Senior Construction Project Manager

Job Description

Open to remote candidates in New York City Metropolitan Area (preferred), NJ, CT, PA, MA, or FL.

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At NAYA, we’re on an exciting journey - growing fast, sharing authentic, fresh, and nutritious Middle Eastern flavors, and building a team that grows with us.

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Our mission is to build genuine connections through the Middle Eastern flavors that nourish and inspire us.

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You will love working at NAYA

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We believe great people deserve great rewards. NAYA offers a comprehensive and people-focused benefits package designed to support you at work and beyond, including:

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• Competitive pay to recognize your impact
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• Annual competitive bonus plan
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• 401(k) with match
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• Paid Vacation time
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• Medical, dental, and vision insurance to keep you healthy and thriving
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• Flexible Spending and Commuter benefits to make your life easier
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• Employee discounts and free NAYA meals — because we believe in enjoying what we serve
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• Employee Assistance, Pay on Demand, Pet Insurance, Identity Theft Protection, and much more!
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At NAYA, you’ll find more than a job — you’ll find a community that values you, supports your goals, and celebrates your success.

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About the Role

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The Senior Construction Project Manager , leads the successful delivery of new restaurant openings, remodels, and capital projects from pre-construction through turnover and closeout. This role owns day-to-day project execution across schedule, budget, quality, risk, and field coordination while partnering closely with Real Estate, Design, Facilities, Operations, Finance, and external consultants.

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Critically, you will scale NAYA's development pipeline through disciplined execution, proactive problem-solving, and continuous improvement.

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What You’ll Do

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Pre-Construction and Site Due Diligence

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• Support site feasibility and pre-lease due diligence by reviewing test fits, existing conditions, utility capacity, constructibility, code and permitting constraints, landlord scope, and project risks.
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• Review work letters, lease exhibits, and landlord delivery obligations with the VP of Development and Real Estate team, identifying scope gaps, schedule dependencies, and cost exposure before lease execution.
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• Prepare preliminary budgets and ROM estimates for site approvals.
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Procurement, Budget, and Schedule Management

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• Lead GC procurement, including bid packages, bidder questions and site walks, bid leveling, scope and pricing negotiations, award recommendations, and contract coordination.
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• Develop and maintain detailed project schedules covering permitting, landlord work, utility work, long-lead procurement, construction, inspections, turnover, and opening; identify critical-path risks and drive recovery plans.
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• Maintain project budgets, commitments, contingencies, and forecasts; manage change orders and pay applications, validating scope, pricing, and entitlement before recommending approval.
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Construction Execution and Coordination

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• Manage general contractors, architects, engineers, expediters, consultants, vendors, and owner-supplied equipment and fixtures to ensure coordinated execution and clear accountability.
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• Review construction documents for completeness, constructability, and consistency with NAYA standards; drive timely resolution of RFIs, submittals, and field conflicts, and conduct regular site visits and progress meetings to verify quality, schedule, safety, and compliance.
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• Proactively coordinate utilities and building systems, including electrical, gas, water and sewer, HVAC, kitchen exhaust and hood systems, fire protection, grease systems, and equipment connections.
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Permitting, Turnover, and Closeout

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• Coordinate permitting, inspections, AHJ requirements, and CO/TCO activities with the design team, expediters, and general contractor.
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• Lead the NRO turnover process with Operations, Facilities, and project partners, ensuring punch completion, commissioning, training, and opening readiness.
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• Ensure complete project closeout, including as-built drawings, O&M manuals, warranties, training records, permits, CO/TCO documentation, lien releases, and financial closeout.
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How You Will Impact

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• Deliver new restaurant builds, remodels, and capital projects end-to-end, from pre-construction through turnover, closeout, and warranty, on schedule, on budget, and to NAYA standards.
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• Give senior leadership clear, concise reporting on schedule, budget, key decisions, risks, mitigation plans, and forecasted outcomes.
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• Capture lessons learned and improve standards, tools, and repeatable processes that reduce cost, improve quality, mitigate risk, and shorten delivery timelines.
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Who you are

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• Bachelor's degree in Construction Management, Architecture, Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent relevant experience.
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• 7+ years of commercial construction project management experience, including meaningful experience delivering restaurant, QSR, hospitality, or multi-unit retail projects.
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• Proven ability to independently lead multiple concurrent projects across different markets, timelines, and jurisdictions.
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• Strong working knowledge of construction documents, pre-construction, estimating, bid leveling, contract administration, project scheduling, cost control, permitting, inspections, and closeout, with sound financial and commercial judgment, on change orders, pay applications, contractor pricing, and project forecasts.
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• Hands-on understanding of restaurant building systems and coordination, including kitchen equipment, electrical service, plumbing, HVAC, hood and exhaust systems, utilities, fire and life safety, grease systems, ADA, and health department requirements.
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• A proactive problem-solver who spots risk early, solves field problems quickly, and makes sound decisions while balancing cost, schedule, quality, and operational needs.
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• Excellent communication, collaboration, organization, and negotiation skills across internal teams and external partners.
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• Proficient with Bluebeam and project management or scheduling tools (SiteRise, Monday.com, Procore, Smartsheet, MS Project, or similar).
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• Comfortable traveling regularly to project sites, sometimes on short notice, and working flexibly when critical project milestones require.
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Naya is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate based on race, color, creed, religion, gender (including gender identity or expression), pregnancy, childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, marital status, domestic violence, sexual violence or stalking victim status, ancestry, national origin, alienage or citizenship, age, disability, military or veteran status, genetic information or predisposing genetic characteristic, or other protected status.

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Employment Eligibility Verification - NAYA participates in the federal E-Verify program. If you are offered employment, we will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the United States. Please note that we do not use E-Verify to pre-screen job applicants, and the verification process will only begin after an official offer of employment has been accepted.

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