Sr Design Manager

Do you consider yourself to be a highly technical, strong communicator with the desire to work in a team environment on complex projects? Gilbane is seeking a Sr Design Manager to be responsible for the integration of design and construction teams on a single specific project to deliverable coordinated, constructible, and cost-effective designs on schedule and within budget by implementing key SOPs and managing the daily productivity of the multi-disciplinary team.

Who are we?  

As a Top-10 ENR Contractor, Gilbane is a family-owned business with 45 offices that has been shaping communities since 1870. Consistently recognized as one of the most reputable construction management firms in the country, Gilbane is committed to delivering projects safely and on-time. You will have the opportunity to build schools, labs, hospitals, corporate offices, sports arenas and more! 

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly with every qualification in the job description, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.

Who are you? 

You are a coach/leader who leads with an inclusive and empathetic mindset. You provide feedback and guidance to help others excel in their current or future roles. You determine priorities, delegate work, and effectively communicate progress. You establish measures to assess the impact, quality, and timeliness of results while praising successes and sharing lessons learned. You build high performing teams by attracting, engaging, developing, and retaining talented individuals through motivation and discipline to maximize impact on the organization and the individual.  

You leverage business insights by understanding industry trends, local market/economic conditions, and Gilbane’s business model to make critical decisions and create competitive advantage. You deploy a strategic mindset when considering solutions to long-term opportunities and risks that may develop in the future.  

Your core values match Gilbane’s: Integrity, Caring, Teamwork, Toughmindedness, Dedication to Excellence, Discipline, Loyalty, and Entrepreneurship. 

What’s in it for you?   

Gilbane offers employees multi-dimensional training opportunities through a number of resources. While managing your responsibilities to projects, you will be able to enroll in trainings through our award-winning Gilbane University to build leadership and technical skills. In addition, you would work with an experienced team which provides you with the opportunity to learn new industry skills every day. You will protect and promote the interests of both Gilbane and the client in all matters as well as demonstrating the personal characteristics of a developing leader. 

• Serves as primary liaison between design, construction, and owner teams during all project phases from pursuit through project execution
• Acts as the primary Design Management lead for one major or complex project, or limited concurrent projects depending on size, delivery model, design pace, procurement complexity, and owner/stakeholder demand
• Develops strategy for design services breakdown and integration of specialty consultants of design/build trades, in collaboration with Preconstruction and project leadership
• Defines technical scope and ensure comprehensive bridging documents, as well as validation of Basis of Design
• Leads alignment of owner requirements, design scope, consultant responsibilities, budget, procurement strategy, and construction readiness; proactively identifies and resolves gaps, conflicts, and risks before they impact execution
• Facilitates design kick-off including all relevant Gilbane and client stakeholders, as well as all milestone reviews
• Works with the Owner to fully understand requirements, including commissioning, turn-over, digital records and operations and maintenance standards and protocols
• Develops and maintains design deliverable schedules aligned with procurement and build phases
• Facilitates design charrettes, daily design coordination amongst the multi-disciplinary team, team chartering, and owner approval processes
• Coordinates permitting process and maintain related schedules; holds design team accountable to meet permitting deadlines
• Leads design risk management, including cost-benefit analysis and change impacts
• Facilitates “Safety Risk and Opportunity Analysis During Design”workshops at each milestone stage, including key Gilbane, design team, and owner stakeholders, capturing discussion points in Risk Register for the duration of design
• Escalates unresolved scope, budget, schedule, procurement, safety, QA/QC, legal, or risk concerns to project leadership
• Leads the Owner Review and Approval Process for all milestone design deliverables, including comment resolution and implementation
• Works with preconstruction/estimating as the cost model is developed, revised, and reconciled, to understand any project scope that is not aligned with the owner budget; works with AE partners to correct design for budget alignment
• Collaborates with Preconstruction, Estimating, and Purchasing teams estimating on all procurement efforts. Purchasing to develop procurement strategy, readiness and execution plan, in collaboration with Preconstruction, Operations and Design Management. Design Management to align strategy with AE partner deliverables and schedule, as well as hold partners accountable for procurement readiness.
• Supports constructability reviews, providing feedback on design alignment with owner requirements; holds design team accountable for incorporation of constructability review feedback
• Oversees design progression to ensure alignment with budget, schedule, and constructability; lead target value design
• Ensures Health & Safety integration, introduces Hierarchy of Controls, and incorporates logistics planning into the design 
• Promotes design-build mindset and collaboration between disciplines
• Oversees and validates design team invoicing  and design QA/QC for regulatory and standards compliance
• Improves documentation of design basis and assumptions
• Emphasizes the importance of delivering the proposed design and managing scope changes
• Facilitates construction phase design services kick-off to confirm construction and close-out expectations from our design partners
• Communicates design scope and intent, as well as any managed risks, to construction team for seamless execution in the build phase
• Works with Operations to establish all project controls in accordance with Division 1 specifications to ensure alignment
• Resolves scope conflicts between the design team, trade partners and project teams and develop recovery plans as needed
• As changes arise, works with our design partners and Operations team to manage design updates and any related impacts
• Expected to contribute to organizational learning by sharing lessons learned and best practices for alternative delivery
• Mentors and coaches the Design Project Specialist providing technical guidance, leadership development, and performance feedback
• Responsible for the career development and coaching of team members
• Fosters a positive and inclusive work environment to motivate and engage team members
• Interprets and translates the organizational strategy, ensuring team understanding of their role in accomplishing strategic goals

EXPERIENCE/EDUCATION

• Bachelor’s Degree in Architecture, Engineering, Construction Management, or related field
• 8-12 years of relevant experience with an active role on a multidisciplinary team in Design-Build, IPD, P3, EPC, or other alternative delivery models
• Typically leads Design Management for one major/complex project or limited concurrent projects depending on complexity and staffing model
• DBIA, LEED, RA, PE, AIA, NCIDQ, or related credentials may be preferred based on project/client requirements
• Or equivalent combination of education and experience

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS & ABILITIES

• Strong understanding of design-to-budget, constructability, and risk management
• Executes departmental processes and procedures
• Excellent communication, leadership, and team-building skills
• Ability to manage multiple stakeholders and drive consensus,
• Proficiency in design and construction management software/tools; proficiency in BIM software is preferred
• Collaborate with project leadership on strategic thinking and problem-solving action plans
• Collaborative influence with team
• Risk identification and mitigation
• Innovation and continuous improvement
• Results-oriented and accountable

Salary to be determined based on factors such as geographic location, skills, education, and/or experience of the applicant, as well as the internal equity and alignment with the team.

For (Arlington, VA) this ranges from $145,000-$185,000 plus benefits and retirement program.

Gilbane offers an excellent total compensation package which includes competitive health and welfare benefits and a generous profit-sharing/401k plan. We invest in our employees’ education and have built Gilbane University into a top training organization in the construction industry. Qualified applicants who are offered a position must pass a pre-employment substance abuse test.

Gilbane is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, color, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, protected veteran status, or disability status. Click here to view the physical demands and working conditions required to perform this role. Reasonable accommodation may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.

Note to Recruiters, Placement Agencies, and Similar Organizations: Gilbane does not accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. Please do not forward unsolicited agency resumes to our jobs alias, website, or to any Gilbane employee. Gilbane will not pay fees to any third party agency or firm and will not be responsible for any agency fees associated with unsolicited resumes. Unsolicited resumes received will be considered property of Gilbane and will be processed accordingly.