Federal Project Manager

Job Title: Federal Project Manager - MEP CommissioningJob Description

The Federal Project Manager - MEP Commissioning will lead all mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and life safety commissioning activities for three newly constructed secure facility buildings in Key West, Florida. This role serves as the primary liaison among owners, general contractors, subcontractors, design consultants, facility personnel, and government stakeholders to ensure all building systems are correctly installed, thoroughly tested, fully validated, compliant with applicable standards, and ready for safe occupancy and operation. The position offers significant responsibility and visibility on a major federal construction project, providing the opportunity to own the commissioning process from initial planning through project closeout and facility turnover.

Responsibilities

• Develop and manage comprehensive commissioning plans, schedules, and testing protocols for mechanical, electrical, plumbing, fire protection, and life safety systems.

• Lead and coordinate all commissioning activities with construction teams, quality control personnel, design consultants, and facility stakeholders throughout the project lifecycle.

• Serve as the primary point of contact between owners, general contractors, subcontractors, design engineers, facility teams, and government stakeholders for all commissioning-related matters.

• Oversee commissioning of HVAC systems, chillers, boilers, air handling units, exhaust systems, controls, pumps, and energy management systems to ensure proper installation and performance.

• Manage commissioning for electrical distribution systems, switchgear, transformers, generators, lighting controls, grounding systems, and emergency power and life safety systems.

• Direct commissioning activities for domestic water, sanitary systems, storm drainage, fuel systems, specialty piping, fire suppression, fire alarm, and life safety systems.

• Review and validate startup documentation, testing reports, and TAB (Testing, Adjusting, and Balancing) reports, and ensure deficiencies are identified, tracked, and resolved.

• Lead functional performance testing and system validation to confirm that all building systems operate as designed and meet project requirements and applicable standards.

• Create, maintain, and manage deficiency logs, corrective action plans, and closeout documentation to support a thorough and organized commissioning process.

• Conduct regular commissioning meetings, provide progress updates, and communicate issues, risks, and resolutions to project leadership and stakeholders.

• Ensure all commissioning documentation, reports, and records are complete, accurate, and delivered prior to facility turnover and project closeout.

• Coordinate commissioning activities within an active construction site and secure federal facility environment, adhering to safety, security, and base-access protocols.

• Support punch-list completion, final inspection coordination, and turnover activities to confirm systems are fully operational, compliant, and ready for occupancy.

• Apply knowledge of federal standards, Unified Facilities Criteria, OSHA safety regulations, state building codes, and secure-site protocols during planning and execution of commissioning work.

Essential Skills

• Extensive experience in MEP commissioning, with at least 7 years in commissioning, construction management, or building systems engineering for large-scale ground-up projects.

• Proven ability to lead commissioning activities for complex MEP systems, including HVAC, chillers, boilers, air handling units, exhaust systems, controls, pumps, and energy management systems.

• Demonstrated expertise in commissioning electrical distribution systems, switchgear, transformers, generators, lighting controls, grounding systems, and emergency power and life safety systems.

• Strong background in commissioning domestic water, sanitary systems, storm drainage, fuel systems, specialty piping, fire suppression, fire alarm, and life safety systems.

• Ability to develop and manage detailed commissioning plans, schedules, testing protocols, deficiency logs, corrective actions, and closeout documentation.

• Experience coordinating directly with owners, contractors, subcontractors, design engineers, facility teams, and government stakeholders on complex construction projects.

• Solid understanding of MEP building systems and how they integrate within large, secure facility environments.

• Experience with federal, military, government, secure facility, or mission-critical construction projects, with a strong preference for candidates who have worked in these settings.

• Knowledge of Unified Facilities Criteria, federal standards, OSHA safety regulations, state building codes, and secure-site protocols.

• Ability to review TAB reports, identify deficiencies, and drive resolution to ensure systems meet design and performance requirements.

• Competence in functional performance testing, system validation, and documentation of commissioning results.

• United States citizenship and ability to successfully complete a 10-year security background check, drug test, base-access screening, and client background check.

Additional Skills & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Construction Management, or a related field is preferred.

• Experience commissioning federal, military, government, or mission-critical facilities is highly preferred.

• background in U.S. Coast Guard, military, or other federal facility projects is beneficial.

• Familiarity with Unified Facilities Criteria and federal standards related to building systems and commissioning.

• Knowledge of OSHA safety regulations and Coast Guard requirements as they apply to construction and commissioning activities.

• Experience reviewing TAB reports, verifying life safety systems, and commissioning emergency power systems.

• Exposure to punch-list completion, final inspection coordination, and construction closeout processes.

• OSHA 10 or OSHA 30 safety training is highly valuable.

• Strong organizational, communication, and stakeholder coordination skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities in a complex project environment.

• Demonstrated aptitude for technical problem solving and maintaining clear, accurate documentation throughout the commissioning process.

Work Environment

This position is based onsite at an active construction site within a secure federal facility in Key West, Florida. The work environment involves daily interaction and coordination with government personnel, contractors, subcontractors, design consultants, quality teams, and facility stakeholders. The role is hands-on and requires a consistent presence onsite to oversee commissioning activities, witness testing, track deficiencies, conduct inspections, and support closeout and turnover. The setting includes typical conditions of a large construction project, with strict adherence to safety procedures, security requirements, base-access protocols, and compliance guidelines. The assignment is scheduled to run for a defined project duration, during which the Federal Project Manager will be embedded with the project team to ensure all building systems are fully operational, compliant, and ready for occupancy.

Job Type & Location

This is a Contract position based out of Key West, FL.

Pay and Benefits

The pay range for this position is $105.00 - $110.00/hr.

Individual compensation offered for this position within this range will depend on many factors, including qualifications, skills, relevant experience, job knowledge, geographic location, internal equity, and other pertinent job-related factors.

Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific elections, plan, or program terms. If eligible, the benefits available for this temporary role may include the following: - Medical, dental & vision - Critical Illness, Accident, and Hospital - 401(k) Retirement Plan - Pre-tax and Roth post-tax contributions available - Life Insurance (Voluntary Life & AD&D for the employee and dependents) - Short and long-term disability - Health Spending Account (HSA) - Transportation benefits - Employee Assistance Program - Time Off/Leave (PTO, Vacation or Sick Leave)

Workplace Type

This is a fully onsite position in Key West,FL.

Application Deadline

This position is anticipated to close on Aug 21, 2026.

About Actalent

Actalent is a global leader in engineering and sciences services and talent solutions. We help visionary companies advance their engineering and science initiatives through access to specialized experts who drive scale, innovation and speed to market. With a network of almost 20,000 consultants and 5,000 clients across the U.S., Canada, Asia and Europe, Actalent serves many of the Fortune 500. We are proud to be an Engineering News-Record (ENR) Top 500 Design Firm for our engineering design services and a ClearlyRated Best of Staffing® winner for both client and talent service.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and will consider all applications without regard to race, sex, age, color, religion, national origin, veteran status, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, genetic information or any characteristic protected by law.

If you would like to request a reasonable accommodation, such as the modification or adjustment of the job application process or interviewing process due to a disability, please email View email address on click.appcast.io for other accommodation options.

San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, for all positions located in the city and county of San Francisco, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Massachusetts Lie Detector: It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment. An employer who violates this law shall be subject to criminal penalties and civil liability.

Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI): We may use Artificial Intelligence (AI) to support parts of our hiring process, including sourcing, screening, and evaluating candidates. AI helps assess applications and qualifications, but final decisions are made by our hiring team. By applying, you acknowledge and agree that your application may be reviewed using AI tools.