Collaborative Project Manager - Water

4w1 month ago

Wharton-Smith Inc.

Jacksonville, US · Full-time · $110,000 – $145,000

About this role

Wharton-Smith, Inc. seeks an experienced Collaborative Project Manager for municipal water and wastewater projects from early pursuit through GMP development. This hybrid role, based in Jacksonville, supports projects ranging from $4M to $500M. It is well suited for a Water/Wastewater Project Manager transitioning from daily project execution into a strategic preconstruction and collaborative delivery role.

The Collaborative Project Manager leads planning, coordination, budgeting, risk analysis, and stakeholder engagement during pursuit and preconstruction phases. The role focuses on early project strategy, design collaboration, constructability reviews, cost development, and owner engagement. This work is performed in close partnership with estimating and operations teams to ensure successful project delivery.

Working closely with estimating and operations teams, the manager coordinates between engineering and estimating during design. The position requires strong municipal owner and engineer relationships and involves up to 25% travel for client meetings, engineer coordination, and job site visits. This hybrid role offers flexibility while requiring presence for key milestones.

This role is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Water/Wastewater Project Manager to move into strategic preconstruction. The Collaborative Project Manager drives innovation and value engineering while ensuring seamless transition into construction. Professional development in collaborative delivery methods and project controls is encouraged.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
7+ years of experience in municipal Water/Wastewater construction or design.
Prior experience as a Project Manager on municipal Water/Wastewater projects.
Experience developing or supporting GMP pricing.
Demonstrated ability to collaborate effectively with owners, engineers, and operations teams.
Strong understanding of municipal Water/Wastewater construction practices.
Experience with CMAR, Progressive Design-Build, or other collaborative delivery models.
Proficiency with scheduling software (P6 preferred) and cost management systems.

Responsibilities

Lead planning, coordination, budgeting, risk analysis, and stakeholder engagement during pursuit and preconstruction phases.
Support proposal development, RFQs, and RFP responses.
Lead coordination between engineering and estimating teams during design phase.
Review drawings, geotechnical reports, and specifications for constructability.
Develop and coordinate GMP budgets and bid packages.
Maintain preconstruction schedules in P6 and align with operations for construction planning.
Identify and mitigate project risks early in the design process.
Partner with operations to ensure seamless transition into construction.

Benefits

Hybrid/remote work schedule available.
Continued professional development in estimating, collaborative delivery methods, and project controls is encouraged.
Opportunity to work on large-scale projects ranging from $4M to $500M.
Opportunity to transition from daily project execution into a strategic preconstruction and collaborative delivery role.