Senior Project/Program Manager - Chicago, IL

Join McKissack & McKissack's team! Immediate opening for a Senior Project/Program Manager in the Chicago, IL area.

McKissack & McKissack offers opportunities to grow your career while working on transformative projects in program and construction management, architecture, and interior design. We combine technical expertise and creative vision to deliver exceptional results. Our culture values diversity, professional development, and performance. We seek team players who are humble, hungry, and smart, with strong academic or professional experience, integrity, and a client-focused mindset. Join a team that invests in your success and rewards ambition, integrity, and collaboration.

Responsibilities

• Serve as the primary Owner's Representative and principal point of contact for assigned clients throughout the complete project lifecycle.
• Build and maintain strong client relationships through responsive communication and exceptional service.
• Lead projects from planning, feasibility, design, procurement, construction, commissioning, occupancy, and project closeout.
• Develop project execution strategies aligned with client objectives.
• Prepare executive presentations, project reports, and recommendations.
• Monitor project scope, budget, schedule, quality, and overall performance.
• Identify project risks early and implement effective mitigation strategies.
• Coordinate architects, engineers, contractors, consultants, user groups, and stakeholders.
• Ensure projects comply with owner requirements, contractual obligations, and project objectives
• Direct and manage internal project resources including Project Engineers, Assistant Project Managers, Schedulers, Cost Estimators, and specialty consultants.
• Support Client in leading preconstruction activities including management of a team who will conduct project planning, feasibility studies, budgeting, scheduling, constructability reviews, value engineering, project phasing, procurement planning, and contractor selection.
• Manage architects and engineering consultants throughout design.
• Coordinate McKissack scheduling and estimating professionals to develop baseline schedules and cost estimates.
• Ensure design development remains aligned with approved project budgets.
• Review constructability, phasing, project sequencing, and operational impacts.
• Lead contractor prequalification, RFQ/RFP development, bid administration, evaluations, interviews, negotiations, and contractor selection recommendations.
• Direct and manage internal project resources including Project Engineers, Assistant Project Managers, Schedulers, Cost Estimators, and specialty consultants.
• Assign work, establish priorities, and balance workloads across multiple projects.
• Conduct regular internal project coordination meetings to review project status, staffing, deliverables, priorities, risks, and action items.
• Ensure all client deliverables are accurate, coordinated, timely, and meet McKissack quality standards.
• Mentor Assistant Project Managers and Project Engineers while supporting their technical and professional development.
• Promote collaboration, accountability, consistency, and continuous improvement across project teams.
• Support Client in leading preconstruction activities including management of a team who will conduct project planning, feasibility studies, budgeting, scheduling, constructability reviews, value engineering, project phasing, procurement planning, and contractor selection.
• Manage architects and engineering consultants throughout design.
• Coordinate McKissack scheduling and estimating professionals to develop baseline schedules and cost estimates.
• Ensure design development remains aligned with approved project budgets.
• Review constructability, phasing, project sequencing, and operational impacts.
• Lead contractor prequalification, RFQ/RFP development, bid administration, evaluations, interviews, negotiations, and contractor selection recommendations.
• Support client in reviewing and negotiating contractor Agreements.
• Monitor contractor performance and compliance with the Owner Contractor Agreement.
• Review contractor schedules, staffing, progress, budgets, payment applications, and change orders.
• Monitor construction quality to ensure work complies with contract documents, specifications, approved submittals, and applicable codes.
• Review contractor means and methods as they relate to project execution.
• Ensure that the contractor coordinates inspections, testing, commissioning, occupancy, and project closeout.
• Review contractor claims, requests for equitable adjustment, delay analyses, and requests for additional time or compensation, providing objective recommendations to the owner.
• Review contractor safety plans and monitor implementation throughout construction while recognizing that jobsite safety remains the contractor's responsibility.
• Proactively identify risks related to cost, schedule, quality, procurement, constructability, stakeholder coordination, operations, and project execution.
• Develop practical mitigation strategies before issues impact project performance.
• Coordinate with McKissack technical specialists to evaluate emerging project risks.
• Maintain project risk documentation and communicate significant risks and recommend actions to clients.
• Promote a proactive/predictive risk management culture across project teams.
• Utilize approved AI and digital technologies to improve project planning, document review, reporting, meeting documentation, data analysis, and overall work product.
• Evaluate opportunities to responsibly integrate AI into project delivery while maintaining professional judgment and quality control.
• Leverage technology to improve efficiency, collaboration, communication, and client service.
• Continuously seek innovative methods that enhance project performance and improve project outcomes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Architecture, Construction Management, Engineering, or a closely related technical discipline.
• Minimum of ten (12) years of progressively responsible experience managing commercial, institutional, healthcare, higher education, transportation, aviation, municipal, government, or other complex capital construction projects.
• Demonstrated experience serving as an Owner's Representative, Program Manager, Construction Manager, Project Manager, or similar leadership role throughout the complete project lifecycle.
• Demonstrated experience managing projects ranging from approximately $10 million to $50 million or more in total construction value.
• Experience managing multiple concurrent projects and multidisciplinary project teams.
• Strong understanding of design management, construction management, scheduling, estimating, budgeting, procurement, contract administration, project controls, and risk management.

Experience working with public agencies, institutional owners, or complex private sector clients while successfully managing diverse stakeholder groups.

Excellent leadership, communication, presentation, negotiation, organizational, and problem-solving skills.

Project Management Professional (PMP) certification preferred.

Certified Construction Manager (CCM) certification is a plus.

Previous experience serving as an Owner's Representative, Program Manager, or Construction Manager.

Experience reviewing Primavera P6 schedules and construction cost estimates.

Familiarity with AIA contract documents, alternative project delivery methods, and construction claims analysis.

Experience utilizing modern digital technologies and Artificial Intelligence tools to improve project delivery, reporting, collaboration, and client service.

Demonstrated commitment to mentoring and developing project management staff.

Primavera P6

Microsoft Project

Microsoft Office Suite

Microsoft Excel

Bluebeam Revu

Procore

Autodesk Construction Cloud

Power BI

AI enabled productivity and project management tools, Copilot experience preferred

Compensation

Salary range: $150,000 to $200,000/yearly (dependent on years of experience, competency, travel requirements)

Employee Benefits

Medical Insurance

Dental Insurance

Vision Insurance

Flexible Spending Account (FSA)

Health Savings Account (HSA)

Dependent Care

Commuter Benefits

Tuition Assistance

Adoption Assistance

Matching 401k Plan

Company-paid holidays

Paid-Time-Off (PTO)

Employee Assistance Program (EAP)

Life Insurance

Short and Long-Term Disability Insurance

Marketplace Perks-at-Work

Equal Employment Opportunity Statement

McKissack & McKissackis committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants. We prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, and related conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, genetic information, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic under federal, state, and local laws.

This statement applies to all employment practices, including recruitment, hiring, promotion, compensation, benefits, training, and termination. Salary ranges will be disclosed where required by law (e.g., CA, CO, NY, MA). Applicants needing reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process should contactHR@mckinc.com

Our aim is for the company to be representative of all sections of society and that each employee feels respected and able to give their best. We are committed to a policy of treating all our employees and job applications equally.