Senior Project Manager - Water/Wastewater/Utilities

CPH; Sanford (FL); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, and vision

Long‑term disability

Company-paid life insurance

401(k) with match

Paid time off and holidays

Paternity leave

Job summary

CPH is seeking a Senior Project Manager in Sanford, FL to lead water/wastewater projects from design through delivery. You will guide cross‑functional teams, manage budgets, and maintain schedules to meet client expectations.

The role requires civil/environmental engineering background, PE license, 5+ years in A/E/C, and a track record of delivering complex programs. Opportunity for growth and direct client interaction at the corporate HQ.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in engineering required (Civil or Environmental preferred).
• Master’s degree in the discipline or MBA is highly preferred.
• Active professional licensure (P.E.) required.
• Minimum 5+ years of progressive professional experience within the A/E/C industry (Water/Wastewater/Utilities preferred).
• Valid state-issued driver's license with a clean driving record.

Responsibilities

• Oversee project production, delivery, and client updates including plans, design reports and technical specifications.
• Build and maintain the project plan with scope, schedule, and budget.
• Lead a production team through weekly reviews, coaching, and mentorship; ensure coordination.
• Coordinate with architects, engineers, designers, consultants, and clients during design.
• Monitor labor budgets, track labor burn, and manage EWAs/ETCs.
• Prepare pre-bills, progress updates, and support collections to maintain AR.

Skills

Project management

Team leadership

Budget management

Client relationship

Contract negotiation

PM tools

Financial reporting

Design coordination

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Engineering (Civil or Environmental)

Master's degree preferred

Professional Engineer (P.E.) license

Tools

VantagePoint

Smartsheet

Power BI

Job description

Description

Department: Water/Wastewater

Location: Sanford, FL

CPH is seeking a talented individual to join our team as a Senior Project Manager at our Corporate HQ in Sanford, FL! This role will be focuses water/wastewater/utilities space requiring a strong blended expertise across project/program management, team leadership, and project design/delivery. A high sense of business acumen and knowledge is required to fulfill this role.

What You'll Do:

• Responsible for overall project production, delivery, and routine client updates including plans, design reports and technical specifications.
• Build and maintain the project plan incorporating scope, schedule, and budget.
• Responsible for assigned contract/Extra Work Authorization (EWA) scope and fee preparation and negotiation with client.
• Create and maintain project schedule and ensure alignment with financial reporting (Estimated Date of Task Completion, Overall Schedule Milestones, Extra Work Authorizations – EWAs, etc.).
• Lead a production team through weekly project reviews, task assignments, as well as coaching and mentoring; ensure project coordination; keeps the team productive and efficient.
• Manage project responsibilities and coordinate with various teams, including architects, engineers, designers, consultants, and clients, as part of the project design process.
• Utilizes team management skills to lead the design group during the conceptual phase of product development following CPH and client’s standards and templates.
• Track planned labor budget vs actual labor burn weekly; corrects variances; monitors labor charges to appropriate phases/tasks through daily timesheet review and identifies scope creep and promptly proposes EWA’s and /or ETC’s.
• Serves as assigned client’s day-to-day contact; escalates strategic items to Program Manager (pricing, scope, disputes); supports upsell / cross-sell conversations; coordinates with Project Financial Analysts (PFA) and Project Coordinators (PC).
• Prepare pre-bills, percentage complete updates, and billing notes; support collections to keep AR current.
• Accountable for project QA/QC.
• Enforces safety and Delegation of Authority (DOA); maintains project files / records; captures lessons learned.
• Periodic travel to perform business development, client meetings and presentations.
• Perform other duties as assigned.

Key Performance Indicators/Metrics Expertise--

• Adherence to project schedule and client requirements; Labor Budget and As Sold Direct Labor Multiplier (DLM): Achieves or beats labor budgets.
• Utilization & Team Engagement: Team is meeting / exceeding productivity targets and maintain low employee turnover.
• Goal: Zero preventable errors and omissions.
• Client Satisfaction: High client retention, good feedback.
• WBR Discipline: Inputs on time, actions closed, active participation.

Objectives and Goals--

• Delivers on time, on budget, with zero preventable errors and omissions.
• Keeps assigned Accounts Receivable (AR)/ Work In Progress (WIP) current; issue EWAs promptly; protect margin.
• Maintain and communicate accurate schedules, budgets, and forecasts weekly.
• Provides professional client experience that leads to repeat work and focuses on client/revenue growth.
• Develop junior staff and team.

Accountability and Reporting--

• Operates within the Delegation of Authority
• Accountable for full production team and project performance
• Accountable to the Program Manager (PrM)

Expected Outcomes--

• Sustained client relationships leading to repeat business and growth opportunities
• Predictable delivery with clean financial and documentation.
• A high-through, highly engaged production team that delivers quality work on time.
• Developing pipeline of future PMs through mentoring and coaching.
• Reduced rework and cycle times; increased value capture; higher DLM.

What You'll Need:

Skills and Competencies--

• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills to serve as a trusted advisor to clients.
• Strong industry and project management knowledge can lead to multi-discipline coordination
• Working knowledge of project controls (ETC, labor budgets, cost codes, etc.)
• Proficiency with project management and financial tools (e.g., VantagePoint, Smartsheet, Power BI).
• Analytical skills to interpret and act on projects and financial data.
• Effective negotiation and problem-solving capabilities.
• Drives accountability; clear tasking and follow-through; collaborative.
• Experience with collaborative and alternative project delivery methods (e.g., Design-Build, CMAR, Progressive Design-Build, or Public-Private Partnerships) is a plus.

Education and Experience--

• A Bachelor’s degree in engineering required (Civil or Environmental Engineering preferred).
• A Master's degree in the discipline or Business Administration (MBA) is highly preferred.
• Active professional licensure (P.E.)
• A minimum of 5+ years of progressive professional experience within the A/E/C industry (Water/Wastewater/Utilities preferred).
• Valid state-issued driver's license with a clean driving record.

Work Environment--

This position is in a professional office environment. The person in this role will routinely use standard office equipment such as computers, phones, printers, copiers, and filing cabinets.

Physical Requirements--

The physical demands below are representative of those that must be met by an employee to effectively perform the essential functions of the role. The person in this position may require sitting or standing for long periods of time and lifting up to 25 pounds. Occasional travel to other branch offices or project sites is required.

CPH is an equal opportunity employer.

Compensation & Benefits:

• Dependent upon experience.
• CPH offers Medical, Dental and Vision and Long-Term Disability with a quality insurance company.
• Company Paid Life Insurance and Short-Term Disability.
• 401K, Paid Personal Time Off, Paid Holidays, and Paid Paternal Leave.

CPH is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action/Drug Free Work Environment Employer.