Head of Project Development Management

The Role We are looking for a Development Project Manager to serve as the primary project manager for our new openings. You will be in the field, in the drawing set, and in the budget. You will manage two to four active projects at different stages at once, and you will be the person everyone — architect, general contractor, chef, general manager, landlord, expediter — calls when they need an answer. Serve as the owner’s representative on each project, managing the architect, designer, engineers, expediter, general contractor, and specialty consultants from concept through certificate of occupancy.

Build and maintain the project budget and schedule. Review drawing sets at each milestone for constructability, code compliance, and operational sense — catching the service-flow and back-of-house problems that read fine on paper and fail in practice.

Manage permitting and approvals, including DOB filings, Health Department, liquor licensing timelines, landmarks or community board review where applicable, and utility coordination.

Own the change-order process: evaluate, negotiate, document, and approve, with a clear paper trail on every decision.

Lead weekly OAC meetings and regular site walks. Drive the close-out: punchlist, commissioning, TCO/CO, warranties, as-builts, and O&M documentation.

Manage FF&E and OS&E procurement — specification, vendor selection, purchase orders, lead-time tracking, delivery logistics, receiving, and installation.

Pre-Opening & Handover to Operations

Build and own the pre-opening critical path, working backward from the target opening date across construction, licensing, hiring, training, technology, and marketing.

Coordinate the internal team — culinary, beverage, events and sales, design, marketing, finance, and operations — so that each function’s deliverables land on schedule.

Manage the operating-systems buildout: POS, reservations and event-management platforms, payroll and scheduling, inventory, AV, Wi-Fi, phones, security, and music.

Track licensing and compliance to opening: liquor license, certificates, food handler requirements, insurance, permits, and inspections.

Support the opening team on site — installations, deliveries, mock services, and the punch-and-fix cycle through the first weeks of operation.

Prepare and deliver the handover package: warranties, vendor contacts, equipment manuals, service schedules, and a clean list of outstanding items with owners and dates.

Run a post-opening debrief on every project and fold what you learn into the standards and templates for the next one.

Four to seven years managing hospitality, restaurant, hotel, or comparable commercial construction and development projects — on the owner’s side, or on the GC/architect side with a clear reason you want to move to it.

You have carried at least a few projects through to a live opening and know what the last three weeks feel like.

Fluent in construction: you can read a full drawing set, hold your own on an RFI, and tell the difference between a real cost impact and a padded one.

Comfortable in Excel or Google Sheets, and in a project-management tool (Asana, Smartsheet, Procore, or similar).

Working knowledge of NYC permitting and agency process — DOB, DOHMH, SLA, FDNY — or demonstrated ability to get up that curve quickly.

A clear, direct communicator in writing. Available for a hospitality schedule: extended hours, evenings, and weekends during openings and critical milestones.

Bachelor’s degree, or equivalent experience.

Experience across more than one asset type — a restaurant and a hotel, or a restaurant and an event venue.

A prior life in restaurant, hotel, or event operations. Knowing how a kitchen or a banquet floor actually runs makes you better at this job.

Familiarity with commercial kitchen and bar equipment specification, and with event-space requirements: load-in, rigging, power distribution, and acoustics.

Fluency with AutoCAD, Revit, or Bluebeam for markup and takeoffs.