VDC Manager

Armstrong Plumbing, Air & Electric; Lubbock (TX); On-site; USD 110,000 - 160,000; Full time

Job summary

Armstrong Plumbing, Air & Electric seeks an experienced VDC Manager to lead and grow our Virtual Design and Construction team across multiple commercial mechanical projects.

You will own modeling standards, fabrication deliverables, and field workflows, coordinating with PMs, estimators, and field leadership to ensure constructible, quality information ready for fabrication.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years of BIM/VDC experience on commercial mechanical projects.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects and VDC personnel independently.
• Strong knowledge of plumbing, mechanical piping, HVAC, and field coordination.

Responsibilities

• Lead daily operations and development of Armstrong’s VDC department.
• Plan manpower, assign projects, and maintain VDC standards and templates.
• Oversee model coordination, clashes, and field-installation packages.
• Coordinate RFIs, design clarifications, and project handoffs to field teams.

Skills

BIM/VDC management

multi-project leadership

constructability reviews

Education

Bachelor’s degree in construction management or related field

Tools

Autodesk Revit

Navisworks Manage

SysQue

Autodesk Construction Cloud

AutoCAD

Bluebeam

Trimble FieldLink

Trimble Connect

Job description

Armstrong Plumbing, Air & Electric is seeking an experienced VDC Manager to lead and further develop our Virtual Design and Construction department. This is a hands-on leadership position responsible for managing VDC personnel, project assignments, coordination schedules, modeling standards, fabrication deliverables, and field-layout workflows across multiple commercial mechanical projects.

The VDC Manager will own the process of converting construction documents and coordinated models into accurate, constructible, fabrication-ready and field-ready information. This position will work closely with project managers, estimators, superintendents, foremen, fabrication personnel, general contractors, design teams, and trade partners.

The successful candidate must understand how mechanical systems are fabricated and installed—not simply how they are modeled. This individual will be expected to lead the department independently, resolve coordination and constructability issues, establish accountability, and continually improve the connection between preconstruction, VDC, prefabrication, and field installation.

Company Overview:

Established in 1934, Armstrong Plumbing, Air & Electric began as Armstrong Supply Company, servicing Philco radios and selling appliances. Although our services, name, and brand have evolved, our commitment to our clients and employees remains unchanged.

For more than 90 years, our family-owned company has provided construction and service solutions for mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems throughout West Texas and the surrounding region. Our experience includes healthcare, education, sports facilities, mission-critical facilities, industrial and manufacturing projects, commercial developments, and other essential institutions.

Primary Responsibilities:

• Lead the day-to-day operation and continued development of Armstrong’s VDC department.
• Supervise, train, mentor, and evaluate VDC coordinators, modelers, and other assigned personnel.
• Plan departmental manpower and assign projects based on workload, schedule, complexity, and employee capabilities.
• Develop and maintain company-wide VDC standards, templates, content libraries, workflows, file structures, and quality-control procedures.
• Review project contracts, specifications, coordination requirements, BIM exhibits, and construction documents to establish the VDC scope.
• Develop and manage project-specific BIM/VDC execution plans, coordination schedules, staffing plans, and deliverable logs.
• Lead mechanical coordination meetings with general contractors, design teams, subcontractors, vendors, project managers, and field leadership.
• Oversee the development of coordinated, constructible models for plumbing, mechanical piping, HVAC ductwork, equipment, hangers, sleeves, penetrations, and related systems.
• Ensure models account for installation sequencing, access, service clearances, code requirements, manufacturer requirements, tolerances, and actual field conditions.
• Perform constructability reviews and identify design conflicts, incomplete information, scope gaps, and installation risks before they affect field production.
• Manage clash detection, issue tracking, resolution documentation, model sign-off, and coordination closeout.
• Coordinate RFIs and design clarifications with project managers and field leadership when model development identifies incomplete or conflicting information.
• Oversee the production and quality control of coordination drawings, installation drawings, spool drawings, fabrication sheets, sleeve drawings, equipment layouts, and other field deliverables.
• Manage the transfer of model information to prefabrication and verify that fabrication deliverables match approved materials, submittals, specifications, and company standards.
• Manage Trimble FieldLink and robotic total station workflows, including point creation, point verification, field-file preparation, and layout-data quality control.
• Establish model review and approval checkpoints before information is released for fabrication or field installation.
• Visit project sites as necessary to verify existing conditions, support field teams, resolve installation issues, and compare modeled conditions against actual construction.
• Coordinate project handoffs between estimating, project management, VDC, fabrication, warehouse, and field operations.
• Track VDC labor hours, project budgets, deadlines, revisions, rework, and departmental capacity.
• Support quantity verification and estimating when model-based information can improve accuracy, while maintaining clear separation between VDC and estimating responsibility.
• Maintain accurate record models and manage required VDC closeout deliverables.
• Evaluate new technology, software, equipment, and automation opportunities based on measurable operational value.
• Provide technical support and training for project management, field, fabrication, and VDC personnel.
• Report departmental performance, staffing needs, project risks, and improvement opportunities to company leadership.

Qualifications:

• Minimum of five years of relevant BIM/VDC experience, preferably with a commercial mechanical, plumbing, HVAC, or self-perform MEP contractor.
• Demonstrated experience independently managing multiple projects and VDC personnel.
• Strong working knowledge of commercial plumbing, mechanical piping, HVAC ductwork, equipment installation, fabrication, and construction sequencing.
• Advanced proficiency in Autodesk Revit and Navisworks Manage.
• Experience with SysQue or comparable fabrication-level MEP modeling software strongly preferred.
• Experience with Autodesk Construction Cloud, AutoCAD, Bluebeam, and Trimble Connect preferred.
• Experience with Trimble FieldLink, robotic total stations, or comparable field-layout technology strongly preferred.
• Ability to read and interpret construction drawings, specifications, submittals, shop drawings, schedules, contracts, and BIM requirements.
• Experience developing coordination drawings, spool drawings, fabrication deliverables, layout points, and field-installation packages.
• Strong understanding of constructability, prefabrication, installation tolerances, access requirements, and field conditions.
• Demonstrated ability to establish standards, manage deadlines, lead meetings, resolve conflicts, and hold team members accountable.
• Excellent verbal, written, organizational, and interpersonal skills.
• Willingness to periodically visit active construction sites and fabrication facilities.
• Bachelor’s degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, or a related field preferred; equivalent mechanical construction and VDC experience will be considered.

Preferred Experience:

• Mission-critical or data-center construction.
• Healthcare, education, industrial, or other technically complex projects.
• Design-build and design-assist delivery.
• Mechanical prefabrication and modular construction.
• Reality capture, laser scanning, or point-cloud workflows.
• Dynamo, Revit API tools, scripting, or other process automation.
• Five or more years of direct mechanical-trade coordination.
• Experience building or expanding a VDC department.