Construction Project Manager

About Ascendion :Ascendion is a full service digital engineering solutions company. We make and manage software platforms and products that power growth and deliver captivating experiences to consumers and employees. Our engineering, cloud, data, experience design, and talent solution capabilities accelerate transformation and impact for enterprise clients. Headquartered in New Jersey, our workforce of 6,000+ Ascenders delivers solutions from around the globe. Ascendion is built differently to engineer the next.Ascendion | Engineering to elevate lifeWe have a culture built on opportunity, inclusion, and a spirit of partnership. Come, change the world with us:Build the coolest tech for the world’s leading brandsSolve complex problems - and learn new skillsExperience the power of transforming digital engineering for Fortune 500 clientsMaster your craft with leading training programs and hands-on experienceExperience a community of change makers!Join a culture of high-performing innovators with endless ideas and a passion for tech. Our culture is the fabric of our company, and it is what makes us unique and diverse. The way we share ideas, learning, experiences, successes, and joy allows everyone to be their best at Ascendion.Title: Construction Program Manager 4Location: Chicago, IllinoisExplain a typical day in the role:A typical day will involve driving the operational execution of multiple EOP programs and initiatives, participating in and facilitating a high volume of meetings and working sessions, coordinating across stakeholders, maintaining program governance, and ensuring decisions and commitments translate into action.Own the day-to-day operational management of the DCBM AMERS Tools for Success Power App, maintaining it as a reliable source of truth for key resources such as templates, checklists, reports, playbooks, and supporting guidance. Manage resource updates, access needs, requests, and stakeholder feedback.Drive assigned programs and initiatives from planning through execution, translating leadership strategy and direction into organized work plans, milestones, actions, and deliverables.Own program and initiative governance by maintaining trackers, monitoring progress, following up with accountable owners, identifying gaps, and ensuring commitments are driven to completion.Participate in and support a high volume of meetings, working sessions, and program forums across EOP and cross\-functional stakeholder groups. Effectively balance meeting commitments with ongoing program management and execution responsibilities.Produce timely, high-quality, and accurate meeting notes within 24 hours of assigned meetings.Synthesize discussions into clear documentation of key decisions, action items, owners, target dates, risks, dependencies, and unresolved topics.Manage the operational rhythm of key meetings and working sessions, including agenda development, stakeholder coordination, facilitation, documentation of decisions and actions, and post-meeting follow-through.Drive accountability following meetings and program reviews by translating discussions into clear actions and tracking commitments through completion or appropriate escalation.Provide clear program visibility through structured reporting that summarizes progress, accomplishments, upcoming milestones, risks, dependencies, blockers, and decisions needed for EOP leadership.Proactively identify and manage program risks, issues, and dependencies, resolving routine blockers where possible and escalating items requiring leadership guidance or decisions.Develop high-quality program documentation and communications, including process documentation, runbooks, templates, checklists, status reports, presentations, training materials, and formal communications.Partner with the Senior Program Manager to operationalize EOP priorities while independently driving assigned workstreams and maintaining appropriate leadership visibility.Coordinate with cross-functional partners and subject matter experts to gather inputs, resolve dependencies, advance deliverables, and drive actions to closure.Identify opportunities to improve how work is executed, including simplifying processes, strengthening governance, improving documentation, and increasing consistency across EOP programs and initiatives.Key ResponsibilitiesProgram and Initiative ExecutionDrive assigned programs, initiatives, and workstreams from planning through execution, implementation, and closeout.Translate objectives into clear plans, milestones, owners, dependencies, deliverables, and target dates.Manage multiple concurrent initiatives and recurring responsibilities while maintaining appropriate prioritization and visibility.Establish clear accountability and proactively follow up with owners to ensure commitments and deliverables progress as planned.Identify gaps, dependencies, or potential barriers early and take appropriate action to maintain progress.Independently investigate questions or ambiguous requirements, gather relevant information, engage appropriate subject matter experts, and develop informed recommendations orproposed next steps.Support regional and global initiatives, continuous improvement efforts, process standardization, training, and other EOP priorities.Stakeholder Management and Cross-Functional CoordinationCoordinate across internal teams, subject matter experts, project teams, and other stakeholders to support successful program execution.Establish and maintain effective working relationships across functions and organizational boundaries.Facilitate working sessions, program meetings, reviews, and stakeholder discussions necessary to advance assigned work.Clearly communicate objectives, decisions, actions, ownership, and timelines.Maintain appropriate visibility with EOP leadership while independently managing day-to-day execution.Recognize when an issue can be resolved through normal program management and when leadership alignment, decision-making, or escalation is required.Governance, Tracking, and Follow-ThroughMaintain appropriate program and initiative governance to provide clear visibility into status, milestones, dependencies, risks, actions, and decisions.Maintain program artifacts such as initiative trackers, action logs, schedules, documentation, status materials, meeting outputs, and supporting resources.Ensure actions have clearly identified owners and target dates and remain engaged until commitments are completed or appropriately escalated.Support EOP Rhythm of Business activities, including recurring program reviews, stakeholder forums, trainings, workshops, and other governance activities.Support consistent adoption and maintenance of EOP processes, templates, tools, and documentation.Administrative and coordination activities are expected as part of the role but should serve the broader objective of effective program governance, execution, accountability, and follow-through.Risk, Issue, and Dependency ManagementProactively identify risks, issues, dependencies, and blockers that could affect program objectives or delivery.Manage routine program risks and blockers by establishing appropriate ownership, next steps, and follow-up.Surface material risks or decisions requiring leadership involvement in a timely manner, with sufficient context to support informed decision-making.Maintain visibility to open issues and ensure they are tracked through resolution, mitigation, acceptance, or appropriate escalation.Reporting and Leadership VisibilityPrepare clear, concise, and leadership-ready program reporting.Consolidate information across workstreams into meaningful updates covering progress, milestones, accomplishments, risks/blockers, decisions needed, and upcoming actions.Provide accurate and timely status information rather than relying solely on individual stakeholder updates.Maintain sufficient supporting information and program artifacts to enable effective leadership review and decision-making.Tools, Documentation, and Operational ExcellenceEffectively use M 365 business productivity tools, including Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, and Outlook.Learn and effectively use applicable internal tools, trackers, dashboards, SharePoint Lists, Power Apps, repositories, and reporting resources.Support tools such as Tools for Success and other EOP resources as part of program execution and governance.Identify opportunities to simplify, standardize, or improve existing processes and ways of working.Support documentation maintenance, lessons learned, best-practice sharing, and continuous improvement activities.Required QualificationsBachelor's degree in Business, Project Management, Construction Management, Engineering, or a related field.5+ years of relevant program and/or project management experience.Demonstrated experience independently managing multiple concurrent projects, programs, initiatives, or workstreams.Demonstrated ability to create and manage project plans, milestones, actions, dependencies, risks, and stakeholder commitments.Strong organizational skills with demonstrated attention to detail and follow-through.Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize information and communicate program status to multiple levels of stakeholders.Strong stakeholder-management skills and demonstrated ability to coordinate and influence across teams without direct authority.Ability to work effectively in ambiguous situations, investigate unfamiliar topics, and develop informed recommendations or proposed paths forward.Ability to independently prioritize work while recognizing when leadership alignment, verification, or escalation is appropriate.Strong proficiency with M 365 tools, including Excel, PowerPoint, SharePoint, Teams, and Outlook.Ability and willingness to quickly learn new business processes, tools, systems, and organizational structures.Preferred Qualifications:Experience supporting data center, construction, infrastructure, engineering, integration, or other complex capital-project environments.Experience working within a matrixed organization involving multiple functions, stakeholders, and competing priorities.Experience supporting process improvement, standardization, operational excellence, change management, or governance initiatives.Experience coordinating trainings, workshops, program forums, or other cross-functional working sessions.Experience preparing concise program reporting and executive-level status materials.Knowledge of construction, integration (fiber, telecom, network, equipment, systems and infrastructure)Data center and construction experience are preferred because they can accelerate understanding of the operating environment; however, deep technical expertise is not required.Strong program/project management fundamentals, ownership, judgment, communication, and follow-through are critical to success.TravelOccasional travel may be required to support workshops, bootcamps, or other program needs.What is the ideal background of a candidate for this role?: Construction project and program experience.Top 3 Must-Have HARD SkillsProject/program managementProblem-solvingDrive accountabilityThanksSalary Range: $1,87,000 - 1,97,000 Annually -Factors that may affect pay within this range may include geography/market, skills, education, experience, and other qualifications of the successful candidate.Benefits: The Company offers the following benefits for this position, subject to applicable eligibility requirements: [medical insurance] [dental insurance] [vision insurance] [401(k) retirement plan] [long-term disability insurance] [short-term disability insurance] [5 personal days accrued each calendar year]. The paid time off benefits meet the paid sick and safe time laws that pertain to the City/ State] [10-15 days of paid vacation time] [6 paid holidays and 1 floating holiday per calendar year]Want to change the world? Let us knowTell us about your experiences, education, and ambitions. Bring your knowledge, unique viewpoint, and creativity to the table. Let’s talk!