Project Executive (New York City Metropolitan Area)

Project Executive

Location: Brooklyn, NY

Employment Type: Full-Time

Salary: $175,000 - $225,000

We are working with a well-established mechanical contractor based in Brooklyn, NY, with four decades of experience delivering critical infrastructure work across New York City. The company self-performs public works, wastewater, institutional, and heavy mechanical projects for city and state agencies and has built a growing backlog on the strength of finishing what it starts. Despite its scale, it runs like a close-knit, family-oriented team rather than a large corporate shop, with a field-first operating philosophy summed up internally as the field drives the bus. As the backlog has grown, ownership is looking for a Project Executive to lead the Project Operations function so that routine project execution no longer depends on the owners.

This is a senior management seat. The Project Executive owns the management and commercial side of project execution: the financial, contractual, administrative, and organizational performance of the entire project portfolio. The Operations Manager, a close partner in this structure, owns field leadership, labor productivity, logistics, and day-to-day field execution. Together they make sure the office supports the field. This role manages and develops the Project Managers, builds consistent project-management systems, sits on the senior management team, and interacts regularly with the Leadership Team and ownership.

What You'll Do

Project Operations Leadership

• Lead the Project Operations function across multiple concurrent public works, wastewater, institutional, and heavy mechanical projects
• Manage, mentor, and hold accountable Project Managers, Assistant Project Managers, Project Engineers, and project support staff
• Set clear expectations, responsibilities, and performance standards for the project-management team
• Create consistency across projects through standard operating procedures, project controls, meeting rhythms, and reporting requirements, without creating unnecessary bureaucracy
• Build the leadership capacity the company needs to manage a growing backlog without depending on ownership for routine decisions
• Foster a high-performance culture focused on accountability, collaboration, and safety

Portfolio and Project Oversight

• Maintain executive-level visibility over the schedule, financial position, contractual status, risks, and staffing needs of every project
• Conduct regular project reviews with Project Managers and Field Operations leadership
• Ensure every project has a clear execution plan, procurement schedule, submittal log, change-order log, cost forecast, and closeout plan
• Identify problems early and require clear recovery plans when projects fall behind schedule, budget, or contractual requirements
• Escalate material risks to the General Manager and Executive Leadership with facts, financial exposure, and a recommended course of action
• Ensure Project Managers coordinate effectively with General Foremen and field leadership without taking over field operations
• Drive projects through final completion, agency signoff, commissioning, punch-list resolution, and financial closeout

Financial Performance

• Own the financial performance of the project portfolio: gross profit, cost-to-complete forecasting, cash flow, billing, and margin preservation
• Review monthly project forecasts and hold Project Managers to accurate cost projections
• Catch margin erosion, cost overruns, unapproved work, and billing delays before they become unrecoverable
• Hold Project Managers accountable for timely requisitions, change-order pricing, documentation, approvals, billing, and collection support
• Monitor underbillings, overbillings, retainage, committed costs, and project cash position
• Participate in monthly WIP reviews with Accounting, Operations, and Executive Leadership
• Approve project expenditures and commitments within established authority limits
• Make sure project financial reporting reflects the most accurate and supportable outcome, not the most optimistic one

Contract and Change Management

• Review contracts, specifications, scopes, schedules, and commercial requirements before project turnover
• Ensure the project team understands all notice provisions, documentation requirements, milestones, liquidated damages, and owner obligations
• Set a clear commercial strategy for changes, delays, differing conditions, and owner-directed work
• Review significant change orders, claims, time extensions, and subcontractor disputes
• Protect the company's contractual rights through timely notice, complete documentation, and disciplined follow-through
• Coordinate with legal counsel, sureties, insurance representatives, and outside consultants when needed

Project Startup and Preconstruction Handoff

• Lead post-award turnover from Estimating and Preconstruction to Operations
• Confirm that scope, assumptions, exclusions, risks, schedule requirements, procurement needs, and financial goals transfer cleanly to the project team
• Assign project-management resources based on project complexity and team capacity
• Ensure every project starts with an approved budget, baseline schedule, staffing plan, procurement plan, billing strategy, and risk register
• Provide constructability, staffing, scheduling, and risk input on selected pursuits, and support bid reviews and go/no-go decisions

Client and Stakeholder Management

• Serve as the senior project-management contact for key owners, public agencies, construction managers, engineers, and business partners
• Build credible, professional relationships with clients while protecting the company's contractual and financial interests
• Lead executive-level progress meetings, negotiations, dispute resolution, and project recovery efforts
• Represent the company professionally with New York City and State public-sector clients
• Earn repeat business by delivering strong project performance

Team Development

• Build a capable, accountable Project Operations team that can support the current backlog and future growth
• Develop Project Managers through coaching, clear expectations, regular feedback, and documented development plans
• Identify succession needs and future leadership candidates within the team
• Participate in recruiting, interviewing, onboarding, and evaluating Project Operations personnel, and recommend staffing adjustments as workload shifts
• Address performance problems directly and promptly

Cross-Functional Coordination, Risk, and Compliance

• Work closely with the Operations Manager and General Foremen to align project-management support with field priorities
• Coordinate with Accounting on cost reporting, billing, forecasting, and cash management, and with Procurement on long-lead equipment, subcontracts, and material commitments
• Coordinate with Safety leadership so project teams support and enforce the company's safety program
• Ensure compliance with contract requirements, public-agency procedures, applicable codes, permits, reporting requirements, and company policies
• Monitor risks tied to schedule, procurement, subcontractors, labor coordination, design changes, claims, and cash flow
• Ensure Project Managers keep complete, organized project records and respond promptly to audits, owner requests, and closeout documentation
• Serve as an advisor to the Leadership Team on companywide priorities, quarterly milestones, and issue resolution

What You'll Bring

• 10+ years of progressively responsible construction-management experience, including 5+ years in a senior leadership role overseeing multiple projects
• A track record of successfully managing a $40M to $60M construction portfolio
• Significant experience managing multiple fast-paced smaller projects at once and supervising project teams
• Demonstrated success delivering large, complex mechanical, public works, infrastructure, industrial, or institutional projects
• Strong command of project financial management, forecasting, change-order management, scheduling, procurement, and contract administration
• High financial acumen, including WIP, cost-to-complete projections, cash flow, and project margin
• Experience with public agencies, union construction, and prime-contracting requirements strongly preferred
• New York City public works experience with agencies such as DEP, DSNY, SCA, or DDC highly preferred
• Proven experience managing MWBE and DBE contract requirements
• Proven ability to lead and develop Project Managers
• Ability to distinguish facts from assumptions and surface bad news early
• Strong judgment under pressure and willingness to make difficult decisions
• Direct, professional communication with clients, agencies, employees, and trade partners
• Strong organizational discipline and follow-through, with the ability to build systems without adding bureaucracy
• Working knowledge of project-management, scheduling, document-control, and financial-reporting systems
• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Engineering, Architecture, Busine]]>