Architectural Project Manager (Education)

Job Description

Job Description

At Cuningham, we design with deep respect for the real world, the budgets, the schedules, the codes, and the people who will use the spaces we create. That respect shows up most clearly in how a project gets managed. We're looking for a Higher Education Project Manager to join our Culver City office, someone with 10+ years of experience leading teams and managing higher education projects. You know campus clients: facilities teams, user groups, departmental leadership, and the approval paths that come with them, and you're comfortable steering a project through all of it. K-12 or healthcare experience is a plus but not required. We'd also love someone who enjoys the business development side, building client relationships, spotting the next opportunity, and helping win work in addition to delivering it. 

You'll lead projects through every phase and help the team work effectively and efficiently, coordinating scope, communication, contracts, budgets, and schedules across client and consultant groups. 

At Cuningham, everything comes back to one idea: design a better world with deep respect for the real one people live in. As our next Project Manager, you're the one who turns that into reality on the ground, keeping the people, the details, and the budget all moving in the same direction. 

Higher Education project experience is strongly preferred for this role.

What You'd Be Doing:

• Leading small to medium project teams through every phase, keeping everyone focused on each project's goals and success metrics. 
• Building high-performing teams with your Project Executive and project leaders, matching work to each person's strengths and growth goals, and keeping the team motivated, collaborative, and accountable.
• Shaping scope, deliverables, schedules, and fees into complete proposals with your Project Executive and project leaders.
• Supporting your design and technical leads as they deliver coordinated packages across multi-discipline, multi-phase projects.
• Keeping work plans, labor plans, schedules, and team tasks current.
• Owning the project budget and financial performance in Vantagepoint, lining up tasks with staff time, and pursuing additional services before costs are incurred.
• Managing day-to-day client relationships with your Project Executive, reviewing budget, schedule, and scope with clients, and running internal and external meetings, including campus stakeholder and user group sessions.
• Identifying and managing risk throughout the project, and raising issues with your Project Executive early.
• Administering Owner and Consultant contracts, and keeping responsible oversight of any technical submissions you sign and seal.
• Supporting Market Leaders with staffing decisions and revenue projections.
• Helping grow our higher education work in Southern California by taking part in or leading pursuits, including proposal and interview content.
• Using MS Office, Bluebeam, AIA Contracts, MS Project (or similar), and Deltek Vantagepoint day to day, and staying familiar with Revit/BIM 360, Miro, and Microsoft Teams. 

 

What We Look For:

• Architecture License is a plus but not required
• 10+ years of project management experience in architecture, engineering, or construction, managing projects from proposal through delivery.
• Higher education project experience is strongly preferred (e.g., academic and classroom buildings, student housing, student life, research and lab facilities, campus renovations).
• K-12 and/or healthcare project experience a plus, not required.
• Business development experience preferred: client relationship building, pursuit strategy, proposals, and interviews.
• Bachelor's degree in architecture, engineering, construction management, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.
• PMP certification also welcome but not required.
• Demonstrated experience managing project budgets, schedules, scope, and contracts across multi-discipline teams.
• Strong client-facing communication skills and comfort leading conversations on scope, schedule, and budget.
• Proficiency with MS Office, Bluebeam, AIA Contracts, and MS Project (or similar); working knowledge of Deltek Vantagepoint.
• Familiarity with Revit/BIM 360 and digital collaboration tools such as Miro and Microsoft Teams.
• A collaborative, team-first mindset and genuine curiosity about doing good work. 

Compensation provided is based on our national range which varies by work location and may also depend on accreditation, experience and responsibilities. Our talent management team can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.

Compensation range updated 1/18/2026.

Benefits: Cuningham offers a variety of benefits to employees including health insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance, an employee wellness program, life and disability insurance, 401k retirement savings plan, paid holidays, and paid time off.

Why Cuningham? 

At Cuningham, we believe the best work happens when people are supported, challenged, and connected. Whether collaborating across teams, engaging with our communities, or shaping meaningful design solutions, we bring pragmatic creativity and disciplined execution to every project — and we support each other through it all. 

We nurture an equitable work environment where curiosity is celebrated, craft is valued, and growth is prioritized. Alongside a team that brings low-ego expertise and active leadership day-to-day, you’ll work on complex, high-stakes projects that demand bold thinking and disciplined delivery.

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Cuningham is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and values the strength diversity brings to the workplace when combined with equity and justice. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status, age, genetic information, national origin, disability, military, or veteran status. 

We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.