Sr Project Manager

DPR Construction; Columbia (MD); On-site; USD 155,000 - 215,000; Full time

Job summary

DPR Construction is seeking a seasoned construction project leader for higher education projects in the Maryland area. The role oversees delivery from award to closeout, guiding project teams and aligning with DPR standards for safety, quality, schedule, and financial performance.

You will mentor managers and engineers, foster collaboration with clients and trade partners, and lead risk management strategies to ensure successful project outcomes across complex portfolios.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, or related field, or equivalent experience.
• 7–10 years of experience in construction project management, including 5 years in a leadership capacity.

Responsibilities

• Oversees the full project lifecycle from business award through final completion, ensuring delivery of scope, budget, schedule, safety, and quality objectives.
• Manages and directs project teams, including project managers, project engineers, and field operations staff, ensuring alignment with execution plans and standards.
• Builds and maintains relationships with clients, designers, and trade partners to promote collaboration and resolve challenges proactively.
• Reviews and approves major project decisions, including budgets, contracts, and schedule adjustments, in coordination with executive leadership.
• Leads project risk management and mitigation planning, ensuring compliance with safety and operational standards.
• Mentors and develops team members through coaching and feedback to strengthen leadership and talent growth.
• Drives continuous improvement by capturing lessons learned and implementing process enhancements.

Education

Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, or related field

Job description

Job Description

Higher Education Project Experience Preferred

Job Description

Higher Education Project Experience Preferred

At DPR, roles and responsibilities are more than describing a job title—they are a commitment to building great things together. The job description(s) below defines core responsibilities and the scope of the role and is a starting point. Every employee is expected to lead from where they are, take ownership of outcomes, and always act in the best interest of the team, customer, project and organization.

As a purpose-driven organization on a journey to be most admired, we rely on trust, shared leadership, open communication, disciplined action and a deep respect for the individual to drive exceptional performance. Success is not just about what we build, but who we build and how we build it: with integrity, enjoyment, uniqueness and an ever-forward mindset.

Job Summary

Leads all aspects of project delivery from preconstruction through closeout, ensuring projects meet DPR Construction's standards for safety, quality, schedule, and financial performance. Oversees project teams and partners with clients, designers, and trade partners to achieve strategic goals and operational excellence. Partners with the Senior Superintendent as a unified project leadership team, sharing responsibility and accountability for project execution, field integration, and overall team performance. Establishes and maintains dependable project controls processes that keeps the team in alignment with the Prime Agreement (schedule, document control, cost management), project success goals and allows for early detection of issues so they can be mitigated. Develops and implements project execution plans, manages risk, and ensures alignment with DPR's values and best practices. Supports the development of future leaders by mentoring project managers and engineers. Promotes a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous improvement across all project phases.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversees the full project lifecycle from business award through final completion, ensuring delivery of scope, budget, schedule, safety, and quality objectives.


• Manages and directs project teams, including project managers, project engineers, and field operations staff, ensuring alignment with project execution plans and organizational standards, while setting expectations for consistent field presence, reinforcing leadership participation in safety meetings including stretch and flex, and overseeing team fluency and engagement in high-risk activities to drive safe, planned, and controlled outcomes across the project.


• Builds and maintains relationships with clients, designers, and trade partners to promote collaboration and resolve challenges proactively.


• Reviews and approves major project decisions, including budgets, contracts, and schedule adjustments, in coordination with project executives and senior leadership.


• Leads project risk management and mitigation planning, ensuring compliance with DPR's operational and safety standards.


• Mentors and develops team members by providing ongoing coaching, delivering structured performance feedback, and guiding individualized development and training plans, strengthening leadership capability and long-term talent growth within DPR's management framework.


• Drives continuous improvement initiatives by identifying lessons learned and implementing process enhancements to strengthen project delivery.

Education Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, or a related field, or equivalent experience required.

Work Experience

• 7-10 years of experience in construction project management, including 5 years in a leadership capacity required.


• Experience managing large, complex commercial, healthcare, life sciences, or advanced technology projects required.

Certifications And Licenses

• Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 30-Hour Construction certification preferred. OSHA 30 program completion within 6 months of hire is required.

Anticipated starting pay range:

$155,000.00- $215,000.00

• Nothing is more important than your health and wellness. DPR offers a variety of medical, dental, vision and wellness benefits to keep you healthy. Read more about eligibility and available benefits programs for skilled craft and labor or experienced professionals and recent graduates.

DPR Construction is a forward-thinking, self-performing general contractor specializing in technically complex and sustainable projects for the advanced technology, life sciences, healthcare, higher education and commercial markets. Founded in 1990, DPR is a great story of entrepreneurial success as a private, employee-owned company that has grown into a multi-billion-dollar family of companies with offices around the world.

Working at DPR, you'll have the chance to try new things, explore unique paths and shape your future. Here, we build opportunity together - by harnessing our talents, enabling curiosity and pursuing our collective ambition to make the best ideas happen. We are proud to be recognized as a great place to work by our talented teammates and leading news organizations like U.S. News and World Report, Forbes, Fast Company and Newsweek.

Explore our open opportunities at www.dpr.com/careers.