Superintendent - Pharmaceutical Construction

Coakley & Williams Construction Inc.; Bethesda (MD); On-site; USD 100,000 - 160,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health insurance

401(k) plan with employer match

Paid time off and holidays

Performance-based bonuses

Job summary

Coakley & Williams Construction seeks an experienced Pharmaceutical Construction Superintendent to lead on-site operations for regulated facilities, including pharma manufacturing, biotech, and cleanrooms. You will ensure safety, schedule adherence, budget control, and regulatory compliance across complex projects.

The ideal candidate has 5+ years in mission-critical environments, GMP/FDA exposure, and strong leadership with BIM, Procore, and Primavera skills.

Qualifications

• Five+ years of experience managing construction projects valued at >$20 million.
• Experience leading field operations for complex, regulated projects (pharma, life sciences, cleanroom).
• Experience in occupied, GMP-compliant, or mission-critical environments preferred.
• Proven track record of safety, quality, and schedule performance.
• OSHA 30, First Aid and CPR certifications.
• Proficiency with Procore, Bluebeam, Primavera, BIM and MS 365.

Responsibilities

• Lead on-site construction operations from mobilization to closeout.
• Enforce safety policies and regulatory requirements.
• Coordinate subcontractors, field personnel, material deliveries, and logistics.
• Work with Project Manager to set goals, plans, staffing, and strategies.
• Develop and maintain project schedules with teams and schedulers.
• Monitor milestones, manpower, and productivity to protect milestones.
• Review drawings, specs, BIM models, RFIs, and submittals for constructability.
• Lead coordination for pharmaceutical facilities and sterile environments.
• Coordinate HVAC, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, and controls work.
• Ensure GMP, FDA, ISO-classified cleanroom compliance where applicable.
• Understand subcontractor scopes and identify gaps or changes.
• Verify subcontractors work from current drawings and approved info.
• Maintain quality control documentation and project records.
• Lead preconstruction and safety coordination meetings.
• Coordinate permits, inspections, testing, commissioning, and punch lists.
• Maintain accurate as-built drawings and field records.
• Manage general conditions budgets and field labor costs.
• Communicate with owners, engineers, subs, and internal teams.
• Support pursuits, interviews, and proposals as needed.
• Mentor junior staff.

Skills

Field leadership

Safety management

Scheduling

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree in Construction Management or related field

Tools

Procore

Bluebeam

Primavera

Microsoft 365

BIM

Job description

Job Description

Job Description

Superintendent - Pharmaceutical Construction

Coakley & Williams Construction is seeking an experienced Pharmaceutical Construction Superintendent to lead field operations for pharmaceutical manufacturing, life sciences, biotechnology, cleanroom, laboratory, and highly regulated construction projects.

The Superintendent is responsible for overseeing all on-site construction activities, ensuring projects are completed safely, on schedule, within budget, and in compliance with quality standards, contract requirements, and applicable regulatory expectations. This position serves as the primary field leader and works closely with project management teams, owners, engineers, architects, subcontractors, and facility stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle.

The ideal candidate brings experience managing pharmaceutical, biotechnology, laboratory, cleanroom, GMP-regulated, or other mission-critical projects where quality, documentation, commissioning, and operational continuity are essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead daily on-site construction operations from mobilization through project closeout.
• Promote and enforce company safety policies and all applicable local, state, and federal safety regulations.
• Coordinate subcontractors, field personnel, material deliveries, equipment, inspections, and site logistics.
• Partner with the Project Manager to establish project goals, execution plans, staffing requirements, and project strategies.
• Develop, review, and maintain project schedules in collaboration with project teams and schedulers.
• Monitor short-term schedules, manpower, productivity, materials, and subcontractor performance to maintain project milestones.
• Review drawings, specifications, BIM models, submittals, RFIs, and contract documents to identify constructability and coordination issues.
• Lead field coordination for pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, cleanrooms, laboratories, research facilities, sterile processing environments, and other technically complex spaces.
• Coordinate installation activities involving HVAC, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, process piping, clean utilities, controls, and building automation systems.
• Support project teams in maintaining compliance with GMP, FDA-regulated, ISO-classified cleanroom, and other controlled-environment construction requirements where applicable.
• Develop a complete understanding of subcontractor scopes of work and proactively identify gaps, overlaps, and potential change order exposure.
• Verify subcontractors are working from current drawings, specifications, approved submittals, and supplemental project information.
• Implement and maintain the company's quality control program and ensure workmanship meets project standards.
• Lead preconstruction, preparatory, safety, and coordination meetings before major phases of work begin.
• Coordinate permits, inspections, testing, commissioning validation support activities, punch list completion, and project closeout.
• Maintain accurate project documentation, including as-built drawings and field records.
• Manage general conditions budgets and field labor costs.
• Communicate effectively with owners, facility personnel, architects, engineers, construction managers, inspectors, commissioning agents, subcontractors, and internal project teams.
• Support project pursuits, interviews, presentations, preconstruction services, and proposal efforts as needed.
• Mentor Assistant Superintendents, Field Engineers, Project Engineers, and other project team members.
• Utilize construction technology, scheduling software, digital project controls, and project management platforms to support project execution.

Basic Qualifications

• At least five years of experience managing construction projects valued at more than $20 million.
• Demonstrated experience leading field operations for commercial, public sector, education, pharmaceutical, life sciences, biotechnology, laboratory, cleanroom, healthcare, advanced manufacturing, or similarly complex construction projects.
• Experience overseeing projects in occupied, regulated, mission-critical, GMP-compliant, or highly technical environments preferred.
• Proven record of supporting client satisfaction, project profitability, safety, quality, and schedule performance.
• OSHA 30-Hour Certification, First Aid Certification, and CPR Certification.
• Proficiency with Microsoft 365, Procore, Bluebeam, Primavera scheduling software, and Building Information Modeling (BIM).
• Ability to read and interpret construction drawings, specifications, contracts, schedules, commissioning plans, and related project documents.
• Experience coordinating complex MEP systems, commissioning activities, and quality assurance processes.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Business, or a related field.
• Experience constructing pharmaceutical manufacturing facilities, biotechnology facilities, research laboratories, cleanrooms, aseptic processing spaces, cGMP environments, or regulated healthcare facilities.
• Familiarity with FDA-regulated environments, GMP guidelines, commissioning, qualification, validation support, and contamination-control practices.
• Experience working across commercial, public sector, education, life sciences, healthcare, and advanced manufacturing construction markets.
• Experience participating in preconstruction services, project pursuits, client interviews, and proposal presentations.
• Experience mentoring Assistant Superintendents, Field Engineers, Project Engineers, or other project team members.

Why Join Coakley & Williams Construction?

For nearly six decades, Coakley & Williams Construction has delivered complex projects across commercial, healthcare, life sciences, multifamily, higher education, senior living, government, and specialty markets. Our teams are empowered to lead projects, solve challenging construction problems, build lasting client relationships, and advance their careers through professional development and mentorship opportunities.

We are committed to fostering an inclusive workplace that values collaboration, safety, innovation, integrity, and respect.

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

Coakley & Williams Construction is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace and making employment decisions based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.

Wage Transparency

In accordance with the MarylandWage Transparency Law, the base salary range for this position is: $100,000 - $160,000 yr.

Coakley & Williams Construction offers a comprehensive total compensation and benefits package that includes health, dental and vision coverage, employer-matched 401(k), paid time off and holidays, performance-based bonuses, wellness program, and other voluntary benefits and leave types. The determination of salary is based on the candidates individual professional experience, qualifications, education, skills, and training.

Compensation details: 100000-160000 Yearly Salary