Construction Manager

Construction Manager

Vulcan Elements is manufacturing American rare-earth permanent magnets for a secure, resilient future. With a focus on national security and economic resiliency, we serve critical industries such as defense, aerospace, and automotive powering a high-technology future. Vulcan Elements is building a team of ambitious professionals committed to mission focus, technical excellence, and transparency.

We are seeking an experienced construction manager to represent the owner on a major manufacturing facility expansion being delivered by a design-build general contractor (gc). This is a contract engagement for a field-based leader who will oversee the gc's construction execution on the owner's behalf — monitoring schedule, quality, and safety performance, and ensuring the gc's design and construction stay aligned with the owner's project requirements, business objectives, and operational needs.

The construction manager acts as the owner's eyes, ears, and voice on site — validating the gc's schedule and progress claims, reviewing quality and safety performance, flagging design or execution issues that affect the owner's interests, and ensuring a smooth path to commissioning, turnover, and start-up. Daily on-site presence and close working relationships with the gc's project team and the owner's engineering/operations stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• gc oversight & coordination – serve as the owner's primary field point of contact with the design-build gc; monitor day-to-day construction activities, site logistics, and installation of mechanical, electrical, and controls systems performed by the gc and its subcontractors.
• design-build compliance – review the gc's design development and construction execution against the owner's project requirements, performance specifications, and contract basis of design; identify and escalate deviations, gaps, or design-to-field discrepancies.
• schedule oversight – independently track the gc's master schedule and look-ahead plans, validate progress and productivity claims, and proactively flag schedule risks or slippage to owner leadership.
• quality assurance (owner-side) – conduct owner-side field inspections and quality walks independent of the gc's own qc program; verify installation quality against drawings, specifications, and code, and drive timely closure of non-conformances through the gc.
• safety oversight – monitor the gc's site safety program and performance, verify compliance with contract and regulatory safety requirements, and raise concerns directly with gc leadership when standards are not met.
• change order & pay application review – assist in gc change order requests review, pay applications, and schedule impact claims for accuracy and contract compliance.
• commissioning & turnover – support commissioning, start-up, and turnover activities, coordinating between the gc and owner's operations/engineering teams
• documentation & reporting – maintain field reports, progress photos, punch lists, and inspection records from the owner's perspective; provide regular, independent progress and risk reporting to owner leadership.
• responsibilities and tasks outlined are not exhaustive and may change as determined by the needs of the business

Qualifications

• 10+ years of industrial construction management experience, with direct experience representing an owner (owner's cm, owner's rep, or similar)
• experience overseeing projects delivered under a design-build contract structure; understanding of design-build roles, responsibilities, and single-point-of-responsibility risk allocation.
• strong working knowledge of mechanical, electrical, and controls (mec) installations, sufficient to independently assess gc-reported quality, progress, and schedule claims.
• proven ability to hold a design-build gc accountable to contract specifications, schedule, and safety requirements without directly managing the gc's subcontractors.
• experience reviewing gc pay applications, change orders, and schedule impact claims from an owner's perspective.
• experience reading and interpreting construction drawings, p&ids, electrical one-lines, and equipment specifications, including performance-based design-build specifications.
• working knowledge of construction scheduling tools sufficient to independently validate gc-provided schedules.
• experience supporting owner-side commissioning, start-up, and turnover of facility equipment and systems.
• excellent communication, organization, and field-leadership skills, with the judgment to escalate issues appropriately and maintain a constructive but independent relationship with the gc.
• bachelor's degree in construction management, engineering, or a related field preferred; equivalent field experience will be considered in lieu of a degree.

must be a u.s. person due to required access to u.s. export-controlled information or facilities.

Preferred Qualifications

• prior experience specifically as an owner's construction manager or owner's representative on industrial or manufacturing capital projects.
• experience on greenfield or brownfield manufacturing expansion projects delivered via design-build or epc.
• osha 30 certification, or equivalent industrial safety credential.

Work Environment & Physical Requirements

• on-site at an active industrial construction site; role requires daily field presence, not office-based.
• ability to walk an active construction site, climb ladders/stairs, and work around heavy equipment, cranes, and active trades.
• use of standard ppe (hard hat, safety glasses, steel-toed boots) required at all times on site.
• some flexibility in hours may be required to align with gc schedules, deliveries, or critical installation milestones.