Project Manager

Our client is an Electrical Testing, Commissioning and Engineering company in North America and is part of a global group of companies.

A fantastic opportunity exists for a Project Manager based at their offices in San Antonio, Texas. This position will suit somebody who has managed small to medium sized, substation projects, with a background in electrical testing and commissioning.

Position Overview

The Project Manager is the commercial and operational hub of every project. This role owns the project from award through closeout, assembling job packets, managing scope, driving change orders, protecting the contract, tracking project health, and ensuring that clients receive accurate deliverables on time.

The Project Manager does not supervise field personnel directly but is the primary point of accountability for project outcomes. This requires close coordination with the Operations Manager on scheduling and execution, with the Senior Technical Manager on scope and technical deliverables, and with the Director on commercial decisions. Strong contract literacy, communication discipline, and financial awareness are core to success in this role.

Primary Responsibilities

Job Packet Assembly

• Assemble complete job packets for every project before field mobilization, coordinating with the Operations Manager, Senior Technical Manager, and administrative support to compile all required documents
• Ensure each job packet includes the executed work order or purchase order, final scope of work, applicable contract terms, single-line diagrams, equipment lists, NETA test forms, arc flash data, client safety requirements, and site access documentation
• Confirm that the job packet reflects the latest approved scope of work, not the original proposal, and that any scope revisions have been incorporated and communicated to the field crew before departure
• Review the job packet with the lead technician prior to mobilization to confirm understanding of scope, client requirements, and any special instructions
• Maintain organized project files, digital and physical, so that all project documents are accessible, version-controlled, and audit-ready throughout the project lifecycle

Scope of Work & Proposal Review

• Review the contract scope of work against the original proposal at project kickoff, identifying any gaps, ambiguities, or deviations before field work begins
• Confirm that the awarded scope is executable as written, flagging missing information, undefined hold points, or unrealistic assumptions to the Director before mobilization
• Coordinate scope clarification requests with the client or general contractor, documenting all responses and incorporating approved changes into the project record
• Ensure that all field personnel are working to the current, approved scope of work not outdated proposal versions or verbal instructions that have not been formally captured
• Track scope boundaries actively throughout the project and identify out-of-scope work as it occurs rather than after the fact

Change Order Initiation & Execution

• Identify and document all change order drivers as they occur in the field scope additions, access delays, unforeseen site conditions, client-directed changes, and any work performed beyond the contracted scope
• Initiate change order requests promptly, before the work is performed, wherever possible, and never after project closeout
• Prepare clear, well-supported change order packages including a description of the change, cause and impact, labor and material cost breakdown, and schedule impact
• Negotiate change order approval with the client or general contractor, escalating to the Director when commercial risk or contract terms require senior involvement
• Track all pending, approved, and rejected change orders in a running change order log, maintaining accurate current contract value at all times
• Ensure that approved change orders are incorporated into updated job packets before additional field work is performed under the new scope

Contract Administration & Compliance

• Read, understand, and maintain working knowledge of each project’s prime contract and any applicable subcontract terms before and throughout the project
• Identify key commercial provisions affecting our Clients’ obligations and rights, including notice requirements, claim deadlines, indemnification terms, payment terms, and liquidated damages exposure
• Ensure that all required notices for changes, delays, and differing site conditions are submitted within the contractually specified timeframes
• Coordinate with the Director on contracts containing non-standard or high-risk terms (pay-if-paid provisions, broad indemnity, compressed notice windows) before commitments are made
• Maintain a contract compliance checklist for each project, tracking all submission deadlines, reporting obligations, and milestone requirements
• Ensure that all work is performed in accordance with the contract’s quality, documentation, and testing requirements, and that deviations are formally addressed through the change order or RFI process

Project Health & Financial Tracking

• Own the financial health of every assigned project, tracking actual costs against budget in real time and reporting variances to the Director on a defined cadence
• Monitor labor hours, material costs, and any subcontractors spend against the project budget, identifying cost overruns early and developing recovery plans before they become losses
• Maintain an up-to-date project schedule, tracking milestones, field completion percentages, and client deliverable due dates
• Produce a project status report for each active project on a regular cadence covering budget-to-actual performance, schedule status, open change orders, outstanding deliverables, and identified risks
• Identify early warning indicators of project distress, such as scope creep, unresolved change orders, field productivity issues, and client disputes, and escalate to the Director before they compound
• Manage invoicing and billing in alignment with contract payment terms, ensuring that progress billings are submitted accurately and on schedule, and that aging receivables are followed up proactively
• Conduct a formal project closeout for every project, confirming all deliverables have been submitted, all change orders resolved, final invoice issued, and project files archived

Scope Management

• Define and document project scope at kickoff using the contract, proposal, and client requirements as the baseline, establishing a clear boundary between in-scope and out-of-scope work
• Develop a work breakdown structure (WBS) or equivalent task list for complex projects to ensure all deliverables and testing activities are planned and tracked
• Control scope throughout execution by evaluating all proposed changes against the approved baseline before authorizing additional work
• Obtain formal scope acceptance from the client at project completion, confirming all contracted deliverables have been received and approved

Schedule Management

• Develop a project schedule at kickoff, identifying key milestones, field work sequences, equipment delivery dates, client hold points, and final deliverable deadlines
• Coordinate with the Operations Manager to align field crew scheduling with project schedule requirements, communicating critical path activities and float
• Monitor schedule performance throughout the project, updating the schedule as conditions change and communicating impacts to the client and Director proactively
• Provide project look ahead when required from client on long term projects
• Identify schedule risks, early access delays, equipment lead times, client approval lags, and develop mitigation strategies before they affect the critical path

Client & Stakeholder Communication

• Serve as the primary point of contact for clients, general contractors, and other project stakeholders for all commercial, scheduling, and deliverable matters
• Establish a communication plan at project kickoff, defining the frequency, format, and distribution of project status updates to all relevant parties
• Manage client expectations proactively, communicating schedule changes, scope issues, or quality concerns before they become surprises
• Document all significant client communications, decisions, and directives in writing, maintaining a clear project correspondence record
• Coordinate field-level access, site safety orientations, and work sequencing with general contractor superintendents on active job sites
• Facilitate project kickoff meetings, progress meetings, and closeout meetings with clients, ensuring action items are captured and followed through

Risk Management

• Identify project risks at kickoff, technical, commercial, schedule, and safety and document them in a project risk register
• Assess the likelihood and potential impact of each identified risk, and develop response plans for high-probability or high-impact items before they materialize
• Monitor the risk register throughout the project, updating it as new risks emerge and retiring risks that are no longer relevant
• Escalate risks that exceed the Project Manager’s authority to resolve, including contractual disputes, significant budget exposure, or safety-related concerns, to the Director promptly
• Document and communicate lessons learned related to risk events at project closeout to improve future project planning

Quality & Deliverable Management

• Ensure that all project deliverables, test data packages, reports, as-built documentation, and client-required submittals meet the contract’s quality and format requirements before submission
• Coordinate with the Senior Technical Manager on test data package review and approval prior to client delivery
• Track all open submittal items, client review comments, and punch list items to closure, ensuring nothing falls through the cracks at project end
• Document and report any quality nonconformances identified during the project, coordinating with the Operations Manager and Senior Technical Manager on corrective actions