What are the responsibilities and job description for the Program Manager position at CPH?
Department: Architecture
Location: Sanford, FL
CPH is a multi-disciplined Engineering and Architectural design firm that ranks in the nation’s Top 500 Design Firms by ENR Magazine.
CPH is seeking a dynamic individual to join our Architectural team as a Program Manager supporting one of the largest retailers on the globe!
This is a GREAT opportunity to advance your career as in facets of project coordination and project management working in a multidisciplinary environment in a full-service architectural consulting firm with a strong presence in Florida and beyond. An individual with commercial retail experience is a plus!
Position Scope:
CPH's Program Manager - Architecture must truly understanding the client delivery requirements and expectations and fostering both strong client and in-house relationships with your team to ensure optimal and timely project delivery. This role will require permit tracking and coordination extensively with the architectural team inclusive of various levels and types of staff to ensure all project deliverables are effectively management ensuring both quality, budget alignment, and optimal final execution.
Overall Position Function:
The basic day-to-day function of this position will involve the Program Manager supporting routine tracking of projects across the team and interfacing with clients to ensure satisfaction with all deliverables. Specifically, the individual will track projects permit statuses, provide updates to the client as needed, coordinate with architectural team, and track status of project milestone deliveries. This individual must be an excellent communicator to ensure that all changes and/or modifications are effectively conveyed and implemented in a timely fashion to ensure ideal completion of projects.
The Program Manager is the strategic owner and hands-on executor responsible for the full life cycle of a program or project portfolio, serving as the accountable lead for delivery performance, financial outcomes, team leadership, and client satisfaction. This role owns everything from proposals to final invoicing and plays a critical part in growing accounts, optimizing margins, and building repeatable delivery excellence.
What You'll Do:
Key Responsibilities:
- Leading the primary function of client project tracking across multidisciplinary team ensuring alignment across timelines, quality, execution, and client relations
- Manage the full lifecycle of a program or portfolio of projects, ensuring that projects adhere to contract terms and budget constraints
- Oversee financial management, including labor budgeting, revenue recognition, billing management/invoice approvals and adherence to profitability targets.
- Develop and execute account plans, identifying opportunities for upselling and cross-selling services.
- Collaborate closely with project managers, production teams and other internal stakeholders to ensure technical excellence, zero quality errors, and timely delivery.
- Serves as the account owner for assigned programs/portfolio, ensuring consistent & proactive communication, prompt issue resolution, and consistent service excellence.
- Drives weekly business reviews (WBRs) to monitor project health and quality.
- Conduct workload resource planning in collaboration with HR & the department Vice President.
- Responsible as a hiring and resource manager for staff within their program.
- Monitor client satisfaction and resolve any concerns proactively. Identifies opportunities for client expansion, upselling / cross-selling, and fee increases.
- Monitor and reduce aging A/R and WIP in coordination with accounting teams.
- Develop and maintain client/account plans (in partnership with Market Director, if applicable) and backlog forecasts for 3–12-month visibility
- Perform contract review to confirm scope/labor budget appropriateness, acceptable terms/conditions and risk minimization.
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Position Requirements
- Strong financial acumen with a clear understanding of labor budgeting, revenue recognition, and profitability metrics.
- Excellent communication and relationship-building skills to serve as a trusted advisor to clients.
- Proficiency with project management and financial tools (e.g., Deltek, Smartsheet, PowerBI) a plus.
- Analytical skills to interpret and act on projects and financial data.
- Effective negotiation and problem-solving capabilities.
- Ability to work collaboratively with cross-functional teams in a dynamic environment.
- A continuous improvement and growth mindset.
- Tactical executor. High attention to detail. Decisive under pressure.
- Meet or exceed targeted revenue and margin benchmarks.
- Ensure timely, accurate billing and minimal AR/WIP aging.
- Maintain a strong, proactive client pipeline.
- Continuously improve client satisfaction and engagement.
- Drive internal collaboration to support successful project delivery and financial performance.
- Maintain a comprehensive quality control process to deliver fully coordinated projects with zero preventable errors.
- Directly accountable to the Department VP for financial and operational performance of the client portfolio.
- Collaborate with project managers, production teams, project coordinators, project financial analyst (PFA), and permit coordinators to ensure integrated project oversight.
- Regularly report on key performance metrics through established weekly and monthly reviews.
- An associates or higher education degree in civil engineering or relevant field of study and/or coursework
- A minimum of 4-5 years of professional experience specific to AEC industry with technical project management and delivery of key client deliverables across key teams
- A minimum of 8 years of professional experience in a senior management capacity overseeing teams and/or office
- Dependent upon experience.
- CPH offers Medical, Dental and Vision and Long-Term Disability with a quality insurance company.
- Company Paid Life Insurance and Short-Term Disability.
- 401K, Paid Personal Time Off, Paid Holidays, and Paid Paternal Leave.