Program Construction Manager

Location: United States | Project / Regional Flexibility
Industry: Mission-Critical Construction, Data Centers, Advanced Manufacturing & Capital Infrastructure
Compensation: $200,000 – $241,000

About the Opportunity

We are seeking an accomplished Program Construction Manager to lead the planning and execution of a portfolio of complex capital construction projects from early development through commissioning and operational turnover.

This is a program-level leadership position for a construction professional who understands how to manage not just an individual project, but an interconnected portfolio where capital, design, procurement, contractors, schedules, safety, quality, commissioning, and operational readiness must remain aligned.

The construction programs supported by this role may include mission-critical facilities, data centers, advanced manufacturing environments, industrial infrastructure, technology campuses, logistics facilities, major commercial developments, and other technically sophisticated capital assets.

These environments require a different level of construction leadership.

Long-lead equipment can determine the critical path months before installation. Design decisions can materially affect both capital cost and future operations. Procurement conditions can shift quickly. Multiple contractors may be working across interconnected sites, while executive leadership requires reliable visibility into schedule, budget, risk, and delivery confidence.

The Program Construction Manager will establish the structure required to manage that complexity.

You will work across Development, Design, Engineering, Procurement, Finance, Operations, EHS, Facilities, general contractors, construction managers, consultants, and trade partners to drive predictable delivery.

The successful candidate will combine field credibility with strong commercial judgment and executive-level program management.

The objective is straightforward:

Build safely. Control capital. Protect the schedule. Resolve problems early. Deliver facilities that are ready to operate.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Program Leadership & Capital Delivery

• Lead multiple concurrent construction projects within a broader capital program.
• Establish program-level delivery strategies, priorities, and governance.
• Develop integrated plans across design, procurement, construction, commissioning, and turnover.
• Maintain visibility into portfolio-level schedule and financial performance.
• Coordinate dependencies across projects and sites.
• Establish standardized delivery practices.
• Provide leadership with clear visibility into program health, risks, and required decisions.

Preconstruction & Design Management

• Participate in site development and early project planning.
• Lead constructability reviews and design coordination.
• Evaluate phasing, logistics, sequencing, and construction methodologies.
• Partner with architects and engineers during design development.
• Support value engineering without compromising operational requirements.
• Identify design risks before construction.
• Ensure construction considerations are incorporated into project decisions early.

Construction Execution

• Oversee construction activities from mobilization through substantial completion.
• Hold contractors accountable for contractual commitments.
• Monitor field progress against approved schedules.
• Lead resolution of major construction issues.
• Coordinate interfaces between general contractors, specialty trades, design teams, and operations.
• Evaluate recovery plans when performance falls behind.
• Maintain focus on safe, predictable, high-quality execution.

Cost & Commercial Management

• Manage significant capital budgets across multiple projects.
• Review forecasts, commitments, actual costs, and cost-to-complete.
• Evaluate change orders and commercial exposure.
• Challenge unsupported cost growth.
• Partner with Finance and Commercial teams on capital forecasting.
• Maintain contingency and risk visibility.
• Support contract negotiations and commercial decisions.
• Provide accurate executive-level capital reporting.

Master Scheduling

• Establish integrated program schedules.
• Monitor critical-path activities and major milestones.
• Coordinate design, permitting, procurement, construction, and commissioning schedules.
• Identify schedule compression opportunities.
• Evaluate contractor recovery plans.
• Track inter-project dependencies.
• Escalate threats to critical milestones before they become unrecoverable.

Procurement & Long-Lead Equipment

• Partner with Procurement on construction and equipment sourcing strategies.
• Identify long-lead materials and equipment early.
• Integrate procurement milestones into project schedules.
• Monitor manufacturing, delivery, and installation requirements.
• Evaluate supplier and subcontractor capacity.
• Develop mitigation strategies for supply-chain disruption.
• Support contractor and vendor selection.

Contractor & Partner Governance

• Manage relationships with general contractors, construction managers, design firms, consultants, and specialty contractors.
• Establish performance expectations.
• Conduct regular program and project reviews.
• Monitor contractor safety, schedule, quality, cost, and staffing performance.
• Address performance concerns promptly.
• Maintain strong commercial relationships without compromising accountability.

Safety & EHS Leadership

• Champion a safety-first construction culture.
• Partner with EHS leadership on program standards.
• Review contractor safety performance.
• Participate in safety walks and leadership reviews.
• Ensure corrective actions are implemented.
• Support consistent safety expectations across all project sites.
• Reinforce the expectation that schedule pressure never justifies unsafe execution.

Quality Management

• Establish program-level quality expectations.
• Ensure appropriate inspections and testing are completed.
• Monitor non-conformance and corrective-action processes.
• Coordinate quality requirements across contractors and vendors.
• Track punch-list performance.
• Ensure construction quality supports long-term facility reliability.

Risk & Change Management

• Maintain visibility into major construction risks across the portfolio.
• Identify schedule, commercial, technical, permitting, safety, and supply-chain threats.
• Develop mitigation and contingency plans.
• Evaluate proposed scope changes.
• Quantify cost and schedule impacts.
• Maintain disciplined change-control processes.
• Escalate significant decisions with clear recommendations.

Commissioning & Operational Readiness

• Integrate commissioning requirements into construction planning.
• Coordinate turnover between construction and operations.
• Ensure systems are tested and documented appropriately.
• Track commissioning deficiencies through closure.
• Coordinate training, manuals, warranties, and as-built documentation.
• Support phased occupancy or operational activation where required.
• Ensure facilities are genuinely ready for use—not merely construction-complete.

Job Qualifications and Requirements

• 10+ years of progressive construction management experience with significant responsibility for complex capital projects.
• Demonstrated experience managing multiple concurrent construction projects or large construction programs.
• Strong background in mission-critical, industrial, data center, advanced manufacturing, healthcare, infrastructure, commercial, or comparable technically complex construction.
• Experience managing substantial capital budgets.
• Strong knowledge of preconstruction, design coordination, procurement, construction, commissioning, and turnover.
• Demonstrated expertise in cost and schedule management.
• Strong understanding of construction contracts and change management.
• Experience managing general contractors and major trade partners.
• Ability to interpret construction drawings, specifications, schedules, and commercial documentation.
• Experience with Primavera P6, Procore, Autodesk Construction Cloud, Bluebeam, or comparable construction platforms.
• Strong executive reporting and stakeholder-management capabilities.
• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, or a related discipline preferred.

Highly Valued Experience

• Data center construction
• Semiconductor or advanced manufacturing
• Mission-critical facilities
• Large industrial projects
• Energy or utility infrastructure
• Healthcare construction
• Multi-site capital programs
• EPC or design-build delivery
• Fast-track construction
• MEP-intensive environments
• Commissioning management
• Owner-side construction management
• LEED or sustainable construction
• PMP, CCM, DBIA, PE, or comparable credentials

Personal Capabilities and Qualifications

Program-Level Thinking

You understand how decisions on one project can affect capital, resources, procurement, and schedules across an entire portfolio.

Field Credibility

You understand construction deeply enough to challenge unrealistic assumptions and identify execution risks early.

Commercial Judgment

You protect capital while maintaining productive relationships with contractors and partners.

Schedule Discipline

You understand the critical path and recognize when seemingly minor delays threaten major milestones.

Executive Communication

You can turn complex construction conditions into clear decisions for senior leadership.

Decisiveness

You are comfortable making recommendations when perfect information is unavailable.

Ownership

You remain accountable from early planning through final operational turnover.

Safety Leadership

You treat safety as a leadership responsibility rather than an administrative requirement.

Strategic Support

The Program Construction Manager may contribute to broader capital and enterprise initiatives including:

• Capital portfolio planning
• Site development strategy
• Construction delivery models
• Contractor sourcing strategy
• Design standardization
• Cost benchmarking
• Program controls
• Procurement strategy
• Schedule optimization
• Construction technology
• Sustainability and energy efficiency
• Facility expansion
• Operational readiness
• Risk management
• Lessons-learned programs
• Capital governance

The role may also advise senior leadership on project feasibility, construction sequencing, capital requirements, contractor capacity, and portfolio delivery risk.

Working Conditions

• Regular presence at active construction sites may be required.
• The position may support multiple projects or geographic locations.
• Domestic travel may be required based on the project portfolio.
• International travel may occasionally be required for major suppliers or global programs.
• Personal protective equipment is required in designated construction environments.
• Work may include walking active sites, climbing stairs, and navigating construction areas.
• Additional availability may occasionally be required around critical construction, commissioning, or turnover milestones.
• The position requires appropriate handling of confidential capital, contractual, commercial, design, and operational information.

Job Function

Primary Function: Capital Construction Program Management

Core Areas:

Construction Program Management | Capital Projects | Preconstruction | Design Management | Cost Control | Master Scheduling | Procurement | Contract Management | Contractor Governance | Mission-Critical Construction | Risk Management | EHS | Quality | Commissioning | Operational Turnover

Compensation & Benefits

The anticipated compensation range for this position is:

$200,000 – $241,000 annually

Final compensation will consider program scale, capital-project complexity, construction leadership experience, technical expertise, industry background, geographic considerations, and overall qualifications.

The broader total rewards package may include:

• Annual performance incentives
• Long-term incentive or equity eligibility where applicable
• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Retirement savings with employer contributions
• Generous paid time off and company holidays
• Travel and project allowances where applicable
• Professional certification support
• Leadership and technical development
• Technology and project resources
• Wellness and family-support programs

Why Join Us

The scale of this role extends beyond delivering one building.

You will help shape how an entire capital program is planned, contracted, constructed, controlled, commissioned, and ultimately handed over to operations.

That means involvement before the first major contractor mobilizes and accountability well beyond substantial completion.

You will influence decisions involving design, capital allocation, construction methodology, contractor strategy, long-lead procurement, schedule, safety, quality, commissioning, and operational readiness.

And because the projects are technically complex, the work will continually require judgment—not simply process administration.

Your impact will connect:

Capital Strategy → Design → Procurement → Construction → Commissioning → Operational Readiness

For a construction leader who has successfully delivered major projects and is ready to influence a broader portfolio, this opportunity provides the scale, authority, and visibility to shape how complex facilities are delivered across the enterprise.