Senior Construction Manager and Owner's Representative

EMPLOYER Bill Nero Auto Group

EMPLOYMENT Full time, senior-level, primarily on site at multiple locations

PROJECT PROGRAM Approximately 230,000 square feet of new construction and renovation

LOCATIONS Southwest Florida and Orlando, Florida

REPORTS TO Owner and designated executive leadership

Position Summary

The Senior Construction Manager and Owner's Representative will serve as the owner's senior, full-time representative for a multi-location program of approximately 230,000 square feet involving both new construction and major renovation in Southwest Florida and Orlando, Florida. This individual will lead the work from design development and permitting through procurement, field execution, commissioning, turnover, and warranty closeout.

The successful candidate must combine executive-level judgment with hands-on field leadership. The role requires mastery of water-cooled chiller HVAC systems, metal building construction, site redevelopment, electrical design coordination, and plumbing design coordination. The candidate will protect the owner's interests by controlling scope, schedule, cost, quality, safety, constructability, and long-term operating performance.

Primary Responsibilities

• Owner representation: Act as the owner's principal day-to-day construction representative and maintain a complete, current understanding of project scope, contract requirements, budget, schedule, risks, and field conditions.
• Project leadership: Direct the overall planning and execution of new-build and renovation work across multiple active locations, including occupied or operating facilities where disruption must be tightly controlled.
• Design management: Coordinate architects, civil engineers, structural engineers, MEP engineers, equipment vendors, commissioning providers, and contractors. Review drawings and specifications for completeness, constructability, maintainability, code compliance, and alignment with the owner's standards.
• Procurement and contracting: Develop bid packages, qualify bidders, lead scope reviews, identify exclusions and gaps, level proposals, support contract negotiations, and recommend awards based on value, capability, schedule, and risk.
• Field supervision: Maintain a strong daily presence in the field; coordinate trades; verify manpower, sequencing, layout, and workmanship; resolve conflicts promptly; and drive completion of near-term commitments.
• Cost control: Establish and maintain project budgets, commitments, forecasts, contingency tracking, cash-flow projections, and change-order logs. Validate quantities, pricing, labor, equipment, and schedule impact before recommending approval.

• Schedule control: Develop and enforce master and detailed look-ahead schedules, identify critical-path threats, require recovery plans when needed, and coordinate milestones across design, permitting, long-lead procurement, construction, startup, and turnover.
• Quality management: Implement inspection and documentation procedures, verify materials and installations against approved documents, manage mockups and testing, reject nonconforming work, and ensure deficiencies are corrected before concealment or acceptance.
• Safety and compliance: Monitor contractor compliance with applicable safety programs, permits, inspections, codes, environmental requirements, and contract obligations. Immediately elevate unsafe or noncompliant conditions.
• Reporting: Provide concise weekly executive reporting covering progress, schedule variance, budget status, pending decisions, procurement, change exposure, risks, safety, quality, and photographs. Escalate urgent issues immediately.
• Commissioning and closeout: Lead equipment startup, testing, balancing, controls verification, owner training, punch-list completion, record-document turnover, warranties, spare-parts delivery, lien releases, and final acceptance.

Required Technical Mastery

• Water chiller HVAC Water-cooled and air-cooled chilled-water systems; chillers, cooling towers where applicable, pumps, hydronic distribution, controls, variable-flow strategies, water treatment, ventilation, dehumidification, testing and balancing, commissioning, system redundancy, maintainability, and life-cycle operating cost.
• Metal building construction Pre-engineered and conventional metal building systems; structural roof and wall systems, insulated metal panels, standing-seam roofing, thermal and air barriers, flashing, transitions, openings, corrosion protection, wind-load requirements, and water-intrusion prevention.
• Site redevelopment Civil demolition, grading, drainage and stormwater, paving, underground utilities, traffic circulation, construction phasing, erosion control, landscaping, site lighting, accessibility requirements, and coordination with local agencies and utility providers.
• Electrical design coordination Service sizing, utility coordination, distribution, switchgear, transformers, generators, transfer switches, grounding, surge protection, lighting, controls, low-voltage pathways, equipment power requirements, security coordination, and commissioning.
• Plumbing design coordination Domestic water, sanitary and storm systems, oil-water separation where applicable, compressed air and specialty service piping, gas system where used, equipment connections, backflow prevention, code compliance, testing, and commissioning.

Additional Leadership Duties

• Create clear lines of responsibility among the owner, design team, general contractor, subcontractors, vendors, and authorities having jurisdiction.
• Challenge unnecessary cost and complexity while protecting capacity, resilience, durability, appearance, serviceability, and future expansion capability.
• Coordinate shutdowns, temporary services, access restrictions, dust and weather protection, and phased turnover so ongoing business operations remain safe and functional.
• Track submittals, requests for information, design revisions, permits, inspections, long-lead equipment, owner decisions, and unresolved constraints through closure.
• Maintain organized project records, including contracts, drawings, specifications, meeting minutes, daily reports, photographs, test reports, pay applications, changes, and closeout documents.
• Review contractor payment applications and verify installed work, stored materials, retainage, lien releases, and supporting documentation before recommending payment.
• Hold contractors and consultants accountable for contractual performance while maintaining professional, solutions-oriented working relationships.

Required Qualifications

• Minimum verifiable 10-year employment history serving as the lead job superintendent on complex commercial, industrial, institutional, automotive, or similarly demanding construction projects. Candidate must provide a project list and professional references sufficient to verify this experience.
• Demonstrated responsibility for major renovation and new-construction projects from preconstruction through final closeout, including active-site phasing.
• Proven mastery of chilled-water HVAC, metal building systems, site and civil redevelopment, electrical systems, and plumbing systems.
• Strong ability to read and challenge architectural, civil, structural, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, controls, and life-safety drawings and specifications.
• Documented success managing budgets, schedules, contractors, field quality, commissioning, and owner turnover on large, technically complex projects.
• Working knowledge of Florida Building Code requirements, permitting and inspections, high-wind construction, severe-weather planning, moisture control, and coastal durability considerations.
• Strong command of construction contracts, bid leveling, change-order evaluation, pay-application review, scheduling, cost forecasting, and project documentation.
• Ability to communicate directly and credibly with ownership, executives, designers, trade contractors, inspectors, utility representatives, and facility personnel.
• Valid driver's license and ability to travel regularly between Southwest Florida and Orlando, Florida project locations.

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, architecture, or a related discipline, or equivalent senior-level field experience.
• Current Florida general contractor, mechanical, electrical, plumbing, professional engineer, or other relevant credential.
• Experience with high-performance building envelopes, insulated metal panels, high-wind design, emergency generation, complex controls, and equipment commissioning.
• Experience delivering automotive dealership, service, fleet, warehouse, manufacturing, or other equipment-intensive facilities.

Authority and Accountability

The position is expected to identify problems early, demand timely corrective action, and make clear recommendations to ownership. Within delegated authority, the individual may direct field coordination, require supporting documentation, stop or reject unsafe or nonconforming work, and withhold recommendations for payment or acceptance. Contract awards, material scope changes, and financial commitments remain subject to owner approval.

Performance Measures

• Projects remain aligned with approved scope, budget, milestones, and operational requirements.
• Risks, conflicts, and long-lead constraints are identified early and resolved before affecting critical work.
• Change orders are minimized, fully documented, accurately priced, and resolved promptly.
• Installed work meets the contract documents, applicable codes, manufacturer requirements, and the owner's durability and maintainability expectations.
• Systems are fully commissioned, documented, trainable, and ready for reliable operation at turnover.
• Ownership receives accurate, concise, decision-ready reporting with no surprises.

Work Conditions

This is a full-time position requiring substantial on-site presence, regular travel between project locations, and availability during critical installations, shutdowns, inspections, testing, commissioning, and schedule-recovery activities. The role requires the ability to safely access active construction sites, climb stairs and ladders, walk large project areas, and work in typical Florida heat, rain, and construction conditions.

Candidate Profile

The ideal candidate is decisive, technically strong, highly organized, and comfortable moving between executive decisions and detailed field verification. The candidate must act with integrity, protect the owner's capital, insist on complete documentation, and maintain a strong sense of urgency without sacrificing safety, quality, and long-term value.

Benefits

• 401k with employer match
• Health, dental, other ancillary
• Paid time off