Senior Project Manager | Housing & Senior Living

Job Description

Job Description

SENIOR PROJECT MANAGER

Housing – Senior Living, Community Impact & Tribal

Rice Fergus Miller | Hybrid/Remote: Bremerton or Spokane, WA

About Rice Fergus Miller

For nearly 40 years, Rice Fergus Miller (RFM) has designed places that build and strengthen communities throughout the Pacific Northwest. We are a Certified B Corporation architecture, interior design, and planning firm with offices in Bremerton and Spokane, Washington. We are committed to design excellence, sustainability, and building lasting relationships with our clients.

Our Housing Studio partners with nonprofit organizations, Tribal Nations, housing authorities, developers, and senior living providers to create places where people can live with dignity, independence, and a strong sense of community. From new campuses and affordable housing developments to renovations, repositioning, and long-term reinvestment strategies, our work improves lives while strengthening communities across the Pacific Northwest.

Position Summary

We are seeking an experienced Senior Project Manager to help lead one of the Pacific Northwest's most diverse housing practices. Whether your expertise is in Senior Living, Community Impact Housing, or Tribal Housing, you'll join a collaborative team that values deep market knowledge, strong client relationships, and a willingness to grow across adjacent housing sectors.

Senior Living is our largest housing market and offers immediate opportunities to lead an established portfolio of clients and projects Across all three markets, you'll lead projects ranging from large, complex developments to multiple concurrent renovation and repositioning efforts. The ability to move confidently between project scales is part of what makes this role both challenging and rewarding.

As our Housing Studio continues to grow, you'll play an important role in strengthening client relationships, mentoring future leaders, and helping shape the direction of one of the region's most diverse housing practices.

What You Will Do

• Serve as primary client liaison on projects of significant scale and complexity, ensuring delivery on schedule, within budget, and to the highest design standards
• Lead and mentor project teams, including less experienced project managers, interns, and technical staff
• Develop project strategies, fee proposals, contracts, and scope definitions on the firm's most complex housing assignments
• Actively manage budgets, schedules, and project programs from pursuit through construction administration
• Oversee project communications, documentation, and coordination across consultants, contractors, and owner stakeholders
• Contribute to studio leadership conversations and help shape how RFM evolves its housing practice
• Participate in business development: pursuits, interviews, client relationship stewardship, and market positioning.
• Help identify emerging market opportunities and contribute to the continued growth of the Housing Studio.

Market-Specific Knowledge

Each housing market carries its own regulatory environment, funding structures, and client dynamics. Below is what strong candidates typically bring by sector. You do not need fluency in all three. Tell us where you are strong.

Senior Living

• Experience with Independent Living, Assisted Living, Memory Care, or Life Plan Communities.
• Knowledge of licensing, life safety, and operational considerations unique to senior living environments.
• Experience supporting campus growth through new construction, renovations, or phased redevelopment.

Community Impact Housing

• Experience delivering affordable housing, permanent supportive housing, mixed-income, or workforce housing projects.
• Understanding of public funding, regulatory requirements, and stakeholder coordination, including housing authorities, nonprofit organizations, and government agencies.
• Commitment to creating equitable, community-centered environments that support long-term resident well-being.

Tribal Housing

• Experience partnering with Tribal Nations or Tribal Housing Authorities, with an understanding of Tribal sovereignty and culturally responsive design.
• Familiarity with Tribal funding, procurement, and community engagement processes.
• Demonstrated ability to build trusted, long-term relationships through collaboration, listening, and respect for Tribal priorities.

Minimum Qualifications

• Professional degree in Architecture or Interior Design from an accredited program; both disciplines are equally considered for this role
• Ten or more years of professional experience; licensure (RA, NCIDQ, or equivalent) preferred but not required
• Experience managing projects across a range of scales, from large ground-up and complex renovation work to multiple concurrent small and mid-size interior repositioning scopes
• Technical fluency in building codes, accessibility requirements, life safety, and jurisdictional coordination as applied to interior environments
• Proven financial acumen: fee management, workplan development, earned value tracking, and project profitability
• Experience managing and developing project teams; track record of high performance and staff retention
• Demonstrated leadership, sound judgment, and the ability to build trusted relationships with clients, consultants, contractors, and project teams.
• Experienced in contracts, scope development, proposal writing, and consultant coordination
• Experience with project management, accounting, and collaboration software; familiarity with Ajera/BQE, Revit, Bluebeam, and Microsoft Office preferred.
• Ability to travel to project sites and client meetings across the Pacific Northwest and nationally as projects require
• Applicants must reside in Washington, Oregon, Montana, or Idaho, or be willing to relocate

Compensation and Benefits

We know our people are our greatest investment. RFM offers competitive compensation, flexible work arrangements, comprehensive benefits, professional development support, and opportunities to build a long-term career.

• Salary range: $140,000 - $170,000 annually DOE, reflecting senior-level experience and market leadership
• Vacation Pay of 2 to 4 weeks per year, depending on years in career
• Sick Leave of 80 hours per year
• Parental Leave of 4 weeks, after one year of employment
• Eight Paid Holidays
• Eight hours of Paid Volunteer Time
• Health Insurance: Medical, Dental and Vision with RFM paying 99% of the employee's premium
• Cafeteria Plan: Flexible Spending Account, Dependent Care Account, Transportation Account
• Lifestyle Spending Account allowance of $500 per year for remote work and wellness-related expenses
• Long Term Disability Insurance paid by RFM
• Employee Assistance Program paid by RFM
• 401(k) Plan with match of up to 4%
• Voluntary Life Insurance
• Voluntary Long Term Care Insurance
• Voluntary Aflac policies
• Voluntary Legal and ID Protection plans

Note: Benefits are current as of the date of this posting and can change without notice.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Rice Fergus Miller provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type in regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training. We embrace diversity, equity and inclusion and honor our employees’ differences.