Senior Project Manager

About the role

Wharton-Smith, Inc., a highly regarded General Contractor throughout the Southeast, is seeking qualified candidates for the position of Senior Project Manager – Water/Wastewater. We are currently seeking someone who is willing to work in Sanford, FL. GENERAL DESCRIPTION: The Senior Project Manager provides leadership and strategic oversight for large, complex, or multiple construction projects while overseeing project teams and operational performance. This role is responsible for ensuring successful project execution, financial performance, risk management, client satisfaction, and operational excellence across assigned projects. The Senior Project Manager serves as an operational leader who mentors Project Managers and project teams, supports business development initiatives, manages executive-level client relationships, and drives continuous improvement throughout project operations. This role plays a key part in staffing, operational planning, and organizational leadership. RESPONSIBILITIES: • Oversee multiple projects or large-scale, technically complex construction projects from preconstruction through closeout. • Provide leadership, mentoring, and operational guidance to Project Managers, Assistant Project Managers, and project teams. • Monitor project financial performance including budgeting, forecasting, profitability, cash flow, and risk management. • Develop and maintain executive-level client, consultant, and industry relationships. • Support business development initiatives, including project pursuits, presentations, interviews, contract negotiations, and participation in industry conferences, networking events, and professional association functions. • Lead resolution of major project disputes, claims, operational challenges, and contractual issues. • Drive operational consistency, process improvement, and best practices across project teams. • Support staffing, resource planning, employee development, and succession planning initiatives. • Monitor project schedules, procurement activities, staffing plans, quality control, and safety performance across assigned projects. • Provide executive-level reporting and operational updates to senior leadership. QUALIFICATIONS: • Bachelor’s degree in Engineering, Construction Management, or another relevant field. • Ten (10) to fifteen (15) years of construction management experience. • Proven success leading large-scale construction projects and/or multiple concurrent projects. • Demonstrated leadership, operational management, financial oversight, and business development capabilities. • Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills. • Ability to communicate effectively with executive leadership, owners, design teams, subcontractors, vendors, and field personnel. • Experience preparing presentations, qualification packages, reports, and project-specific documentation. • Demonstrated leadership, organizational, and team-building skills with the ability to motivate teams, maintain morale, and foster a collaborative work environment. • Proven ability to coach and mentor employees at varying levels of experience and career development. • Ability to manage multiple priorities and lead teams effectively in fast-paced construction environments. • Strong understanding of project startup and mobilization, scheduling, budgeting, cost control, procurement, and construction operations. • Proficiency with CPM scheduling software, construction management platforms, and Microsoft Office Suite. • Knowledge of contract administration, risk management, forecasting, and project financial reporting. • Strong analytical, organizational, and problem-solving skills. • Ability to occasionally lift and move office products and supplies weighing up to 20 pounds. • Ability to work extended hours, evenings, and weekends as required by project schedules and operational demands. • Ability to travel regularly to project sites and regional offices as needed. • Ability and willingness to be assigned full-time to a project site for an extended period when required to support project execution and client needs. Equal Opportunity Employer/Veterans/Disability Wharton-Smith provides equal opportunity to qualified disabled veterans, Pre-JVA special disabled veterans and individuals with disabilities to online application systems by making reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access for submitting to job openings. (i.e., wheelchair accessibility, website accessibility, etc). Our recruiting process is centralized and managed exclusively by the HR Department. We do not pay agency fees for unsolicited resumes. An unsolicited resume is defined as any resume submitted by a recruiter who has not been pre-approved by HR, has not signed our recruiting agreement, and has not been engaged by HR to fill a specific position.