Strategic Pre-Construction Project Lead

University of Utah; Salt Lake City (UT); On-site; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

University of Utah is seeking a Pre-Construction Project Manager to lead capital projects from programming through pre-construction, coordinating with architects, engineers, contractors, and facilities staff. The role focuses on budgeting, schedules, risk management, and stakeholder engagement to position projects for successful execution.

The position requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) with six years of related experience, or a master’s with four years.

Qualifications

• Requires bachelor’s (or equivalent) + 6 years of related experience, or master’s (or equivalent) + 4 years.
• Experience managing design, construction, facilities, or capital projects and coordinating scope, schedules, and budgets.
• Preference for higher education, healthcare, research, or institutional construction projects.

Responsibilities

• Manage capital projects through programming, planning, and pre-construction phases.
• Facilitate project initiation, feasibility studies, and project scope development.
• Coordinate planning with university departments, architects, engineers, consultants, contractors, and facilities personnel.
• Develop and maintain project budgets, schedules, cost estimates, and funding projections.
• Review plans and specs for alignment and feasibility.
• Identify risks and develop mitigation strategies.
• Lead project meetings and update leadership.
• Ensure compliance with university policies, codes, accessibility, and regulations.
• Coordinate campus infrastructure impacts during planning.
• Assist in procurement activities including consultant selection and contract administration.
• Support value engineering and evaluate alternatives for cost effectiveness.
• Prepare executive summaries, presentations, and recommendations for leadership.
• Manage multiple concurrent projects while maintaining quality, schedule, and budget.

Skills

Project management

Budgeting

Scheduling

Risk assessment

Stakeholder engagement

Communication

Problem-solving

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management or related field

Master’s degree in related field

Tools

Project management software

Construction management software

Job description

University of Utah is seeking a Pre-Construction Project Manager to lead capital projects from programming through pre-construction, coordinating with architects, engineers, contractors, and facilities staff. The role focuses on budgeting, schedules, risk management, and stakeholder engagement to position projects for successful execution.

The position requires a bachelor’s (or equivalency) with six years of related experience, or a master’s with four years.