software along with various engineering software applications like GIS or Arc View.

Work Environment

The work environment involves everyday discomforts typical of offices; field work will require exposure to outside elements. Noise or physical surroundings may be distracting, but conditions are generally not unpleasant. Work may require some agility and physical strength, such as moving in or about construction sites or over rough terrain, or standing or walking most of the work period. Employee may be required to work beyond normal business hours in response to attend evening meetings or complete work assignments.

Physical and Mental Requirements

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the position’s essential functions.

Physical Skills

Employee will spend time in the office and in the field during construction projects. Work effort involves an equal mix of sitting, standing and walking to perform work tasks. Work requires some agility such as moving in or about construction sites or over rough terrain. There may also be some occasional lifting of objects such as books, office equipment, and computer paper (up to 30 lbs). During construction season, employee may be standing for periods longer than two to three (2-3) hours at a time and may encounter inclement weather.

Motor Skills

Duties may involve assignments requiring application of hand and eye coordination with finger dexterity and motor coordination. Examples include operating a motor vehicle, using a personal computer, or climbing a ladder.

Visual Skills

Visual demands include constantly reading documents for general understanding and for analytical purposes, making detailed visual observations, and routinely review non-written materials such as maps and blueprints for analytical purposes; the employee is required to determine color differences.
Hours: Full-Time
Salary: $110,000-$114,400 annualized, plus benefits.
FLSA: Exempt
Union: Non-Union
Date Posted: September 4th, 2026

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The City of Somerville is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability or any other protected category. Women, minorities, veterans, and persons with disabilities are encouraged to apply.

Auxiliary aids and services, written materials in alternative formats, and reasonable modifications in policies and procedures will be provided to qualified individuals with disabilities free of charge, upon request. Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact the ADA Coordinator at 617-625-6600 x 2059 or [e-mail].

Pre-Employment Requirements for All Employees:

• MA Criminal Offender Record Information (CORI) clearance
• Completion of Conflict-of-Interest Law Education training for municipal employees

Overview of Total Rewards:

• 4 weeks annual vacation for non-union positions. Union positions vary by contract. Please note, police officers are members of the SPEA union. Public Health Nurses are part of Union A (SMEA).
• Medical insurance through the Group Insurance Commission (GIC) - 80% of premium costs paid by City
• Dental coverage low and high plans through Delta Dental
• Vision care through Vision Service Plan (VSP)
• Long term disability through Sun Life
• Group and voluntary life insurance through Boston Mutual
• Health Care and Dependent Care flexible spending through Benefit Strategies
• Deferred compensation plans through a choice of three vendors
• Free, confidential services through the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) provided by E4Health
• Annual cancer screening & wellness release
• Somerville Retirement Pension System
• Tuition reimbursement
• MBTA pass program
• FREE Blue Bikes membership
• Eligible employer for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program (PSLF)

Benefits listed are for benefits-eligible positions and the above information is meant to be a general overview of the benefit programs offered by the City of Somerville and not a binding contract.