Site Construction Manager

The science of electronics is transforming exponentially through innovation and connectivity around the planet. Every day, breakthroughs are making technologies – from micro-processors, memory chips and flat panels to photovoltaic cells – even smaller and more powerful, opening up countless new possibilities in how the world lives, works and connects. Air Liquide Advanced Materials grows by enabling our customers to innovate. Our ALOHA™ and Voltaix® products are critical to the manufacturer of the newest computer chips required for Big Data and the Internet of Things.

This position is located at the Air Liquide Advanced Materials (ALAM) Head Office in Branchburg, NJ. The Site Construction Manager will direct, oversee, and support global project execution. This includes managing site teams to ensure the successful completion of construction activities in accordance with project objectives, priorities, and contracts across ALAM sites globally.

This central position facilitates direct contact with local construction and site managers, typically overseeing 3 to 4 concurrent construction site schedules. Because ALAM projects are generally first-of-its-kind installations, repeatability is rare, demanding highly adaptable site management setups. Capital investments are primarily brownfield developments located directly at existing ALAM manufacturing facilities.

Key Responsibilities

Safety Leadership

• Promote safety awareness and safe performance among all site team members, including consultants, contractors, and subcontractor personnel.

Project Strategy & Early Execution

• Provide construction execution philosophy and technical expertise for critical early project execution deliverables.
• Provide key inputs into core project tasks, including construction execution plans, constructability reviews, construction methods, contracting strategies, cost estimates, and staffing/resource plans.
• Serve as a key design partner in the planning and preparation of upcoming projects.

Site & Contractor Management

• Serve as the primary Air Liquide on-site point of contact for local site managers, operations teams, and site contractors.
• Manage interfaces and interactions regarding construction issues between contractors and other project functional groups, such as design, commissioning, and operations.
• Coordinate inputs for and review the development of contractors' detailed execution plans.
• Ensure the proper implementation, preparation, and execution of comprehensive work packages and detailed work plans.
• Monitor and appraise contractor performance across safety, quality, cost, and scheduling, ensuring appropriate corrective actions are taken when necessary.
• Assist contractors and subcontractors in successfully achieving contract expectations and requirements.
• Verify physical progress on-site to approve or endorse contractor invoices.
• Ensure contractors implement and maintain an effective interface management system.

Contract Administration & Reporting

• Administer contract execution, including providing formal contract interpretations.
• Review change requests and change assessments in accordance with the project's management of change (MOC) plan.
• Keep Capital Project Managers advised of progress, performance, initiatives, challenges, and anticipated completion dates for construction milestones.
• Proactively develop plans to mitigate potential construction issues.
• Report overall progress, performance, initiatives, and issues directly to the Global Manager of Capital Projects Management.
• Lead lessons learned reviews and prepare comprehensive close-out reports upon completion of site work.

Operational Requirements

• Commit to approximately 40% total travel. Travel will be primarily domestic across US sites, with occasional global travel to international locations (such as South Korea and Taiwan) based on project and business needs.
• Successfully complete all assigned corporate and safety training protocols.

Required Qualifications

Education & Certifications

• Bachelor of Science (BS) in Engineering (Mechanical Engineering or Chemical Engineering preferred).
• MBA or a degree in Construction Management/Technology is preferred.
• Professional Engineer (PE) license is preferred.
• Project Management Certification (PMI PMP or similar).

Experience

• More than 15 years of demonstrated project management and execution experience, with a proven track record of managing capital projects exceeding $2 million in the specialty chemical or a similar process industry.
• More than 5 years of hands-on construction site experience.
• Global project footprint experience, specifically involving sites in the USA, South Korea, or Taiwan; a background in foreign immersion is required.

Technical Skills & Expertise

• Working knowledge of high-purity gas installation techniques and practices is a strong plus.
• Proven ability to read and interpret complex equipment schematics, P&IDs (piping and instrumentation diagrams), and construction drawings.
• Proficiency in value engineering and constructability reviews.
• Strong understanding of cost-estimating techniques and estimate accuracy variations across different project stages.
• Comprehensive knowledge of building codes, consensus engineering standards, and applicable regulatory frameworks (including ASME, API, CGA, NFPA, and OSHA).
• Proficiency in the MS Office Suite, including MS Project.

Core Competencies

• Effective verbal and written communication skills, accompanied by strong mediation and conflict-resolution capabilities.
• Highly collaborative mindset with comfort working in a dynamic, cross-functional team environment.
• Strong technical problem-solving capability to resolve complex on-site construction issues.
• Rigorous attention to detail, precision, and accuracy.