What are the responsibilities and job description for the Project Manager / Project Architect position at Kaas Wilson Architects LLC?
Job Summary:
Responsible for design, delivery, and coordination of multiple projects simultaneously through all phases of the projects through to successful completion. Actively manages client budgets, schedules, and programs; project communications and documentation; office administrative tasks; and project team assignments. Minimum of bachelor’s degree and 8 years of experience required.
Direct Supervisor:
Principal in Charge
Direct Reports:
Project Team (Project Architect, Architectural Staff, Architectural Designers)
Duties/Responsibilities:
Timeline, Budget, and Staffing
- Identify budget, consultants, schedule for completion, fees, and costs; prepare proposals and contracts.
- Coordinate with clients, governing authorities, consultants, contractors, and other disciplines to ensure effective cross-team communication.
- Collaborate with the Principal in charge to manage workloads to meet project requirements and maximize staff utilization.
- Manage project priorities and staff resources to meet project milestones and profitability.
- Ensure projects are billed at regular intervals.
Team Mentorship
- Mentor and coach team – teach specific skills, explain decision-making, and help with prioritization of tasks; provide encouragement to support team morale.
- Understand staff’s skill set – recognize areas of weakness and assist in growth, acknowledge areas of strength and motivate to maximum potential.
- Encourage growth towards licensure – monitor and support AXP hours (if licensed).
- Hone staff’s individual skills and hold them accountable for work and deadlines.
- Utilize scheduling to grow each employee's skill set and create well-rounded team members.
- Maintain honest, but professional dialogue with team members, giving constructive feedback regularly.
Team Management
- Coordinate all team efforts, both administrative and technical, to ensure the most efficient and cost-effective execution of assigned projects.
- Provide complete and timely communication of project information to and from clients and project team.
- Provide on-going communication through team meetings/minutes to the project team through effective use of company provided tools & templates.
Client Communication
- Serve as the primary client liaison to bring the fee proposal, contract, schedule, budgets, and scope of work to completion and to the client’s satisfaction.
- Keeps clients apprised of project progress on a regular basis. Also notifies the client and design team of project changes or other actions taking place on the assigned project.
- Initiate and maintain contact with other key project individuals for clarification, coordination, and negotiation of critical issues.
Technical and Design
- Solve complex building code, architectural design and construction problems to serve the client’s project and inform the client of any issues that deviate from the project goals and/or that impact the project budget and timeline.
- Understand structural and site/civil engineering trades and the impact that these trades have on the architectural design concept.
- Determine the extent of the construction detailing required for various elements of a project and ensure constructability, code compliance, affordability, and aesthetics.
- Understand modern architectural / construction means and methods; and be able to fully detail these systems.
- Direct consulting teams in the early stages of design and be involved in the election of structural and MEP systems and assemblies - coordinate these consultant trades through the Construction Document phase.
- Schedule quality control reviews and coordinate all project documentation.
- Actively work with Principals/leadership to pursue both new projects and expand the scope of existing projects.
Required Skills/Abilities:
- Excellent mentorship skills with the ability to grow staff’s skill set.
- Ability to multitask and handle multiple projects at once.
- Excellent organization, communication, management, and oversight of projects.
- Strong client-facing skills – including concept presentations, ongoing dialogue, and talking through issues or problems that arise on the project.
- Proficient in Revit and Bluebeam.
- Must have a driver's license for Client/Contractor meetings and site visits.
- Proficient in Microsoft Office Suite, Google Suite or related software.
Education and Experience:
- Bachelor’s degree in Architecture required, Master’s degree strongly preferred.
- At least eight years of relevant experience.
- Active board licensure strongly preferred.
Physical Requirements:
- Prolonged periods sitting or standing at a desk and working on a computer.
- Must be able to lift up to 15 pounds at times.