Senior Project Manager: Lead Projects, Mentor Teams

Howard Building Corporation; Costa Mesa (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 190,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision

401(k) with company match

Paid time off

Bonus opportunities

Job summary

Howard Building Corporation is seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager for fast-paced commercial interiors in Costa Mesa, CA. You will lead tenant-improvement projects from preconstruction through turnover while mentoring a growing team and strengthening client relationships.

You’ll drive project profitability by managing budgets, schedules, procurements, and risk, while collaborating with clients, architects, and subcontractors to deliver high-quality spaces on time.

Qualifications

• Experience independently managing complex commercial construction projects.
• Ability to mentor and develop Project Managers.
• Strong client-facing and business-development skills.
• Proven ability to manage budgets, forecasts, and risk.
• Experience with preconstruction and closeout.

Responsibilities

• Lead multiple tenant improvement projects from preconstruction through turnover.
• Oversee budgets, procurement, subcontracts, RFIs, submittals, change orders.
• Coordinate schedules with superintendents and project teams.
• Build long-term client and partner relationships.
• Mentor PMs and develop junior staff.
• Identify opportunities for growth and ensure project profitability.

Skills

Project leadership

Financial management

Mentoring

Business development

Client relationship

Risk management

Procore

Bluebeam

MS 365

Schedule management

Education

Degree in CM/Engineering/Architecture or related

Tools

Procore

Bluebeam

Microsoft 365

Construction scheduling software

Estimating software

Job description

Description

We’re looking for a Senior Project Manager who enjoys fast-paced commercial interiors, strong teams, great clients, and the challenge of leading both successful projects and successful people.

You’ll lead tenant improvement projects from preconstruction through turnover and closeout, working closely with clients, architects, superintendents, subcontractors, and your internal project team. But as a Senior Project Manager, your impact goes beyond the projects you personally manage.

You’ll also help lead and develop other Project Managers, provide oversight and guidance across a group of projects, strengthen client relationships, pursue new opportunities, and help shape the strategic growth of your team.

The job is equal parts construction management, financial leadership, mentorship, business development, relationship building, and knowing when to get involved before a small problem becomes a big one.

What You’ll Own

On Your Projects...

• Project budgets, estimating, buyout, forecasting, billings, and cost control
• Subcontracts, procurement, RFIs, submittals, change management, and project documentation
• Schedule coordination with the Superintendent and project team
• Client, architect, consultant, landlord, and subcontractor relationships
• Preconstruction, constructability, value engineering, and project planning
• Project risk identification and problem solving
• Punch, closeout, financial completion, and warranty follow-up
• Overall accountability for delivering safe, successful, profitable, high-quality projects

With Your Team...

• Leadership, mentorship, and development of Project Managers, APMs, Project Engineers, and other team members
• Direct oversight and support of a group of Project Managers and their projects
• Regular review of project financials, forecasts, schedules, risks, staffing needs, client relationships, and overall project health
• Coaching PMs through difficult project, client, subcontractor, and team situations
• Helping establish priorities and maintaining accountability across multiple project teams
• Identifying opportunities for individual development and helping team members grow into stronger construction professionals and leaders

With Your Clients...

• Building and maintaining long-term relationships with clients, architects, brokers, consultants, subcontractors, and other industry partners
• Supporting business development efforts from initial relationship through pursuit, preconstruction, and project award
• Understanding your group’s pipeline, workload, capabilities, and opportunities for growth
• Helping establish strategic priorities for the group and translating those priorities into action
• Helping grow the business thoughtfully without sacrificing the quality of our projects, teams, or client relationships

You’ll Probably Enjoy This Job If You…

• Still enjoy running projects and don’t believe becoming a senior leader means getting too far away from the work
• Can move comfortably between a project financial review, a client meeting, a mentoring conversation, and a business-development opportunity
• Know when to let a PM solve a problem and when your experience can help prevent a much bigger one
• Ask the questions that help your team see around corners
• Can hold people accountable while still being someone they want to come to for advice
• Understand that leadership isn’t about being involved in every decision—it’s about building people who can make good decisions without you

What Success Looks Like

A successful Senior Project Manager delivers projects that are safe, well planned, financially successful, on schedule, high quality, organized, and enjoyable to work on. But success at this level is bigger than any one project.

The PMs you lead know where their projects stand and take ownership of their results. Risks are identified early. Forecasts are reliable. Teams have the resources and support they need. Clients trust your people, not just you.

Your team gets stronger over time because you invest in developing people, set clear expectations, share what you know, and hold others accountable for applying it.

Because at the Senior Project Manager level, success isn’t just measured by the projects you personally deliver. It’s measured by the projects, people, relationships, and business you help build around you.

Requirements

What We’re Looking For

• Demonstrated success independently managing complex commercial construction projects from preconstruction through closeout
• Strong financial, estimating, scheduling, forecasting, and contract-management skills
• Experience leading, mentoring, and developing Project Managers and other project-management staff
• Ability to oversee multiple projects and project teams while maintaining visibility into financial performance, schedule, risk, staffing, and client satisfaction
• Strong client-facing skills and demonstrated ability to build long-term professional relationships
• Business-development mindset with the ability to identify opportunities, strengthen relationships, and contribute to new and repeat business
• Ability to think strategically about team development, workload, client relationships, and sustainable business growth
• A leader who knows how to set expectations, delegate responsibility, coach performance, and maintain accountability
• Procore, Bluebeam, Microsoft 365, and construction scheduling/project management experience
• Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or related degree preferred; equivalent experience absolutely counts

If you enjoy building great spaces, developing great Project Managers, growing long-term client relationships, and helping shape where the business goes next, we’d like to talk.

Privacy Statement

Most of the information we collect is information provided directly by you and includes information submitted by you through forms or links on the site, emails or other electronic messages, and the job application portal – a list of the information we collect and purpose for collection can be found at the following link: https://www.howardbuilding.com/

We do not sell, trade or otherwise transfer your personally identifiable information to third parties except that some information may be processed or stored by third party service providers who are contractually obligated to only use such information for purposes of carrying out their contractual obligations in support of our business functions.

Equal Opportunity

Howard Building Corporation is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We recruit, hire, train, and promote individuals without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, ancestry, age, sex, gender, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, medical condition genetic information, disability, military status or protected veteran status or any other consideration made unlawful by federal, state or local laws, including the CA Fair Chance Act. HBC is an Equal Opportunity Employer in compliance with the California Fair Chance Act, the Los Angeles Fair Chance in Hiring Initiative, and all other applicable law. HBC does not use artificial intelligence in any aspect of the hiring process.

What We Offer

• Company Paid Employee Benefits – Health, Dental, Vision, Life and AD&D
• Health Savings Accounts (HSA), HRA, Additional Life, Disability, and more
• Discounted Gym Memberships, Wellbeing Rewards, Employee Assistance Programs
• Employee Stock Ownership Plan – Free Retirement to all Full-time Employees
• 401(k) Retirement Plan + Partial Employer Matching Funds
• Paid Parking, Auto Allowances, Commuter Benefits
• Over 5 Weeks of Paid Time Off to Start
• Paid Training + Tuition Reimbursement
• Employee Referral Bonuses
• Annual Bonuses
• Flexibility