Sr. Manager, Construction - Real Estate Development

Senior Manager, Construction

If you're passionate about building a better future for individuals, communities, and our country—and you're committed to working hard to play your part in building that future—consider WGU as the next step in your career.

Driven by a mission to expand access to higher education through online, competency-based degree programs, WGU is also committed to being a great place to work for a diverse workforce of student-focused professionals. The university has pioneered a new way to learn in the 21st century, one that has received praise from academic, industry, government, and media leaders. Whatever your role, working for WGU gives you a part to play in helping students graduate, creating a better tomorrow for themselves and their families.

The salary range for this position takes into account the wide range of factors that are considered in making compensation decisions including but not limited to skill sets; experience and training; licensure and certifications; and other business and organizational needs.

At WGU, it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range for their position, and compensation decisions are dependent on the facts and circumstances of each case. A reasonable estimate of the current range is:

Grade: Management_Executive 610Pay Range: $126,800.00 - $228,300.00

Job Description

The Senior Manager, Construction, represents the owner and leads site development and construction activities for large-scale campus development projects. This role provides oversight of environmental remediation, site preparation, and vertical construction, and manages a team responsible for execution. The position is accountable for the delivery of project scope, including budget, schedule, risk, and quality performance, while serving as a key partner to executive leadership and external stakeholders. This leader ensures alignment across consultants, contractors, and internal teams and contributes to the successful delivery of complex, multi-phase construction initiatives.

Team Leadership & Project Delivery

• Lead, develop, and manage a team of site development and construction professionals, providing direction, coaching, and performance oversight.
• Own delivery of project scope, including budget, schedule, risk, and quality outcomes across site development and construction phases.
• Oversee project execution from early site preparation through vertical construction, ensuring alignment across all phases of development.
• Establish priorities, allocate resources, and drive accountability to meet project milestones and organizational objectives.

Construction, Vendor & Stakeholder Management

• Serve as primary owner representative with architects, contractors, consultants, and regulatory agencies.
• Oversee procurement, scope development, and contract negotiations, ensuring clarity and alignment of deliverables.
• Drive vendor and contractor performance, including safety, compliance, and quality standards.
• Lead coordination across multidisciplinary teams to ensure seamless execution and issue resolution.

Financial, Risk & Regulatory Oversight

• Manage project budgets, forecasts, and financial performance, including cash flow and reporting.
• Identify and mitigate risks related to construction, site conditions, and regulatory requirements.
• Oversee environmental permitting, entitlements, and compliance with applicable regulations.
• Ensure consistent tracking and communication of project status, risks, and key decisions.

Executive Communication & Strategic Contribution

• Prepare and deliver executive-level reporting and presentations to senior leadership.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to leadership on project strategy, risks, and opportunities.
• Contribute to development of scalable processes, standards, and long-term real estate and construction strategies.

Primary Responsibilities

This job description includes a general representation of job requirements rather than a comprehensive inventory of all required responsibilities or work activities. The contents of this document or related job requirements may change at any time with or without notice.

Qualifications

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

· Demonstrated experience delivering large-scale projects ($50M+)

· Experience managing multidisciplinary teams, consultants, and contractors

· Strong financial acumen, including budgeting, forecasting, and cost control

· Deep understanding of environmental remediation, permitting, and early site preparation processes

· Experience working with local government agencies and regulatory authorities

· Strong communication and executive presentation skills

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering, construction management, real estate, or a related field

Experience

10–15+ years of experience in construction management, site development, or real estate development

Experience in lieu of education

Equivalent relevant experience performing the essential functions of this job may substitute for education degree requirements. Generally, equivalent relevant experience is defined as 1 year of experience for 1 year of education and is the discretion of the hiring manager.

Preferred Qualifications

Advanced degree (MBA or similar) preferred

• This position requires occasional travel of up to 50%, including required attendance at designated company summits (typically one to two per year). Additional travel may include conferences, visits to company locations, and other business-related events as needed. Additional travel may be assigned as needed to support business requirements

Position & Application Details

Full-Time Regular Positions (classified as regular and working 40 standard weekly hours): This is a full-time, regular position (classified for 40 standard weekly hours) that is eligible for bonuses; medical, dental, vision, telehealth and mental healthcare; health savings account and flexible spending account; basic and voluntary life insurance; disability coverage; accident, critical illness and hospital indemnity supplemental coverages; legal and identity theft coverage; retirement savings plan; wellbeing program; discounted WGU tuition; and flexible paid time off for rest and relaxation with no need for accrual, flexible paid sick time with no need for accrual, 11 paid holidays, and other paid leaves, including up to 12 weeks of parental leave.

How to Apply: If interested, an application will need to be submitted online. Internal WGU employees will need to apply through the internal job board in Workday.

Additional Information

Disclaimer: The job posting highlights the most critical responsibilities and requirements of the job. It's not all-inclusive.

Accommodations: Applicants with disabilities who require assistance or accommodation during the application or interview process should contact our Talent Acquisition team at View email address on click.appcast.io.

Equal Employment Opportunity: All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to any protected characteristic as required by law.