Water/Wastewater Design & Preconstruction Lead

Wharton-Smith, Inc.; Jacksonville (FL); Hybrid; USD 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Wharton-Smith, Inc. seeks an experienced Design Manager or Project Manager to support municipal water and wastewater projects from pursuit through GMP development.

This hybrid role in the Jacksonville, FL area focuses on early project strategy, design collaboration, constructability reviews, cost development, and owner engagement, working with estimating and operations teams. The position requires 7+ years in municipal water/wastewater and experience as a PM on such projects, with GMP pricing

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in municipal Water/Wastewater construction or design.
• Experience as a Project Manager on municipal Water/Wastewater projects.
• Experience developing or supporting GMP pricing.
• Ability to collaborate with owners, engineers, and operations teams.
• Familiarity with CMAR, Progressive Design-Build, or other collaborative delivery models.
• Proficiency with scheduling software (P6 preferred) and cost management systems.

Responsibilities

• Support proposal development, RFQs, and RFP responses.
• Participate in client interviews and presentations.
• Establish and maintain strong municipal owner and engineer relationships.
• Lead coordination between engineering and estimating teams during design phase.
• Review drawings, geotechnical reports, and specifications for constructability.
• Identify and mitigate project risks early in the design process.
• Provide constructability feedback and value engineering input.
• Coordinate subcontractor and supplier participation.
• Develop GMP budgets and bid packages.
• Maintain preconstruction schedules in P6 and align with operations for construction planning.
• Lead milestone and stakeholder coordination meetings.
• Track preconstruction costs and external costs.
• Ensure compliance with municipal funding requirements.

Skills

Proposal development

Client interviews

Owner relationships

Design coordination

Constructability reviews

Risk management

Preconstruction scheduling

P6 scheduling

Cost management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Primavera P6 (P6)

Cost management systems

Job description

Wharton-Smith, Inc. seeks an experienced Design Manager or Project Manager to support municipal water and wastewater projects from pursuit through GMP development.

This hybrid role in the Jacksonville, FL area focuses on early project strategy, design collaboration, constructability reviews, cost development, and owner engagement, working with estimating and operations teams. The position requires 7+ years in municipal water/wastewater and experience as a PM on such projects, with GMP pricing