Senior Project Manager (Heavy Civil Contracting)

Senior Project Manager – Heavy Civil | California | $190K–$225K Benefits

Are you a senior-level civil construction professional with a passion for delivering complex heavy civil infrastructure projects?

We're working with a leading heavy civil contractor seeking a Senior Project Manager to lead high-profile heavy civil projects across California. This is an excellent opportunity for a proven leader to drive technical execution and project delivery in a region experiencing significant infrastructure investment.

What You’ll Do:

Pursuit Phase – Alternative Delivery & Technical Leadership

• Serve as Operations Lead for alternative delivery pursuits (CMAR, CMGC, Progressive DB, DB), leading the operational assessment of project feasibility, risks, and execution strategy.
• Work with the Strategic Pursuit Lead, Estimating, and Proposal/Marketing to develop constructability narratives, technical approaches, and execution plans for proposals.
• Lead or co-lead risk workshops, construction phasing discussions, execution strategy meetings, and alternative technical concept (ATC) development.
• Identify and propose value engineering (VE) solutions, working with estimating and design teams to optimize scope, cost, and schedule.
• Engage with third-party designers, consultants, and technical specialists to align preconstruction strategies with project delivery needs.

Preconstruction & Project Execution

• Lead the Heavy Civil project team with constructability reviews, site logistics planning, and work sequencing strategies during early project development.
• Support contract negotiations, ensuring that preconstruction assumptions align with execution realities.

Project Management & Construction Oversight

• Where practical, transition into the PM role post-award, managing the project from construction start-up through completion.
• Develop comprehensive project plans, including but not limited to scheduling and procurement strategies. Along with overseeing project budget and cost controls, subcontractor coordination, and compliance with companies “Zero Harm” safety and quality standards.
• Maintain strong relationships with clients, design teams, and key stakeholders to ensure project success.
• Lead project teams, mentoring and developing junior engineers and field staff, fostering a collaborative and high-performance work environment.

What You Bring:

• Bachelor’s degree in Construction Management, Civil Engineering, or a related field.
• Minimum 8 years of experience in Heavy Civil construction project management.
• Experience in execution of successful alternative delivery projects (CMAR, CMGC, Progressive DB, DB) preferred.
• Strong knowledge of constructability analysis, ATCs, VE, risk assessment, and construction phasing.
• Familiarity with contracting strategies, RFP processes, and technical proposal development.
• Ability to collaborate with estimating, proposal/marketing, and design teams to develop technical content.

What’s On Offer:

• Base salary: $190,000 – $225,000
• Medical, dental, vision, and life insurance
• 401(k) with company match, HSA/FSA options
• Paid vacation, holidays, and sick leave

Location: Based out of Long Beach, California and connecting with multiple regional offices and project sites throughout the state. Travel within California may be required depending on project and pursuit.

Interested? Reach out confidentially to learn more about this opportunity and arrange a first discussion with Matt @OTJ.

OTJ Engineering Ltd is acting as an Employment Agency in relation to this vacancy. OTJ encourage equal opportunities and we welcome applications from all suitably skilled or qualified candidates, regardless of their race, sex, disability, beliefs, sexual orientation, or age.