Construction Project Manager - Transmission and Distribution (Chicago)

You Deliver Multi-Million Dollar Grid Modernization. Who Keeps the Equity?

The Reality: Why Traditional EPC Compensation Models Hit a Ceiling

If you are directing high-voltage transmission lines, live substation cutovers, and composite union crews across the Great Lakes, you already understand the field reality: you absorb the schedule risk, manage the craft labor, enforce the safety envelope, and protect the project margin. Yet at a conventional specialty contractor or publicly traded EPC, your reward is capped at a lateral base salary and an incremental bonus check—while public shareholders and corporate holding companies pocket the equity upside.

Our Client changed that model entirely.

As a 100% employee-owned global EPC powerhouse with 70 offices, they eliminate the disconnect between operational effort and personal wealth creation. Here, your ability to control earned value, manage building trades, and drive complex EPC delivery directly funds your own personal balance sheet through Day-1 Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) participation.

• The Seat: Construction Project Manager – Transmission & Distribution (Great Lakes Region)
• Location & Footprint: Chicago, IL (50% Regional Project Mobility across MISO & PJM territories)
• Target Compensation: $165,000 – $195,000 Base Salary + Discretionary Year-End Incentive + 100% ESOP Retirement Allocation & 401(k) Match

The Mandate (Core Operational Scope)

• EPC Program Execution: Command day-to-day field operations across high-voltage transmission and substation programs, steering safety, quality, schedule, and cost control from pre-construction through final warranty turnover.
• Building Trades & Craft Leadership: Direct composite crew rates, labor burdens, craft classifications, and labor law compliance. Maintain productive trade relationships and administer Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) across regional union jurisdictions.
• Financial & Unit Rate Discipline: Estimate, forecast, and manage craft install unit rates, change conditions, and earned value metrics with clinical financial accountability.
• Commercial Contract Architecture: Negotiate and manage prime contracts, CM agreements, subcontracts, and change orders. Lead the downstream RFP and bid evaluation process for trade contractors and equipment vendors.
• Client Interface & Advisory: Act as the trusted operational advisor to regional investor-owned utilities, managing executive relationships and navigating complex scope adjustments.
• Risk & Claims Mitigation: Direct project risk reviews with legal counsel, spearhead downstream contract administration (RFIs, submittals), and actively execute claims avoidance strategies.
• Field Logistics & Site Logistics: Direct site layouts, laydown yards, permitting, right-of-way coordination, and high-value materials management (inventory control, heavy construction equipment allocation).
• Talent Development: Mentor and evaluate field coordinators, assistant PMs, craft supervisors, and field engineering personnel.

The Candidate Profile (Required Qualifications)

• Education & Background: Bachelor’s Degree in Construction Management, Engineering, or a related discipline (substantial field leadership experience readily substituted).
• Track Record: Minimum of 7 years of dedicated project management and field execution experience within heavy construction.
• Regional Mobility: Willingness and capability to maintain a 50% regional travel schedule across project footprints in Illinois and adjacent Great Lakes states.
• Technical Suite: High proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, Access) and modern enterprise project reporting tools.
• Fiscal Literacy: Working command of Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), Work Breakdown Structures (WBS), and project-level P&L stewardship.
• Mobility Standards: Valid driver’s license with a driving record meeting corporate standards.

Elite Differentiators (Preferred Qualifications)

• Sector Mastery: Multiple years of direct field experience leading high-voltage Transmission, Distribution, Substation, or utility interconnect projects.
• Enterprise Controls: Direct experience utilizing Primavera P6, Procore, or specialized cost-control software.
• Labor Agreement Leadership: Direct experience administering Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) and managing signatory union craft labor.

The ROI: Elite Wealth Drivers

• 100% Employee Ownership (ESOP): A proven wealth-building vehicle where company performance directly compounds your personal net worth year over year—far outpacing standard corporate retirement packages.
• Target Base Salary: $165,000 – $195,000 (calibrated to project track record and leadership breadth).
• Performance Bonus: Discretionary year-end incentive reflecting project execution and regional profitability.
• Dual Retirement Advantage: 401(k) program with corporate matching operating in tandem with your fully funded ESOP allocation.
• Comprehensive Care: Platinum-tier health, dental, and vision coverage, comprehensive wellness resources, and paid parental leave.
• Enterprise Platform: Long-term leadership stability, continuing executive development, and mobility backed by a top-ranked national engineering and construction firm.

Your trajectory deserves an equity stake - let’s connect to discuss how this transition aligns your operational impact with true enterprise ownership.